And just like that, it’s the middle of August, and that means the Premier League is back!
With all the football that’s gone on over the summer break, it’s barely felt like there has been a period with no football to punt on. But the proper stuff is finally upon us.
We have Leeds, Sunderland and Burnley are being welcomed back to the big boys table, a stacked Liverpool side who will be looking to defend the title and the rest of the clubs trying to chase them down.
Firstly a couple of bets for the upcoming season that we can ride out through the full 38 weeks and then we’ll get into our match preview for every game in this opening round.
EPL Futures Bets 👇
To say Tottenham struggled last year would be an understatement. A dismal 17th saw Ange Postecoglou sacked and Thomas Frank come in and take over for this new season.
Despite the rough season. Dominic Solanke scored nine goals, which was about where he was projected, but it’s worth looking into Thomas Franks’ record with strikers. Last season, Brian Mbeumo bagged 20 league goals and Yoane Wissa had 19. In the 2022/23 season, Ivan Toney also managed 20 league goals, all under Franks’ guidance.
With Son out of the picture for Spurs, I think Solanke will be the man Spurs look for this year and should be leading the team come May next year.
You could probably make a case for both Sunderland and Leeds to be somewhat competitive this year and even avoid the drop. I can’t be convinced, though when it comes to Burnley.
Scott Parker will have his work cut out for him this year, but he doesn’t have the greatest record in the Premier League, and well, both Leeds and Sunderland look like better fits in the top-flight.
They’ve both got good momentum leading into the season, have done some good business throughout the summer and have left the Lancashire club in the dust.
Burnley is to make the instant drop back to the Championship with less than 25 points for the season.
If you think Liverpool will win the league, then backing Wirtz at this price is a great bet. He has made a habit of catching the eye by winning the Bundesliga Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the Season and German Player of the Year.
This is a 22 year old by the way.
This team will be less Salah focused this season which opens the door for Wirtz to become the heartbeat of this team.
He’ll dish out a KDB like season in either the creative ten role or in the false nine.
Kevin de Bruyne won the PFA Player of the Year twice…
Gameweek 1 Previews 👇
The opening game of the 2025/26 season gets underway at Anfield at 7am on Saturday morning. Liverpool, who begin their title defence will look to get it started in style and history shows they will.
Having won each of their last five home openers, Liverpool are the short-priced favourites.
Bournemouth found themselves in ninth last year and managed a decent away record. They won seven and drew seven of their 19 away games last campaign. However, they’re in for a bit of a different season as they’ve lost the majority of last year’s backline.
Cue Mo Salah… he is the club’s leading goal scorer on opening day (9) and betcha has boosted him to score at any time from $1.75 to $2.50.
Arne Slot will be looking to right some wrongs after their Community Shield defeat. We have some new markets available and one of them suits this game perfectly.
‘Correct Score Combo Markets’ Liverpool to Win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 pays $2.85 and is one I’ll be adding to my betslip.
I have Aston Villa in my top four this year, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see these two sides jostling for the 4th, 5th or 6th position at the end of the season.
Aston Villa had a very strong home record under Unai Emery last year, going unbeaten in 18 of their 19 home games. One of those home games was a 4-1 victory for Villa over Newcastle.
Unfortunately for the Magpies, they’ve had a disastrous transfer window, and it’s basically a done deal now that Alexander Isak won’t be playing for Newcastle again. They’ve missed out on plenty of top targets, leaving the squad unsettled.
Given Villa’s record at home and how turbulent Newcastle’s summer has been, I fancy Villa to come out on top by a reasonable margin.
Joao Pedro is a massive loss for Brighton, but that being said, they have done some decent business and spent some money on defenders, which is a positive for the fans who watched their team get caught out defensively time and time again last season.
The Cottagers are always good for throwing a spanner in each gameweek. These two sides seem reasonably matched for quality, and looking at their last few fixtures, we’ve seen goals for both sides and high-scoring draws.
The home team one the two meetings last year, so we’ll back the home side to get some points out of their opening game, but not without Fulham firing a shot or two.
