PREMIER LEAGUE SATURDAY: The Striker previews Saturday’s Premier League games which start at 12.30pm with SOUTHAMPTON v NEWCASTLE. Each match previewed with a recommended BETDAQ bet and extended match stats.
SOUTHAMPTON V MANCHESTER UNITED
12.30pm Another massive Saturday in the Premier League! We have seven fixtures to enjoy on BETDAQ Betting Exchange, and this is the start of a little busy period for the clubs with midweek fixtures next week too before another full fixture list next weekend. We start the day with a huge talking point too, as Manchester United are back in action after beating Liverpool on Monday Night Football. We all know that this United side has “turned up” in big games in the past, and it will be fascinating to see how they back that up now. The new manager made some massive calls dropping Ronaldo and Maguire, and you have to give him massive credit – all his decisions paid off. That was definitely the “start” of his journey, but as always the jury is still out on this Manchester United side. They covered a lot of ground against Liverpool and attacked the ball – that has been a huge criticism of them over the last few years, but the reality is that they have to do that in every game not just against the top sides. They have a very “winnable” game here against Southampton – a side with poor xG figures that are fancied to go down this season. They will most likely be in a relegation battle, but they will be happy with their start to the season. They fully deserved their 2-1 win away to Leicester last weekend, and they grinded out a draw against Leeds after getting hammered by Spurs on the opening weekend. For a side fancied to get relegated, four points after three games isn’t a bad return.
After seeing what United did on Monday against Liverpool, I think it’s fair to keep stakes limited on this game. I just can’t commit to what type of performance were going to see from United here. If they turn up in the same form as Monday then they will win the game comfortably, but we have been tricked by this squad so many times over the last few years. Erik ten Hag seems the perfect man for the job, but let’s not forget this squad has thrown four managers under the bus now. I think United will back the manager over the squad from now on, but these things take time – look at how long it took Liverpool to get back to the top. Southampton have a huge amount of issues at the back, and that is why they are in the relegation conversation this season, and United will enjoy counter-attacking against them here. As I said above, I am happy to keep stakes small, but the 1.82 on United is too appealing to turn down. I know the jury is out on their performance level these days, but when you look at the under-lining numbers here they won’t have to be at their absolute best to beat this Southampton side anyway. A cracking talking point to start the day!
The Striker Says:
Two points win Manchester United to beat Southampton at 1.82 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/SouMun
MATCH STATS
● Southampton are winless in their last 12 Premier League games against Man Utd (D7 L5), since a 1-0 win at Old Trafford in January 2016.
● After losing four of their last six league games against Southampton at the Dell, Manchester United have lost just once in 14 league visits to St Mary’s (W8 D5) and are unbeaten in their last 11 at the ground since a 1-0 loss in August 2003.
● Southampton have conceded more Premier League goals against Manchester United than they have against any other opponent in the competition (98). If the Red Devils score two more in this game, Southampton would be fifth different opponent they’ve scored 100+ goals against in the Premier League.
● Southampton have lost five of their last seven Premier League home games (W1 D1), with their 1-0 victory against Arsenal the only game in which they’ve not conceded at least two goals in this run.
● Manchester United have lost each of their last seven on the road, the club’s longest away league losing run since December 1936 (run of 10). They’ve conceded four goals in four of these defeats, as many times as they’d shipped 4+ in their previous 143 away league games.
● Southampton ended a run of eight Premier League matches without a win with a 2-1 victory over Leicester last time out. The Saints last won consecutive league games in February against Everton and Norwich, while they last won consecutive games against sides currently in the division in May 2021 (vs Crystal Palace and Fulham).
● Manchester United are looking to record consecutive Premier League victories for the first time since February, when they beat Brighton and Leeds. However, in their win over Liverpool they had their second- lowest possession figure in a Premier League match on record (since 2003-04) at Old Trafford (29.6%) and allowed 47 touches in their box, the most against them at Old Trafford on record (since 2008-09).
● Following his goal against Liverpool on Monday, Marcus Rashford is looking to score in consecutive Premier League appearances for the first time since January, when he netted against West Ham and Brentford, both times as a sub. Rashford hasn’t scored an away Premier League goal when starting a match since Boxing Day 2020 against Leicester.
