Premier League Matchday 2 Odds, Picks & Predictions (2023)
The Premier League action resumes Friday afternoon as Nottingham Forest gears up to host Sheffield United at The City Ground. We have five matches on the Saturday docket, two on Sunday, and we wrap up Matchday 2 play on Monday when Arsenal travels to Crystal Palace. Here are my top three bets for this weekend's PL slate.
Premier League Matchday 2 Odds, Picks & Predictions
Soccer Betting Record 2023-2024: 3-3 (-1.32 units)
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Liverpool (-450) vs. Bournemouth (+1100), DRAW (+600) | 3.5 (-120/-105)
The Reds return to Anfield where they'll look to secure their first victory of the campaign after a 1-1 draw with Chelsea last weekend. Bournemouth also collected a point in a 1-1 tie with West Ham in their home opener. Kickoff for this match is scheduled for Saturday at 10:00 a.m. ET from Liverpool.
I have Bournemouth as one of the clubs on my shortlist to get relegated this season. The oddsmakers don't see that as a farfetched storyline considering the Cherries currently have the fifth-shortest odds (+275) to be sent down. On top of the low expectations, their task this weekend is taking on Liverpool at the very hostile Anfield grounds.
While it's never easy coming away with three points at Stamford Bridge, I think Liverpool is probably disappointed with their result last weekend. I'm expecting them to ramp up the energy in front of their home crowd this weekend and dominate Bournemouth. Liverpool is an impressive 14-5-0 in their last 19 home openers. They're relatively healthy and they should pour it on this bottom-tier club Saturday morning.
Bet: Liverpool -2.0 (-105)
Manchester City (-140) vs. Newcastle (+370), DRAW (+310) | 2.5 (-140/+115)
The marquee match of the weekend features a battle between Manchester City and Newcastle. Both teams shined last weekend, winning their matches by a combined seven goals. City handled Burnley 3-0 while Newcastle ran through Aston Villa 5-1. Kickoff is set for 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday and it's the champs making their season debut at the Etihad.
I think we're in for a goal fest in this one. Both of these clubs possess a ton of offensive talent and it should be on display Saturday afternoon. Erling Haaland didn't skip a beat last weekend, netting the season-opening goal just four minutes into their match with Burnley. He went on to add another in the 36th minute as well.
As for the Magpies, they saw Sandro Tonali open up the scoring just six minutes into their 5-1 rout of Aston Villa. Alexander Isak added a pair of goals (16', 58') as well. The bottom line here is that these are the two best offenses in the PL. We should see at least three goals considering the amount of talent on the pitch.
Bet: Over 2.75 (-115)
Aston Villa (-140) vs. Everton (+390), DRAW (+295) | 2.5 (-110/-115)
The Villans were on the wrong side of that 5-1 beatdown at the hands of Newcastle United last weekend. Everton also started the year off on the wrong foot, dropping their home opener 1-0 to a pedestrian Fulham squad. Both teams are looking to break into the win column and they'll do so Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. ET from Villa Park in Birmingham.
I'm still pretty high on Aston Villa heading into the new campaign. They played a great brand of soccer in the first half before Newcastle United simply took things to another level in the final 45 minutes last weekend. I think they get it done and secure the three points on Sunday.
Aston Villa was one of the best teams at home last season, amassing 38 points at Villa Park. That's the sixth-highest in the PL thanks to a 12-2-5 mark. As for Everton, they went just 2-9-8 on the road last season while scoring only 18 goals. You have to wonder where the scoring is going to come from for Everton this year. I'm expecting a lower-scoring affair here and I think Aston Villa gets it done 1-0 or 2-0.
Bet: Aston Villa Moneyline (-140)
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