The 2016-17 EPL campaign started relatively slowly but the opening week finished off with a bang with an exciting match between Arsenal and Liverpool. Continue reading for our EPL Week 2 Preview and Betting Tips.
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Stoke City vs Manchester City (Saturday 9.30pm AEST)
Manchester City started the match strongly against Sunderland and took the lead inside the first 5-minutes. It looked as if their new manager Pep Guardiola was going to have an immediate impact on the side but it wasn’t all smooth sailing. They lost a lot of the momentum and ultimately conceded a goal. It took a bit of individual brilliance to allow them to escape with the three competition points. They will be better for the performance together and we believe it will be a more comfortable win this weekend.
Stoke City had to settle for a draw with Middlesbrough as their notorious slow starts to a premier league season continued. Their squad has a lot of talent and they should be pushing for a berth in Europe next season through the Europa League but their inability to start the competition strongly could haunt them similar to last season. They will have the advantage of playing on home soil but the earlier game will prevent the conditions from playing a major role. Manchester lost to Stoke 2-0 on the road last year and they will be cautious to avoid a repeat. Their fast starts have us confident to take them leading throughout the entire match.
TIP: HT/FT – Manchester City/Manchester City @ $2.60 with Sportsbet
Burnley vs Liverpool (Sunday 12am AEST)
The newly promoted Burnley started their return to the Premier League off poorly with a 1-0 loss to Swansea at home. It looked as if the match would be a 0-0 draw but a late goal keeping error from Tom Heaton resulted in a loss.
Burnley will face a tough test this weekend as Liverpool showed they won’t be rusty heading into the 2016-17 season. After conceding an early goal on the road against Arsenal, Liverpool were able to regroup and end up leading 4-1. Coutinho continued his good form into the season as he scored a spectacular free kick before being on the end of a cross to score Liverpool’s first two goals. The area for concern with the side will be that they took the foot off the pedal to allow Arsenal back into the game but Manager Jurgen Klopp would definitely be delighted with his side’s first showing. We are predicting another comfortable win for the Reds as they have showed their will be no feeling out process for a side that has a lot of new signings.
TIP: HT/FT – Liverpool/Liverpool @ $2.30 with William Hill
West Bromwich Albion vs Everton (Sunday 12am AEST)
Everton started the season off strongly as they played a high press, which unsettled Tottenham in the opening half. It eventually led to them taking the lead through a Ross Barkley free kick. However the high intensity game plan left the Toffees exhausted and the Spurs began to dominate in the second half. Another week of training and freshening up should have Everton more match fit and we except the former Southampton boss Ronald Koeman to implement a similar game plan and it will be more effective against this weekends opponents.
West Brom were able to start their season with a victory as they won on the road against Crystal Palace. It wasn’t an exciting match as both teams were unable to create clear-cut chances throughout the contest. West Brom struggled to score goals last year and we believe that could be an issue they carry over into this campaign. Everton will be able to earn the three points in this one.
TIP: Everton @ $2.50 with Ladbrokes
Leicester City vs Arsenal (Sunday 2.30am AEST)
The Foxes start to defending their title couldn’t have gone any worse as they became the first team in the Premier League era to start their defence off with a loss. It was disappointing but not unexpected as the weight of all the expectations on the side continue on from last year. However, after the loss the side will be able to regroup and we expect a strong showing from Leicester as they play their first game at home of the 2016-17 campaign.
Meanwhile the Gunners had an awful start to their season, as the scoreboard was kind to them. They were trailing 4-1 with 30 minutes remaining and a lot of the fans had already begun to leave the stadium. It is a tough first two games for the Gunners and they will need their best players to take the field this weekend. They will still have troubles at the back with Per Mertesaker and Gabriel out with long-term injuries whilst Laurent Koscielny is likely to miss this weekends match, as he is still not fit after playing at Euro 2016. This should create plenty of opportunities for the Foxes and we are backing them to take out the victory on home soil to mount pressure on the Gunners as they start their campaign with two losses.
TIP: Leicester City @ $2.90 with CrownBet
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