● James Ward-Prowse has been involved in 15 goals in his last 25 Premier League appearances for Southampton (9 goals, 6 assists), assisting Che Adams’ winner against Leicester City. On home soil, however, the Saints captain has scored just once in his last 21 league appearances and in none of his 11 games at St Mary’s in 2022.
● In their 2-1 win at Leicester, Che Adams became the first Southampton substitute to score twice in a Premier League match since Sadio Mané in March 2016 vs Liverpool. Adams last scored in consecutive league games in February, with the second of those games coming against Manchester United.
BRENTFORD V EVERTON
3pm We have a busy afternoon this Saturday with five fixtures kicking off at 3pm. I’m sure the Liverpool and Manchester City games will be the focus for many, but they are both at home and trading very short odds. The other three games are probably more interesting from a betting point of view, and we start them with Brentford at home to Everton. Much like Southampton above, Everton are another side who are definitely in the relegation conversation this season. Their start to the season has done nothing to change that. Compare that to Brentford who were also in the relegation conversation, but the way that they have played their opening three games has seen a massive drift in their odds of going down; however losing 3-2 to Fulham last week was definitely a setback. This should be an interesting game though, and it will also give us an idea on where both sides stand. EI thought the same about the Everton v Nottingham Forest game last weekend, and a 1-1 draw there would really make me feel Everton are going to be in the relegation mix this season. You can forgive them the Chelsea loss, but then they conceded an xG of 2.37 against a poor Aston Villa side and then couldn’t beat Forest with home advantage. They are definitely going to struggle again this season.
There’s a couple of points to discuss here – mainly in the goal markets. Over 2.5 goals is trading odds against at 2.04, and Both Teams To Score is trading 1.89. They are very tempting prices I have to say – this Brentford side is so attacking and open, they just scream goals. And then you also have to consider that Everton are so poor at the back too. What I have to weigh up here is; are Brentford at 2.08 better value than the goals market? On paper if you look at the home form table from last season, you would think that Brentford did poorly. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. They played exceptionally well at home last season, and had some of the most unlucky results xG wise in the Premier League here. They looked packed with goals, and they might “get away” with being so open here because Everton are so limited going forward. The 2.08 is too big to turn down in my opinion – I’d have Brentford odds on and I’m happy to have a Max Bet on them at the odds.
The Striker Says:
Five points win Brentford to beat Everton at 2.08 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/BreEve
MATCH STATS
● Brentford beat Everton 1-0 at home and 3-2 away in the Premier League last season, with the Toffees one of three teams the Bees achieved the league double over (also Watford and West Ham).
● Everton have won just one of their nine away league games against Brentford (D2 L6) – a 4-2 victory in the second tier in September 1952.
● Everton won just one point from their six away league games in London last season (D1 L5), having won 15 points from 18 available to them in the capital in 2020-21 (W5 D0 L1).
● Brentford have kept a clean sheet in five of their last six Premier League home games, with the exception being a 2-1 home loss to Leeds on the final day last season. Since the start of February, no side has kept more home clean sheets in the top-flight than the Bees (6).
● Everton are yet to win a Premier League game this season (P3 W0 D1 L2); only in 1994-95 and 2010-11 have they ever failed to win their opening four matches of a campaign in the competition.
● Brentford have scored eight goals in their opening three league games this season, only the second time in their last 31 seasons they’ve reached that tally after three games (also 2018-19). Last season, they only scored three goals in their opening three matches.
● Everton are averaging exactly one point per game under Frank Lampard in the Premier League (P21 W6 D3 L12), the same average as his predecessor Rafael Benítez managed (P19 W5 D4 L10). Since his first game in February, only Wolves (0.90) have a lower points-per-game ratio among current top-flight sides.
● Yoane Wissa has been involved in four goals in his last five Premier League starts for Brentford (2 goals, 2 assists). He is averaging a goal or assist every 162 minutes in the Premier League for the Bees (seven goals, two assists in 1,456 minutes), the second-best ratio behind only Ivan Toney (one every 151 mins).
● Brentford’s Ivan Toney has been directly involved in four goals in three Premier League games this season (two goals, two assists), while he has 15 goal involvements in 20 Premier League appearances in 2022 overall (10 goals, five assists). The only English player to both score and have a hand in more goals this calendar year is Harry Kane (15 goals, 23 goal involvements).
● Only Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic (8) has had more shots on target in the Premier League this season than Everton’s Anthony Gordon (7), although he is yet to find the back of the net. Gordon had five shots on target against Nottingham Forest without scoring, the most by an Everton player on record in a Premier League match without scoring (since 2003-04).
