Quick question: who do you think Alexander Isak will secretly cheer for on Monday night when Newcastle host Liverpool? I’d give anything to hear his unfiltered thoughts on that. Anyway, in this preview we’ll dive into that game, Man City’s showdown with Spurs, Barcelona’s visit to Levante, Chivu’s first league game in charge of Inter and plenty more. But first, here are our top picks:
Our Picks:
- Liverpool Win @2.05
- HTUP: Chelsea @1.65
- PSG Clean Sheet @1.64
- Bet Builder (Man City vs. Spurs): Both Teams To Score + Over 3.5 Cards @2.50
- Double Chance: Aston Villa Win or Draw @1.31
- Bet Builder: Arsenal to Win + Leeds United to Have The Most Cards @1.98
- Lamine Yamal Anytime Scorer @2.55
- Fulham vs. Man Utd - Higher Scoring Half: Second @2.06
- Kylian Mbappé Anytime Scorer @1.69
- Double Chance: Como or Win @1.41
- HTUP: Inter @1.40
Newcastle United vs. Liverpool
I know this joke has probably been made a million times already, but what if we turn this game into the ultimate Alexander Isak showdown, with the winner getting to keep him?
It’s no secret the Swedish striker wants out of the St. James’ Park, with Anfield his preferred destination. He even claimed that last season he had a gentleman’s agreement with Newcastle to move on this summer, but every bid for him has been rejected. Naturally, he is unhappy about it, and is now refusing to train or play for the club. Not what they had in mind when they told him to stop complaining and focus more on “striking”. It definitely feels like this story isn’t finished yet. With more than a week still left in the transfer window, there’s even a chance to make some money if you can correctly call how it all plays out.
- Bet on Alexander Isak to Stay at Newcastle @1.72
- Bet on Alexander Isak to Join Liverpool @2.00
- Bet on Alexander Isak to Join Any Saudi Team @17.00
Looking at the game itself, last season finally saw Liverpool’s stranglehold in this fixture broken. Before the 2024/25 campaign, Newcastle hadn’t beaten the Reds in 10 years, with their last win coming back in 2015, thanks to a Wijnaldum strike and a Martin Škrtel own goal. Their first clash last season was a 6-goal thriller in which both sides shared the points. Isak’s long-range strike made headlines, and so did Mo Salah’s second-half brace. Liverpool took all 3 points when they met in late February with a 2-0 win at Anfield, but it was the League Cup showdown a few weeks later that rewrote history.
With silverware on the line, Newcastle finally ended their 56-year trophy drought, stunning the Reds 2-1 in one of the season’s biggest upsets. Isak delivered the decisive goal, underlining just how vital he’s been whenever Newcastle have punched above their weight. But with him still out of the picture and Liverpool coming with more talent than they had last season, this one feels tilted in Arne Slot’s favor. The Magpies couldn’t even find the net against Villa last weekend, despite playing against 10 men for almost half an hour. Anthony Gordon, filling in for Isak up top, was completely shut down and his drought has now stretched to 19 games. Nothing suggests that changes on Monday night, so we’re backing the Reds to take this one.
Betting Tips:
West Ham vs. Chelsea
West Ham couldn’t have kicked off their league season in a worse way than they did last weekend. In that 3-0 defeat to Sunderland, it was hard to tell which side had just returned after eight years away and which one had been in the EPL for 14 straight seasons. It's the most helpless I’ve ever seen a Potter since that sad night at Hogwarts’ Astronomy Tower. With his old employees visiting, the West Ham manager must conjure up some magic if he is to get anything from the game.
Chelsea’s opener wasn’t smooth either, though nowhere near as punishing and definitely not for lack of trying. The Blues fired 19 shots against Crystal Palace, and it’s a surprise that the game finished goalless. They haven’t gone without a goal in their first two league games of a season since 1995/96, and they’ll be desperate to avoid repeating that.
