Premier League Betting Tips August 21/23

With a few predictable results and a shock or two, the Premier League returned with a bang last weekend. Newcomers Blackpool are up against it this weekend, as are the team who they beat on day 1 when they come up against Arsenal and Chelsea respectively. Here’s our preview of their games and two other attractive bets.

Arsenal to win -1 8/15
Yes, Arsenal struggled against Liverpool on Sunday. Yes, Arsenal were beaten at home by Hull City in their debut Premier League season. Yes, Blackpool won 4-0 at Wigan Athletic in their opening Premier League game. All that aside, there is a gulf in quality between these two teams. Hopefully for Arsenal they will have Cesc Fabregas in their team this weekend, after their captain missed last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Liverpool. They lacked a cutting edge and were more than fortunate to score a late equaliser, having rarely threatened the Liverpool goal, especially before the introduction of Tomas Rosicky. Blackpool were untested by an unprepared Wigan side, who decided not to defend the middle of the pitch. Chris Kirkland also at fault for 2 goals. Arsenal will more than test this Blackpool side, to the point that backing the Unquoted Score on Betfair is tasty, currently at 3.05.

Chelsea to win -2 15/8
Chelsea didn’t step out of first gear and romped past West Brom in a 6-0 opening day victory. The Blues have a frighteningly one-sided scoreline from the aggregate of their last 4 Premier League games; 23-0. Those games include three hat tricks. Two of those scored by Didier Drogba, who can set a Premier League record by hitting a third consecutive one this weekend. It was at Wigan he scored his only hat trick of last season, on the final day. Didier Drogba is an attractive 12/1 to score another hat trick this weekend. With Wigan being woeful in their opening game, and with the loss of Charles N’Zogbia, playing a frighteningly in-form Chelsea, these odds look like a bargain for Saturday, which should see Chelsea extend their lead at the top of the Premier League… on goal difference at least.

Aston Villa to beat Newcastle 7/5
Kevin MacDonald and Aston Villa made an impressive start to the new Premier League season with a 3-0 victory over West Ham. It could have easily been more but for a few close range misses. The majority of the first team was rested for Thursday’s trip to Vienna in the Europa League, to leave them fresh for Sunday’s game at Newcastle. The Magpies looked woeful defensively against Manchester United on Monday, despite shutting them down and out for the opening half an hour. The look capable of dealing with John Carew in the air, but I expect the pace and creativity from the likes of Ashley Young, Stewart Downing and Marc Albrighton to cause them a great number of problems. I cannot see Andy Carroll or Shola Ameobi becoming regular scorers in the Premier League which is a big problem for Newcastle in their survival bid. However, they both look decent in the air. Richard Dunne will be able to deal with one of them, but should Chris Hughton play one striker expect it to backfire.

Manchester City to draw with Liverpool 23/10
Manchester City played a close to first team in their 1-0 victory over FC Timisoara on Thursday night. Mario Balotelli marked his debut with the only goal of the game. While they were winning in Romania, Liverpool were unfortunate not to win by a bigger scoreline than their 1-0 victory over Trabzonspor of Turkey. Ryan Babel finished off Joe Cole’s perfectly weighted through ball, before the England international missed a second half penalty and Christian Poulsen had a goal disallowed for some play-acting from the opposition’s goalkeeper. In their opening Premier League games, Manchester City were frustrated by Tottenham and had Joe Hart to thank for coming away with a point. They created very few chances of their own. For Liverpool, they’re without the suspended Joe Cole but showed their battling capabilities under Roy Hodgson by limited Arsenal to next-to-nothing. Expect the Reds to do the same again this weekend against a Manchester City side that still have new players settling into the English game and the side. This game could also see James Milner make his debut. I expect Liverpool to frustrate Manchester City and limit their chances. The pace of Fernando Torres and/or David N’Gog could also see Liverpool with opportunities on the counter attack. Sitting Stephen Gerrard in a deeper role again is important as he breaks the play up well and gets stuck in. Roy Hodgson should find an alternative player to replace Joe Cole behind the striker.  A goaless draw between these two can be found at 8/1.