BRIGHTON V LEEDS
3pm We have another fixture that screams goals here as Brighton host Leeds. Both sides will be absolutely delighted with their start to the season – they start the weekend sitting in the top five with seven points from their three games. Leeds have already been big drifters in the relegation market, and after being heavily involved in the relegation battle you have to say that’s a relief for their supporters. Another note on their supporters – they have been absolutely incredible at the start of the season; definitely up there with the best fans in the Premier League. Leeds produced one of the shocks of last weekend with a smooth 3-0 win over Chelsea. They bossed the game, and only conceded an xG of 0.72 while creating 2.13. You couldn’t help but be impressed, especially with the manner of the performance too. To be honest you could say it’s slightly disappointing that Leeds haven’t gone three from three because I would have expected them to beat Southampton in their second game of the season but as I said, they’ll be very happy with their start. It will be interesting to see the likely tactics from both sides here – on paper both are very attacking.
Brighton have started the season in very impressive form. They’ve beaten Manchester United and West Ham away from home, and then they should have beaten Newcastle with home advantage. They bossed that game, creating an xG of 1.97 and only conceding 0.18 – given Newcastle are so improved that was a pretty good performance all things considered even if they didn’t find the net. When you look at Leeds games, you can’t help but expect goals. I can see this game being very end-to-end and entertaining for the neutral fan. I was a little surprised to see Brighton trading odds on because I do expect a closer game than 1.93 suggests. Leeds have been top class this season, even allowing for the fact that Brighton have started the season on fire. Over 2.5 goals stands out here though at 1.91 – I can’t see a better value bet here, and it’s a pretty confident selection.
The Striker Says:
Three points win Over 2.5 goals at 1.91 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/BriLee
MATCH STATS
● Brighton have won eight of their last 11 league games against Leeds (D2 L1), though both Premier League meetings between the sides last season ended level.
● After winning three consecutive away league games against Brighton between 2007 and 2009, Leeds are winless in their last eight visits (D3 L5). The Whites have failed to score in their last six away games against Brighton, only having a longer run without a goal on the road in their league history against Liverpool (7 games between 1980 and 1993).
● Brighton are unbeaten in their last eight Premier League games (W5 D3), their longest ever run in the competition and joint-longest in the top-flight overall, having only previously gone eight without defeat at this level from October to November 1981.
● Leeds have picked up 11 points in their last five Premier League games (W3 D2 L0), as many as they had across their previous 14 matches in the division beforehand (W3 D2 L9). A win in this game would see them reach 10+ points in their first four games of a Premier League season for only a second time, after 1995-96 (10).
● Brighton have won seven points in their opening three Premier League games this season (W2 D1), last picking up as many as 10 points in their first four games in a season in 2015-16 in the Championship.
● Leeds United are third in the Premier League, their highest position going into a top-flight league match since September 2002 when they beat Manchester United under Terry Venables. Last season, they went into every match in the bottom half of the league (excl. opening match against Man Utd).
● Brighton have failed to score in six of their last nine league matches at the AMEX, although they scored nine times in the three games in which they found the net. Since the start of last season, no side has failed to score in more home Premier League games than the Seagulls (10).
● Pascal Groß has been involved in six goals in his last six Premier League appearances for Brighton (4 goals, 2 assists), having only had one goal involvement in his previous 24 matches (1 assist).
● Jack Harrison has assisted Rodrigo in all three of Leeds’ Premier League matches this season, with 50% of Harrison’s total top-flight assists coming for the Spaniard (6/12). There has never been an instance in Premier League history of a player assisting another in four consecutive matches.
● Leeds’ Rodrigo is the only player to score in each of his side’s first three Premier League games of this season. He could become the 14th player in Premier League history to score in each of his club’s first four matches of a campaign, and the third Spaniard, after José Antonio Reyes for Arsenal in 2004-05 and Diego Costa for Chelsea in 2014-15.
