The Premier League returns this weekend after an excruciating fortnight (which felt more like a lifetime) of international fixtures.
Fortunately we don’t have to wait long for match of the round, with Everton looking claim their first victory in the Merseyside Derby since Oct 2010 on Saturday night!
Elsewhere, The apprentice takes on the master as the Gunners attempt to break a six match losing streak against City in the PL, while the Spurs and the Hammers are set to trade blows in a London Derby.
As always we have analysed all 10 Premier League Fixtures across the weekend and provided the punters with our best betting plays along the way!
The Merseyside Derby has been dominated by one side over the past decade with the Reds going undefeated across their last 22 fixtures against the Toffees (11W,11D).
Everton have jumped out of the blocks to start the 2020/21 PL campaign, Carlo’s side are currently sitting atop of the table with a perfect 4-0-0 record.
Meanwhile, Liverpool and coming off a massive 7-2 defeat to, um City… wait no VILLA! The seven goal thrashing represents the biggest defeat in Jurgen Klopp’s managerial career (800+ games).
Before we get too carried away with Everton’s form, we need to remember they’ve claimed three of their four league wins against the likes of Palace, Brighton and West Brom, hardly a run to write home about.
The international break has given the Reds a chance to really mull over their Villa performance, as such I’m expecting a huge statement from Klopp’s men at the expense of their cross-town rivals here.
Chelsea will be looking to force their way into the top four this weekend when they welcome an inform Saints side to the Bridge.
The Blues trounced Palace 4-0 in their last PL fixture, with left back Ben Chilwell claiming MOTM honours after both scoring and laying off an assist on his debut for the club.
Southampton have looked in decent nick themselves, defeating both West Brom and Burnley to nil in Game Weeks 3 & 4.
Lampard is yet to land on his ideal starting XI, but one thing is for certain, he has an abundance of young attacking weapons who are only going to improve as the season wears on.
I’m backing the Blues to take an early lead then cruise home to victory in this one.
Pep has unleashed Arteta onto the League, now it’s time for the frantic Spaniard to face the monster he helped create.
City have endured a sluggish start to the season, falling to a heavy home defeat to Leicester before sneaking a 1-1 draw against newly promoted Leeds.
Meanwhile, the Gunners are playing a beautiful brand of football under their new manager and it’s starting to pay dividends, with the former PL giants winning three from their opening four fixtures.
Arsenals recent success has stemmed from a stylish possession based passing game, unfortunately they will to switch up their game plan in Manchester, with City set to dominate the ball.
The Gunners are moving in the right direction, but I’m backing a KDB masterclass through the middle of the ground to be the difference here.
Not only have the wheels fallen off Ole’s United bus, an engine fire has also broken out threatening to blowup the whole club!
Steve Bruce will be licking his lips in anticipation for this fixture, his Toons have been playing out of their skin across the opening four fixtures and will see this match as an opportunity to push up into the top 6.
United are up against it here, Ole will be without a starting striker with both Martial (suspension) and new signing Canvani (quarantine) this weekend, forcing the Norwegian to consider a formation change.
More concerning though is the state of the Red Devils defence, which has leaked 11 goals in three matches and lead by easily the most overrated defenders since the turn of the century in Harry Maguire!
Callum Wilson has been a revelation since going Newcastle in the Summer, the frontman has the opportunity to become just the second Toon in history to score across all opening five fixtures of the season, a feat I am expecting him to achieve here.
This is my value play of the round, but Newcastle to Win at $4.90 might be the go for those punters who are more risk adverse.
Primetime Sunday night fixture sees none other than the pointless duo of Sheffield United and Fulham go toe-to-toe in the ‘nobody cares’ derby.
Fulham are clearly missing the glitz and glamour of the the Championship, with the newly promoted side looking to fast-track their return to the second division.
Meanwhile, Sheffield United have only managed to score one goal across their opening four matches and are on a seven game losing streak dating back to last season.
The Blades have bought Liverpool young gun Rhian Brewster to alleviate their scoring woes, and I’m tipping them to turn the corner against this rudderless Fulham outfit here.
Both Palace and Brighton will be out to snap a two game losing streak when they clash in the M23 Derby at Selhurst Park.
The Eagles got their season off to a promising start, seeing off minnows Southampton and Man U, before crashing back down to earth against top 6 prospects Everton and Chelsea.
Brighton have experienced similar highs and lows, Graham Potter’s side has adopted an attack at all costs attitude this campaign, which has resulted in an average goal return of 4.5 per game!
Both sides will fancy their chances at claiming all three points here, as such I’m expecting an open end-to-end contest with more goals than a PT training course.
The Spurs and the Hammers are set meet in a highly anticipated London Derby.
Both sides have been in fine scoring form, West Ham have won their last two fixtures 4-0 & 3-0 against the Wolves and Foxes.
Meanwhile, the Spurs fly into this contest off the back of a 6-1 thumping of the Red Devils at Old Trafford.
Son Heung-Min currently leads the league in scoring with 6 strikes, largely thanks to Harry Kane who boast the most assists in the PL with 6!
I’m backing the South Korean demigod to lead the north Londoners to another high scoring victory in what is sure to be an entertaining fixture.
From one thriller to the next!
Early season form suggests that Leicester vs Villa will be nothing short of high octane affair.
The Villans hold a perfect 3-0-0 record so far this campaign and have already claimed the scalp of last season’s champs in emphatic style, when Dean Smith’s side hammered the Reds 7-2, sending shockwaves throughout the rest of the competition.
Meanwhile, Leicester suffered their first setback of the season, going down to the Hammers 3-0, just a week after upsetting City 5-2.
Both sides have shown an affinity to get forward and take the game to their opposition, as such I’m tipping a high scoring affair with Jamies Vardy getting in on the action.
Gee Whiz, where do I start…
Is it too early to say whoever loses this match will be relegated?
No one expected much from West Brom upon their return to the top flight, excluding 30 minutes of decent football against Chelsea the Baggies are meeting those expectations with flying colours.
Meanwhile, the Clarets are yet to secure a competition point despite being gifted a dream run of fixtures.
With no new players coming in over the summer window, Sean Dyche’s side looks drained of all enthusiasm and desire to succeed.
Baggies have a decent record against the Clarets and I’m backing them to claim their first win of the season here.
Also might be worth having a dabble at Burley to be relegated @$2.30
Game Week 5 wraps up at Elland Road, where Leeds United take aim at the out of sorts Wolves.
The Whites look the better of the two sides heading into this fixture and will no doubt be buoyed by recent performances against the Reds and the Sky Blues.
On the other hand, the Wolves are still trying to find their feet, Nuno’s side were thumped 4-0 by the Hammers in GW3 and responded with a tame 1-0 victory over the leagues easy-beats in Fulham last time out.
The international break will have served as a good training run for the Wolves squad, which consists of 99% Portuguese nationals.
Marcelo Bielsa is an absolute genius when it comes to anything Football related, with an extra weeks preparation under his belt I’m sure he’ll have The Peacocks ready to tear through the Wolves in this one.