We’re in for a real treat as we get to watch some Premier League action at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland will host West Ham in their first Premier League game since 2017.
I think Sunderland can make a case to stay in the top-flight this year, and one of the teams I reckon they’ll be fighting with is West Ham.
The Black Cats summer was headlined by the signing of Granit Xhaka who brings a load of Premier League experience to the club.
As for the Hammers, they’ve added Callum Wilson and Lucas Paqueta has been cleared to play again. The issue for West Ham is at both ends of the park… they struggled to find the back of the net but also conceded 62 goals last season.
Sunderland’s record at home last year was very strong thanks to their defence. I want them to win, but I think a draw seems more likely.
Can Burnley rock up to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and take anything away in their return to the top-flight.
They spent just the one season in the Championship, finishing second and earning promotion. Manager Scott Parker lead his side to a record 33-match unbeaten run and finished with 100 points from their 46 games.
The still didn’t win the title though, thanks to Leeds having a better goal difference.
However, all that might mean nothing because the Premier League is a big step up, and they’re facing one of the ‘big six’ first up.
Tottenham finished 17th last year! A result that saw Aussie Ange get the sack and Thomas Frank get the nod to lead the London club forward.
There are plenty of people out there (mainly Spurs fans) who think this could be pantsing, but I think otherwise.
It’ll be a tricky one first up for Spurs but I don’t think Frank will allow his side to go down in their home opener.
Wolves were the 16th best side last season, and it’s probably where they’ll be at the conclusion of this season. Their home form was average at best, taking 21 points from the games played at home.
Unfortunately for them, Man City have a fantastic head-to-head record in this fixture.
Pep will want his side to get off to a good start and avoid any murmurs of last season’s woes. The man they’ll look to of course will be Erling Haaland.
He’s the clear favourite to be the league’s top goal scorer and I think he’ll open his account on the road this weekend.
After what looked like it was going to be a fairytale season for the Tress fell agonisingly short of their goals, they’ll be hungry to prove it was no fluke. They’ll have a chance to show that at home because they’ll host the Bees.
Brentford have hit the reset button and wiped basically the entire club. Thomas Frank departed for Tottenham, and several key players have also exited, including Bryan Mbeumo, Christian Norgaard, and Mark Flekken.
They’re going to struggle this year, and despite losing Anthony Elanga, Nottingham are arguably looking stronger and are deserved favourites in the opener.
The Club World Cup Champions host Crystal Palace, who will be feeling rather deflated after their appeal to compete in the Europa League was denied earlier in the week.
On the back of a very successful ‘off-season’, Chelsea come into the 2025/26 season with high hopes. Joao Pedro could be the signing of the summer after he had an impact during their Club World Cup run.
The highs of the FA cup countered a somewhat disappointing league season. But now they’ve got one trophy in the cabinet, they’ll be eager for more.
I said it above, but Joao Pedro could be the main to help Chelsea make a title run. He scored three goals in two starts during the Club World Cup but he can also help his teammates find the back of the net. Take him to score or assist against the FA Cup champions.
Game of the weekend for me, and one I’m stoked we have these new markets for.
Arsenal finally have their goal scorer in Gyökeres and the Gunners will be hoping he can lead them to some silverware.
Man United, even after their last few seasons, still have the draw of one of the biggest clubs in Europe so they’ve been able to land some massive signings. Most notably, one’s that’ll help in front of goal.
When these two sides meet, we tend to get a stalemate with both teams scoring.
Arteta needs his side to start strong and I’m picking they will. Take one of the correct score combo’s with both teams scoring.
Leeds were the dominant force in the Championship last year, finishing tied on 100 points with Burnley. But took home the top spot thanks to their goal difference.
Leeds manager Daniel Farke has admitted they need some work up top but have recruited well on the defensive side of things.
Everton struggled in front of goal last year only managing 18 while on the road.
I think they’ll head to Elland Road, setting up to not lose. It feels like a low-scoring draw to me.