Premier League preview: Saturday’s action including Man City vs Newcastle

Fulham vs Brentford

Fulham opened their campaign with a win against Everton on Saturday, though that result may say more about the state of the Toffees then Marco Silva’s side.

The Cottagers look set to lose star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic imminently, perhaps even before this game; still, the side had to do without Mitro for six weeks towards the end of last season, and still recorded three victories over that spell.

Thomas Frank’s team, who are definitely without their own star striker, have shown they can thrive on the road. Brentford have won two of their last three away games, with wins coming against Tottenham and Chelsea at the end of last season.

The Bees took a point from their opener against Spurs last week, and have scored in seven of their last eight league games.

If you need further evidence that goals seem likely, both times these sides met last season, the home side won 3-2. BTTS is 3/4, while over 2.5 goals is 19/20; combine the two in a double at 6/5.

Liverpool vs Bournemouth

Last season, Liverpool got their season off to an underwhelming start with two draws and a loss in their first three games. This time round, they’ve drawn their opener, away against a revitalised Chelsea – could they now be about to come unstuck at Anfield?

The Cherries earned a draw of their own against West Ham last week. That counts as progress, given the side suffered four straight defeats at the end of the previous campaign.

Still. Bournemouth have been long-suffering patsies when it comes to encounters at Anfield. They’ve scored once in their last four visits, and were beaten 9-0 here last time.

Curiously, Mo Salah was not amongst the scorers on that day, but there’s a very good chance he can get his first of the season this week. Combine Salah to score and Liverpool to win in a double at 4/5. Otherwise, you could back new lad Dominik Szoboszlai to provide an assist at 11/5 – he looked lively against Chelsea last week.

Wolves vs Brighton

Wolves surprised just about everyone against Man Utd on Monday night; though the Red Devils took a fairly fortuitous 1-0 win, Gary O’Neil’s side were surprisingly sharp in every area. Well, almost every area.

The Old Gold might look a better team than they’ve been given credit for, but they still struggle for clinical finishes. With that in mind, even if they put in a similarly determined showing against Brighton, will their troubles finding the net leave them frustrated against the ‘Gulls?

Brighton tore this side apart 6-0 five months ago at the Amex. Roberto De Zerbi’s side started well against Luton last week too, slamming four goals past the newly promoted side.

But the Seagulls are a less sure thing on the road, having dropped points to Aston Villa, Newcastle, and Nottingham Forest on the road since April.

With Brighton’s last six away games featuring three or more goals, the safe(ish) approach may be to combine over 2.5 goals at 3/4 with BTTS at 4/6 – that’s an evens bet. Six of Brighton’s last seven games have seen both teams find the net.

Despite a generally underwhelming goalscoring record (31 in the Prem last season), Wolves have found the net in each of their last seven home games…

Spurs vs Man Utd

There was some cause for optimism for Spurs in their first showing under new boss Ange Postecoglou. The 2-2 draw away to Brentford suggested Tottenham may be able to produce the goods – even without Harry Kane providing the goals.

As for Man Utd, they were flat as a pancake in their opener earlier this week. Was that sluggish start to the season just a weird misfire? Will the real United make themselves known in north London this week?

If Ten Hag’s side play with the same lack of pizzazz that was evident earlier this week, this could be a great opportunity for Tottenham to take that first win under their new coach.

Spurs are 15/8 to take the win; meanwhile, James Maddison is 3/1 to provide an assist, having done so twice in his debut for Tottenham last week.

Man City vs Newcastle

Fresh from Super Cup success, Man City return from Greece with the aim of bringing Newcastle back down to earth, after Eddie Howe’s side gave Aston Villa a 5-1 shoeing last week.

Man City opened with a win of their own, beating Burnley with a straightforward 3-0 victory at Turf Moor. But it wasn’t all sunshine and lollipops for City, with Kevin de Bruyne substituted after less than half an hour; the Belgian suffered a hamstring injury that may keep him out until 2024.

Even with KDB out of the game for the next few months, taking on City is a daunting task, of course. Certainly for Newcastle; the Magpies are without a win in 18 league trips to the Etihad.

Eddie Howe’s side may be much improved in the last year – they held City to a 3-3 draw at St James’ Park last season – but it’s a rarity for City to slip up at home. Last season the Manchester side lost just one home fixture in the Prem, going down to Brentford 2-1 after Ivan Toney nicked a stoppage time winner.

But are City sufficiently weakened, both through De Bruyne’s absence and also player exits in the summer, that Newcastle can take advantage this week? It’s a possibility, factoring in City’s mid-week exertions.

We can see the visitors taking a point on Saturday; the draw is a 3/1 shot. Alexander Isak scored a brace against Villa last week, and may be the likeliest source of goals for the visitors. Isak is 11/4 to find the net here…

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