West Ham have won 4 of the last 8 home league meetings against Chelsea (D2, L2), but the Blues have been strong travellers recently. Maresca’s men have 4 straight away wins, scored first in their last 5 away games, and kept 3 clean sheets on the road in a row. On top of that, Chelsea’s 32 league wins over the Hammers is their second-highest against any opponent, with only Spurs (37) suffering more. I see this game following that pattern, and one of my betting tips today is to use the new HTUP feature which delivers you a win at half-time if Chelsea are ahead, and we have the best odds for that. Read more about HTUP here.
Betting Tips:
PSG vs. Angers
Even without a proper pre-season thanks to their FIFA Club World Cup duties, PSG have kicked things off with back-to-back wins. First, they came from behind to beat Spurs in the UEFA Super Cup, and then last weekend they edged Nantes 1-0 in Ligue 1’s opening round. They’ve started both games a little sluggish, but that’s not surprising. As Luis Enrique said, the first few matches will help make up for the missing pre-season prep.
Next up for them is a home game against Angers, a team they’ve beaten 18 consecutive times. The last time Angers took a point off PSG was back in 2015 in a goalless draw. Even worse, Le SCO haven’t defeated the Parisians since January 1975; a stat I’m sure angers their fans. *awkward stare into the camera*. Their meeting at the Parc des Princes last season ended 1-0, though the scoreline didn’t tell the full story, with PSG firing 20 shots to Angers’ 4. While Le SCO pulled off a gutsy win against Paris FC on opening day, even after going down to 10 men for over 30 minutes, this time around they’ll probably just be content with keeping the scoreline respectable.
Betting Tips:
Man City vs. Spurs
Following impressive opening day wins for both sides, a tough test awaits them in Saturday’s early kickoff. Man City had a 4-0 win at Wolves which included an Erling Haaland brace and goals from new signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, with the former being named Man of the Match for his outstanding display.
Spurs bounced back from their Super Cup heartbreak with a 3-0 win over Burnley. Richarlison struck twice, with his second goal already looking like an early Goal of the Season contender. The goals will boost his confidence, but what had Spurs fans buzzing even more was his link-up with new signing Kudus, who set up both of them.
Now, as a rule, I tend to side with the home side in early kickoffs, but it won’t be so straightforward this time seeing as Spurs have been a real headache for Pep in recent years. Man City have won just 4 of their last 12 Premier League games against the visitors (D2, L6), though they beat them in their last meeting back in February (1-0). The last four league meetings between these two sides at the Etihad have produced 21 goals; 9 for Man City and 12 for Spurs. In fact, when Spurs visited last season, they scored 4 unreplied goals as Pep Guardiola was left stunned. They have their sights set on consecutive wins away at Man City for the first time since 2010 but, given how tricky it is to call this, my advice to the online betting community is to stick to the goal markets here.
Betting Tips:
Brentford vs. Aston Villa
As many expected, Brentford kicked off the season with a defeat and were probably fortunate to even grab a consolation goal. With captain Christian Nørgaard, top scorer Bryan Mbeumo, and coach Thomas Frank all gone, plus Yoane Wissa refusing to play, the gap in quality showed in their 3-1 loss to Nottingham Forest. It doesn’t get any easier this weekend with Aston Villa coming to town. The Bees are winless in their last six league meetings with Villa (D2, L4) and haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of their eight clashes.
Goals feel like a safe bet here, especially on that ground. The Gtech Stadium was the most goal-heavy ground in the league last season with 75 scored there. Brentford both scored and conceded at least two goals in eight home matches, the most by any side in a single league season since Wigan in 2012/13.
Betting Tips:
Arsenal vs. Leeds United
Arsenal were unconvincing in Sunday’s win at Old Trafford, relying once again on their corner-kick “dark arts” to grind out all 3 points. At the end of the day, though, results matter more than style in certain games, and the Gunners got what they needed. This weekend should bring a more straightforward outing with Leeds heading to the Emirates. Arsenal are unbeaten in 14 straight against Leeds across all competitions, with 12 wins and 2 draws, including six victories on the bounce. Also, they have lost none of their last 42 league home games against newly promoted teams (W37 D5). Safe to say I don’t see that streak ending here.
