The wait is finally over! After months of thrilling international football, including EURO 2024, Copa America, and the Olympics, club football is back in town. As always, we have expert betting tips for our online betting community including everyone's favourite: bet builder. Without any further ado, let's get started.
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**Manchester United vs Fulham** Manchester United kick off the 2024-25 Premier League campaign at home for the 10th time in 11 seasons when they welcome Fulham to the Theatre of Dreams on Friday. The pressure is mounting on Erik ten Hag's men, following a disappointing showing last season in the top flight and in Europe, which was slightly mitigated by beating their local rivals, Manchester City, to lift the FA Cup. That momentum proved to be short-lived, as they went on to lose to City again in the FA Community Shield at Wembley. Despite keeping his job, Ten Hag is aware that United's new co-owners are ambitious and will demand improvements. To that end, the United boss has brought in some familiar faces, including Red Devils legend Ruud van Nistelrooy to join the back-room staff, and signed defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, both of whom he worked with at Ajax. The pair will join Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee as summer recruits. Pre-season results have been mixed, with three defeats in five matches, including a 3-0 thrashing by Liverpool in the USA. United begin the season facing a Fulham team that took all three points when the sides met in February, and the Cottagers will be looking to make it two away wins against United in a row for the first time ever. Fulham have done some good business, bringing in talented midfielder Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal. Manager Marco Silva will be hoping the 24-year-old can forge an excellent partnership with the blossoming Rodrigo Muniz in attack. **Prediction: United have a strong opening day record, and historically, they've had the upper hand against Fulham, winning 24 of their 33 Premier League meetings. The last seven Premier League openers have seen a total of 25 goals, and we could be treated to more attacking action on Friday night. Our bet of the day is United to win with over 2.5 goals – let's see if they can get off to a flying start.**
**Ipswich vs Liverpool** Ipswich Town welcome Liverpool to Portman Road on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, fresh from their surprise back-to-back promotions under Kieran McKenna. The Tractor Boys have kept things quiet in the transfer market, with only a handful of signings, including Omar Hutchinson, Liam Delap, Conor Townsend, and Jacob Greaves. They'll be relying on the squad that carried them to the top flight to make a strong impression. Meanwhile, Liverpool kick off the Arne Slot era without any major additions to the squad. With Martin Zubimendi opting to stay with Real Sociedad, it's unlikely they'll make a late push for an alternative midfielder, so Slot will have to make do with the squad he inherited from Jurgen Klopp. It's hard to see past a Liverpool win, given the gap in experience and quality between the two teams. Our full time prediction is for Mohamed Salah to get on the scoresheet. With a fresh start under Slot, the Egyptian forward will be raring to go and will be eager to make a point by feasting on Ipswich's defence. Liverpool have an impressive unbeaten run against Ipswich, going 24 years without a loss (W4) in this fixture. That's likely to continue here. The Reds also had a cracking corner record last season, averaging 7.2 per game – the second highest in the league. With Ipswich likely to be penned back, the corner market could turn out to be good value for you. **So, there you have it – a Liverpool win, Salah on the scoresheet, and a few corners to boot. Not a bad bet prediction to start the season, if you ask us.**
**Newcastle vs Southampton** Newcastle will be reeling from their failure to qualify for European football last season, and the goal for this campaign must be a return to continental football. On the plus side, they can focus solely on the Premier League this season, and with Sandro Tonali's return after an 8-month ban, things are looking up for Eddie Howe’s men. The Magpies have had a tough time in the transfer window, battling with Premier League PSR rules to strengthen their squad. However, the visit of newly-promoted Southampton on opening day should give them the chance to make a strong start to the season, thanks to their fantastic home record over the past 10 games (W5, L1, D4). They also scored at least four times against newly-promoted opposition in two of those matches. Southampton, on the other hand, face a tough battle to stay up. Russell Martin's men will hope to be more streetwise than the promoted teams that went straight back down last season. Martin has been clever in the transfer window, re-signing loanees from last season's play-off final winners and adding experienced heads like Charlie Taylor and Adam Lallana, who boast 452 Premier League appearances between them. However, neither Taylor nor Lallana won at St James' Park with their respective clubs last season, and the Saints are winless in their last eight visits to this ground (D2, L6). **Prediction: Newcastle will have way too much for the Saints, especially at home. We expect goals too, with Alexander Isak on the scoresheet.