CHELSEA V LEICESTER
3pm A fascinating fixture. We actually have a lot of intriguing games today so this one might get lost a bit, but make no mistake this is a massive fixture for both sides. I noted a couple of weeks ago that the one little surprise you get when you click into the relegation market is how short Leicester are trading. This is a side who finished in the top ten last season, and were just short of the Top Four the two season prior – only missing out on the final day. The thing is though it’s clear to see that they have major issues. They were poor last season, and when you look at their xG figures you can see that they massively over-performed too. They are your classic “too good to go down” team, but it really wouldn’t be surprising to see them in the relegation battle at some point – especially after seeing how they started the season too. Then we also have Chelsea who need a response after losing 3-0 to Leeds after weekend. That would have been a big shock to the fans – they were totally out-played too, and after a bad summer transfer window they are in need of a boost. With Arsenal seemingly improving this season and Spurs looking solid under Conte, they could slip out of the Top Four.
For all of the above, Tuchel won’t be even close to hitting the panic button yet. He will be hoping Arsenal slip up somewhere though, just for that bit of comfort. I noted in my season preview that I could easily see Chelsea and Spurs swapping places this season, which means it’s Chelsea under pressure for that fourth spot. We have four games left today – Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal all at home – who is the one to let down the Acca you might ask! I don’t think it will be Chelsea. I know they were very poor last weekend, but this Leicester side is very, very average. They have started the season in terrible form too – they conceded an xG nearly double of what they created in the draw against Brentford, then were totally outplayed by Arsenal and only managed to create an xG of 0.32 at home to a poor Southampton side. Those performances are very poor, and given their issues at the back I feel it’s worth taking a chance with Chelsea on the handicap here. They are trading 2.16 -1.5 goals which looks a very appealing price – Leicester have so many issues at the back I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chelsea score four or more here.
The Striker Says:
Two points win Chelsea -1.5 goals to beat Leicester at 2.16 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/CheLcr
MATCH STATS
● Chelsea have won two of their last three Premier League games against Leicester (D1), after a six-game winless run against the Foxes (D4 L2).
● Leicester have won just one of their last 10 Premier League away games against Chelsea (D4 L5), with the Foxes not scoring more than once in any of these 10 meetings.
● Chelsea will go into this match in the bottom half of the Premier League, the first time they’ll do so for a league game since September 2020 vs West Brom (drew 3-3). Excluding games played on MD1, the Blues have lost none of their last 20 games when starting in the bottom half (W11 D9) since a 2-1 defeat to Leicester City in December 2015 in José Mourinho’s last match in charge.
● Leicester City have won just two of their last 15 Premier League away games (D5 L8) and have kept just one clean sheet in their last 27 on the road. Their two victories in the former run came against Burnley and Watford, both of whom were relegated at the end of the campaign.
● Thomas Tuchel has been in charge of 60 Premier League games as Chelsea manager. The Blues have conceded 34 goals in the most recent 30 of those – twice as many as they did in the German’s first 30 league matches in charge (17). Chelsea are yet to lose back-to-back Premier League fixtures under Tuchel, something they will look to avoid against Leicester after losing 3-0 to Leeds last time out.
● Leicester are looking to avoid failing to pick up a win in any of their opening four games of a league season for the first time since 2010-11 in the Championship (first five), while they last did so in the Premier League in 2003-04 (first four).
● Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers has faced Chelsea more times in his managerial career than any other opponent (20). However, the Northern Irishman has won just two of those 20 meetings (10%), his lowest win rate against any club he has faced more than twice as a manager in all competitions.
● Against Leeds, Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly became the first Blues player to be sent off in the Premier League since Reece James last August, also in their third game of the season. Indeed, six of Chelsea’s last nine red cards in the league have been within their opening five games of a season.
● Conor Gallagher made his first Premier League start for Chelsea in their 3-0 defeat to Leeds, making him the second player to start a game for three different teams in the last three seasons (West Brom & Crystal Palace also), along with Jesse Lingard. Gallagher hasn’t scored in any of his last 15 league appearances, attempting 14 efforts at goal without success.
● Leicester’s James Maddison has either scored or assisted in each of his last seven Premier League appearances. The last midfielder to score or assist a goal in more consecutive appearances in the competition was Mesut Özil (eight in December 2015), and the last English midfielder to do so was David Beckham (eight in September 2000).
