PREMIER LEAGUE SATURDAY: The Striker previews SOUTHAMPTON v MANCHESTER UNITED, MANCHESTER CITY v BRENTFORD, ASTON VILLA v EVERTON and BOURNEMOUTH v CHELSEA all with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
SOUTHAMPTON V MANCHESTER UNITED
12.30pm The Premier League is back on BETDAQ Betting Exchange! We have a blockbuster day in store with eight fixtures with three TV slots as well! We kick off the action with Southampton hosting Manchester United, and all eyes will once again be on Erik ten Hag here with United starting the weekend sitting down in 14th. Southampton have started their season with three straight losses, and we already know they are going to have a very tough time staying in the Premier League this season. With the money in the game at the moment, the gulf in class between the Premier League and the Championship is massive. It will be fascinating to see how this plays out; United were very dodgy at the back away from home last season and although Erik ten Hag came out and said to “not compare last season’s back four to this one” then going on to call it a “proper back four” – since then they’ve lost to Brighton and were played off the park by Liverpool at Old Trafford. Old habits die hard of course and things have not been right with United for many years – the jury is definitely out whether or not they have actually changed from last season.
Manchester United come into the game as the odds on favourites at 1.82 with Southampton 4.8 and the draw is 4.1 at the time of writing. It’s a sign of the times that United come into this game as big as 1.82 to be honest – it’s a clear sign that the market doesn’t have much faith in them! Southampton are definitely on the backfoot already; they haven’t even had a difficult fixture list. They’ve really struggled in front of goal, but they have created a decent level of chances. For example, there’s only 0.02 on xG between what Southampton and United have created this season. Southampton have conceded more chances though, and that’s probably where the difference will be. I do feel United will get the job done here, but it won’t be easy and the 1.82 doesn’t make massive appeal given all their issues. Goals are never far away with United, especially away from home, and Over 2.5 goals looks a very nice option here at 1.67. That’s worth a confident bet to kick off the weekend!
The Striker Says:
Three points win Over 2.5 goals at 1.67 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/SouMnu
MANCHESTER CITY V BRENTFORD
3pm We have a very busy afternoon with five fixtures kicking off at 3pm. Although we have the shortest price of the weekend as Manchester City host Brentford, it does look the pick of the 3pm games in my opinion. It’s fair to say everyone will be expecting a comfortable home win here, and Manchester City come into this trading as short as 1.19 with Brentford 16.5 and the draw is 9.2 at the time of writing. Brentford will be very happy with their start to the season, two wins from three games with the loss coming against Liverpool. That game was probably a good example of what we can expect here though; Brentford were totally outplayed and didn’t create much. With Haaland in stunning form at the start of the season, I feel it’s more of a case of how many goals can City score rather than will they win. With City trading so short in the match odds market, we’re going to have to look around the side markets for some value – however they are a great addition to any Betdaq Multiple this weekend in my opinion – it’s very hard to see past a comfortable home win here.
Brentford usually like to play an open game, and although that style of play is generally foolish against a side like City, I’m sure they know any other way. That has made their games very entertaining, but there already some red flags in their performance levels. Their average xG conceded after three games is 1.74 which is the joint-second worst defensive record in the Premier League heading into this weekend. You just can’t defend like that against City too, so it’s hard not to see goals here. The market is expecting goals with Over 2.5 goals trading 1.38, and it’s also expecting City to do most of the work as Both Teams Not To Score is 1.98. City have conceded the odd goal at the start of the season, so I much prefer the handicap option than a clean sheet – they are trading 1.55 -1.5 goals and that looks a cracking position in my opinion.
The Striker Says:
Three points win Manchester City -1.5 goals to beat Brentford at 1.55 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/MciBrn
ASTON VILLA V EVERTON
5.30pm Next we move back to the TV games, and Aston Villa host Everton. It’s been a nightmare start to the season for Everton; they’ve lost their three games and absolutely fell apart before the International break when throwing away a 2-0 lead against Bournemouth. With Bournemouth scoring in the 87th, 92nd and 96th minute, we’ve probably saw the collapse of the 2024/25 season already to be honest – who is going to top that? Everton desperately needed the point too having losing 3-0 to Brighton and 4-0 to Spurs. You always said that the three clubs that came up from the Championship would struggle to stay up this season, but Everton are certainly putting themselves under pressure. They have another difficult game here away to Aston Villa who have been solid at the start of the season, two wins from their three games with the loss coming against Arsenal is absolutely fine. I don’t think anyone expects them to hold onto their spot in the Top Four this season, put a Europa League spot would be a decent finish – they have to deal with all the new European commitments this season too which usually puts a lot of pressure on the squad with injuries.
As you would expect, Aston Villa come into this game as the odds on favourites at 1.55 with Everton 7.6 and the draw is 4.7 at the time of writing. There are things to note about both sides here – Aston Villa have had a solid start to the season, but they have struggled to create a lot of chances. Their average xG created of 1.14 is the fourth worst in the Premier League – it’s early days of course, but that would have to be a worry when considering to back a 1.55 shot. Everton have been very poor at the back though, and they have the fourth worst defensive figure – I felt the International break came way too early in the season, but it was probably a good thing for Everton to re-set after the Bournemouth collapse. We do have an interesting market here; I feel Villa will get the job done against a poor Everton side, but the 1.55 is hardly a price to rave about. Villa are generally solid at home, and I feel Under 2.5 goals is worth a small bet at 2.33. I don’t see Everton creating much, and will Villa’s under-lining numbers we could have a low scoring affair.
The Striker Says:
One point win Under 2.5 goals at 2.33 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/AvlEve
BOURNEMOUTH V CHELSEA
8pm It’s not often we have 8pm fixtures on a Saturday in the Premier League, but it is a cracking TV slot! Bournemouth host Chelsea to finish the day in what should be an entertaining game. There hasn’t been a dull moment with Chelsea this season, both on and off the field – they have done a huge amount of transfer business, one wonders how that will play out in the coming months. Their squad is huge, they have a new manager and it’s not a surprise that things are taking time to bed in. You can easily forgive them their loss to Manchester City on the opening weekend, but a 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace prior to the International break is obviously hugely disappointing and then the performance in the Europa Conference League against Servette didn’t inspire confidence either! It’s fair to say that the jury is still out on this Chelsea side, and it might be the case for a while to be honest. It’s a sign of the times that they don’t come into this game trading odds on – they are the favourites though, Chelsea are currently trading 2.1 with Bournemouth 3.6 and the draw is 3.95 at the time of writing.
Bournemouth actually have one more point than Chelsea after two draws and then their dramatic win against Everton. As I said above, that was already the collapse of the 2024/25 season from Everton! Both teams have scored in three of Bournemouth’s games, and the only Premier League game Chelsea failed to score in was their 2-0 loss against Manchester City. I expect an open and entertaining game here, we have two sides who like to attack and they both make mistakes at the back too. Over 2.5 goals is trading 1.53 and Both Teams To Score is 1.51. I actually like both bets, and I couldn’t put anyone off either position to be honest. I do feel we’ll get a pretty even game here, and I marginally prefer Both Teams To Score at just two ticks under the Overs bet. This is actually a game where you wouldn’t be totally surprised if it finished 3-3 or something – that’s 44.0 in the Correct Score market by the way!
The Striker Says:
Two points win Both Teams To Score at 1.51 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/BthChe