Betting Tips:
Levante vs. Barcelona
The Bullies of Barcelona picked up where they left off last season with a 3-0 win over Mallorca on Matchday 1. Okay, Mallorca went down to 9 men for the last 50 minutes, but to be fair, Barça were already 2-0 up before the first red card. They put up 24 shots compared to Mallorca’s 4 and held 72% of the ball. It looked like finishing 2-0 until teenage sensation Lamine Yamal produced one of his trademark curlers into the top left corner deep in stoppage time. With newly promoted Levante next, I’m already backing him as an anytime scorer.
Barça haven’t lost in any of their last 16 LaLiga trips to sides in the Valencian Community (W14, D2) and they’ve won their last 5 away games against newly promoted clubs. All signs point to another routine win for the champions.
Betting Tips:
Fulham vs. Manchester United
Has there been a loss dressed up as a win more than Man Utd’s defeat to Arsenal last weekend? Well, considering the dreadful performances their fans endured last season, I guess you can kind of see why. Even in defeat, United had more shots than Arsenal (22-9), 62% possession, nearly double the passes, and were neater on the ball. They were actually exciting to watch. New boys Cunha and Mbeumo were bright sparks too, both unlucky not to find the net. So they head to Craven Cottage with a bit of optimism in their stride.
Fulham, unlike most teams in the EPL, have had little joy against United in the post-Fergie years. They’ve managed just one win in their last 19 league meetings (D3, L15), though that came at Old Trafford last year. United have also won their last 8 trips to Fulham, and another win this weekend would make it 9 straight away league victories against the same opponent for the first time in their history.
One thing to note about this fixture is the recent habit of delivering late drama. In the last four league clashes, the winning goals have all come in the 78th minute or later, and all six goals in that span were scored in the second half. With that in mind, my bet of the day is for the second half to outscore the first. At 2.06, those are sure odds that’ll see you double your betting stake.
Betting Tips:
Real Oviedo vs. Real Madrid
Los Blancos make the trip to Real Oviedo on Sunday night looking for their first win at that ground since September 1996. They’ve gone four visits without a victory there (D3, L1), though that obviously needs some context; Oviedo have spent the last 24 years outside the top flight. The last time these sides actually met was in the 2002 Copa del Rey, a 4-0 win for Madrid and I wouldn’t be shocked by that scoreline this weekend.
Oviedo’s return to LaLiga didn’t start well as they fell 2-0 at Villarreal, with new signing Alberto Reina sent off inside half an hour. It’s hard to see their luck turning here, and I’d even back Kylian Mbappé to get himself on the scoresheet as he looks to defend his Pichichi award.
Betting Tips:
Como vs. Lazio
Cesc Fàbregas has the chance to write a new chapter for Como if he can guide them to victory here. A win would be their first on the opening day since 1951, and their first ever in the 3-point era. It won’t be easy though. Lazio are excellent starters in the league, having won 5 of their last 6 Serie A openers.
Como’s big summer spending of over €100m already seems to be paying off, with the new arrivals settling in nicely. They kicked off pre-season by winning four straight games, scoring three goals in each. The 5-0 hammering by Barcelona was a reality check, but they quickly responded with a 3-1 win over Südtirol in the Coppa Italia’s first round. They come into this one as slight favourites, and while Lazio are no pushovers, I’d back Como to at least avoid defeat.
Betting Tips:
Inter vs. Torino
New Inter boss Cristian Chivu kicks off his Serie A journey with a home clash against Torino. The former defender had already taken charge at the FIFA Club World Cup, guiding Inter through the group before a shock exit to Fluminense in the Round of 16. Pre-season went much smoother, with three wins from three helping to rebuild some confidence, but now the real test starts.
Inter will have a few players absent or at least questionable for Monday’s clash. Federico Dimarco suffered a knock against Olympiacos, but could make a late recovery. His status is unclear. However, Davide Frattesi, who is still recovering from an abdominal surgery won’t be available for selection. Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Pio Esposito will also miss the game through suspensions picked up at the end of last season. Still, there’s more than enough quality available to Chivu to begin his league campaign with a win.
Betting Tips:
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