EPL 2024-25: Matchday 3 Preview & Betting Tips
Arsenal vs Brighton
Emirates Stadium, Saturday 31st August, 9:30pm AEST
Matchday 3 kicks off with a battle of second versus third as Brighton travel to London to take on Arsenal. Both clubs have had great starts to the season with 2-0-0 records and a goal difference of 4. Goals from Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey helped Arsenal to a 2-0 victory in a see-sawing affair against Aston Villa, in what could be a crucial win given they dropped six points against Villa last season. Brighton scored a thrilling 2-1 win over Manchester United, with a 95th minute winner from Joao Pedro separating the two sides.
Back to back 2-0 wins to begin their campaign has Arsenal winning their opening two games without conceding, for the first time in the Premier League era and only the third time in the history of the club. Both the Gunners and Seagulls are ranked equal second for goals across the opening two weeks of the season, while they’re both ranked in the top two in the league for defence.
Although they have been both good in defence to start the season, when these two sides meet there are usually goals aplenty. Across the last four Premier League fixtures between Arsenal and Brighton, there has been a combined fourteen goals scored. Arsenal have won three of those four games by scorelines of 4-2, 2-0 and 3-0 and will be full of confidence after two impressive wins to start their campaign. Mikel Arteta’s side have made a fool of Brighton’s defence over the last few seasons, and will get the better of them again on Saturday night.
Arsenal -1
$1.85 (1 Unit)
Newcastle vs Tottenham
St James' Park, Sunday 1st September, 10:30pm AEST
Ange Postecoglou’s side travel north to Newcastle in a battle of fifth versus six as Tottenham and Newcastle face off. Both clubs have started with a win and a draw, after Tottenham battered Everton 4-0 and Newcastle were held to a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth. After a disappointing seventh place finish last season, it’s been an underwhelming start to this season with a 1-0 win over recently promoted Southampton to go with their draw last week.
Tottenham bounced back from a frustrating draw with Leicester on the opening weekend of the season, in a dominant performance against Everton where they recorded 71% possession and held the Toffees to one shot on target. Tottenham star Heung-min Son got on the scoresheet for the first this season with a brace, with the South Korean star crucial to Spurs top four aspirations this season.
The two matches between these clubs were near polar opposites with Tottenham winning the first encounter 4-1, while Newcastle bounced back in the return leg with a 4-0 victory. Spurs and Newcastle have played in plenty of high scoring encounters over the last few seasons, with six of the last seven Premier League fixtures between the two sides hitting over 3.5 total goals. Tottenham have generated 28 shots on goal across the opening fortnight of the season, and all roads point to another goal fest between Newcastle and Spurs.
Over 3.5 Total Goals
$1.85 (1.5 Units)
Manchester United vs Liverpool
Old Trafford, Monday 2nd September, 10:00am AEST
One of football’s greatest rivalries adds another chapter on Monday morning as Manchester United host Liverpool at Old Trafford. The Reds head to Old Trafford full of confidence with two comfortable wins to begin the Arne Slot era. It was the same scoreline as Matchday 1, however the Reds were vastly more dominant across the 90 minutes with 19 shots to 8 and 63% possession against Brentford.
Manchester United’s typical early season struggles have led into another season, with the Red Devils conceding in the 95th minute against Brighton to lose 2-1. United’s defence looked shaky and it would be surprising if Erik ten Hag doesn’t replace Harry Maguire for new signing Matthijs de Ligt, with the former United captain struggling for form over the opening fortnight of the season.
Despite both fixtures being draws last season, this rivalry has been one sided since 2020. Liverpool hold a 5-3-1 advantage in Premier League matches against Manchester United since the turn of the decade, with their five wins coming by an aggregate score of 22-2. Manchester United have only won one of their last eleven Premier League matches against Liverpool, and that record won’t be improving against an in-form Liverpool side.
Liverpool -1
$2.90 (2 Units)