**
A new season brings renewed hope for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal fans. The Gunners are determined to end their two-decade wait for the title, and after finishing just two points behind champions Manchester City last season, they know they must hit the ground running. With a strong pre-season behind them, including a 2-0 win over Lyon to lift the Emirates Cup, optimism is high. Arteta has strengthened his squad with savvy signings like Riccardo Calafiori, who arrived from Bologna to bolster the defence, and David Raya, who inked a permanent deal after sterling displays last season. These moves should position the Gunners firmly to challenge again. Their first challenge comes in the form of Wolves, still reeling from Pedro Neto's big-money move to Chelsea. However, Gary O'Neil's side has injected new talent, including Jørgen Strand Larsen and Rodrigo Gomes, who's impressed in pre-season. Wolves had a tough end to last season, winning just one of their last ten league games (D2, L7). They'll be desperate to start strong. Yet, their record in this fixture is underwhelming, particularly on the road, where they've beaten the Gunners just once in over 40 years (D4, L10). **Prediction: Arsenal have become more consistent, especially at home and our bet prediction is a big home win for Arteta’s men. The Gunners have also not drawn their opening Premier League game since 2012 (W6, L5).**
**Chelsea vs Man City** The biggest game of the opening Premier League weekend features two heavyweights Chelsea and Manchester City clashing at Stamford Bridge. Both sides met a few weeks ago in pre-season, with Erling Haaland's hat-trick leading City to a 4-2 win. This is certainly a tough opener for new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, who took over in June from Mauricio Pochettino, and there has been nothing in Pre-season to suggest an immediate change in fortune. The Blues won just one of their six total friendlies, suffering heavy losses to City and Celtic, being beaten by Real Madrid and failing to defeat third-tier Wrexham and Inter Milan. Pep Guardiola's Manchester City are the strong favourites to win the title again, having won four consecutive league championships and six out of the last seven. While they haven’t been overly active in the transfer window, the champions still have a squad capable of competing on all fronts. There is a clean bill of health for the Cityzens too, as the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker and Rodri are all back in training and ready to go. City also have the recent historical advantage, winning 10 of the last 18 meetings (D4, L4), and it's hard to bet against them increasing that tally. This clash has all the makings of a thriller. Their last meeting at Stamford Bridge ended in a 4-4 draw, and the last four clashes have yielded a staggering 17 goals. **Prediction: Given City’s dominance in this fixture, our full time prediction is for them to avoid defeat, even if Cole Palmer continues where he left off last season. We also expect the champions to continue their corner-winning habit, having averaged 7.3 per game last season.**
**Leicester vs Tottenham** Leicester City are back in the Premier League after a season away, and their swift return was masterminded by Enzo Maresca, who has now departed for Chelsea. They will be hoping new manager Steve Cooper can take them to the next level as they seek to remain in the super competitive top flight, after all three promoted clubs last season were relegated. The Foxes are no strangers to achieving the unthinkable, having won the title in 2016, and they will need the right mentality when they face an ultra-attacking Tottenham side on the opening weekend. Cooper will also need to adapt to the departure of key man Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, but the club has successfully retained other vital players and added depth to the squad. Meanwhile, Tottenham are looking to build on their growth under manager Ange Postecoglou who led them to a blistering start before injuries led to a downturn in performances and ultimately, a fifth-placed finish. This summer has been crucial for Postecoglou, who has reshaped his squad, bringing in a goalscorer in Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth. When these two teams face off, goals are guaranteed. Their matches have produced an average of 3.8 goals per game, the highest in Premier League history (128 goals in 34 games). The last five meetings have seen 28 goals scored (5.6 per game), with Spurs winning four of those encounters. **Prediction: With Son Heung-min leading the charge, Spurs should have too much for Leicester. The South Korean has a remarkable record against the Foxes, scoring 10 goals in 16 appearances. Enjoy the best odds by backing Son to add to his tally on the opening day.**
**Mallorca vs Real Madrid** Sunday's La Liga match at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix pits Mallorca against Real Madrid, two teams with vastly different goals for the 2024/2025 season. Mallorca aim to secure another top-flight survival, while reigning champions Real Madrid seek to defend their title. Mallorca have made some changes, with new signing Takuma Asano expected to make his La Liga debut, and a record of 5 wins out of 6 pre-season games should boost their confidence going into this one. Meanwhile, Real Madrid have bolstered their squad with two high-profile signings; Frane captain Kylian Mbappe, who is arguably the best player in the world, and teenage sensation Endrick. Given their strong record against Mallorca, a victory for Carlo Ancelotti’s men is the likely outcome. Los Blancos have won six of the last seven meetings, including both games last season by a narrow 1-0 margin. They've also won nine of the last 12 encounters, conceding just once in six away games against Mallorca. **Prediction: With the addition of Mbappe, Real Madrid will be an even more formidable force. The French captain is expected to lead the line, and it could be a long evening for the Mallorca defense. Our bet prediction: another narrow win for Madrid, with Mbappe likely to open his account.**
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