LIVERPOOL V BOURNEMOUTH
3pm Speaking of hitting the panic button above, what about Liverpool’s start to the season? They have started the season very poorly, and a routine win at home is desperately needed here. Although we saw a much improved Manchester United performance on Monday night, it was still disappointing from a Liverpool point of view to not come away with something. As I said in my preview of that game, it was a sign of the times that Liverpool were priced so short to win at Old Trafford. There is a gulf in class between the sides after all! That loss was a setback obviously, but dropping points against Fulham and Crystal Palace in their opening two games is just as bad. If Manchester City had beaten Newcastle on Sunday you’d say the title race was nearly over already. With City dropping points too, it does leave the door open but it’s only ajar. Last weekend was still a win for Manchester City, they got a little shorter in the Outright and Liverpool a little bigger. The end result is Liverpool have work to do, and they basically can’t afford any more slip ups. It will be interesting to see what kind of performance we get here – as Roy Keane said on Monday Night Football, they have been sloppy!
Despite no win in their opening three games, and also facing a side in the “relegation battle” according to the odds, Liverpool are still trading the shortest price in the Premier League this weekend. They are trading as short as 1.14 at the time of writing, and that is definitely a price for only brave punters! That being said, there is a huge gulf in class between the sides here – Bournemouth have been played off the pitch two weeks in a row against Manchester City and Arsenal, and you’d have to expect Liverpool to do similar. From a Bournemouth point of view, they’d have to view this run of fixtures as a compete bonus if they picked up any points, and they would have been very happy to beat Aston Villa on the opening weekend from a relegation point of view. At the moment though, they are still the only side odds on to go down this season. I know there’s a big gulf in class here so I’m going to keep stakes small, but with Liverpool struggling I think Bournemouth will keep the score line respectable. I’m happy to have a small lay on Any Other Home Win (Liverpool to score four or more goals and win) in the Correct Score market at 2.65.
The Striker Says:
One point lay (liability) Any Other Home Win Correct Score at 2.65 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/LivBou
MATCH STATS
● Liverpool have won each of their last six Premier League games against Bournemouth, by an aggregate score of 19-1.
● Bournemouth have lost seven of their eight away games against Liverpool in all competitions, with the exception being a 2-2 draw in the Premier League in April 2017.
● Liverpool have lost just one of their last 33 Premier League games against promoted sides (W26 D6), though that did come at home to Scott Parker’s Fulham in March 2021.
● Bournemouth have lost 13 of their last 15 Premier League away games, with the exceptions being a 1-0 win at Chelsea (December 2019) and a 3-1 win on Merseyside against Everton (July 2020).
● Liverpool are yet to win in their opening three Premier League matches this season (D2 L1), last starting a league season with four winless matches in the 2012-13 campaign, failing to win any of their opening five games that season.
● Bournemouth have only managed 16 shots at goal in their opening three Premier League matches, the lowest by a side in their first three games of a season since Huddersfield Town in 2018-19 (also 16). The fewest shots on record (since 2003-04) for a team in their opening four games is Sunderland in 2012-13, who only managed 20.
● Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has scored in all six of his Premier League games against Bournemouth (eight goals in total), the best 100% scoring record a player has against a single opponent in the competition. The Egyptian has 29 goal involvements in 29 Premier League starts against newly promoted clubs for Liverpool (18 goals, 11 assists).
● Bournemouth boss Scott Parker was the last opposing manager to win a Premier League game against Liverpool at Anfield, with his Fulham side winning 1-0 in March 2021. Parker could become the second manager to win a Premier League match at Anfield with two different promoted sides, after Kevin Keegan (Newcastle in 1993-94, Man City 2002-03).
● Mohamed Salah has been directly involved in 17 goals in his 16 Premier League appearances in August for Liverpool (11 goals, 6 assists). He scored in the Reds’ defeat to Man Utd last time out, the first time he’d scored and ended on the losing side in a league game since February 2021 against Leicester City.
● Adam Smith has been booked in his first three Premier League matches this season for Bournemouth. Only three players have been yellow carded in the first four games in a season: Chris Morris in 1995-96 for Middlesbrough, Paul Williams in 1997-98 for Coventry and James Perch in 2010-11 for Newcastle.
MANCHESTER CITY V CRYSTAL PALACE
3pm We finish the 3pm games with Manchester City hosting Crystal Palace. Liverpool fans will be hoping Crystal Palace can do the same to Manchester City here as they did to them in Anfield, but I highly doubt we see an upset here. The market is very confident on a home win, however City are trading at a bigger price than Liverpool today. They are currently trading 1.2 at the time of writing. Although Leeds winning at Chelsea took the headlines on Sunday, Manchester City also had a major upset as they could only draw 3-3 away to Newcastle. Betting wise, that was probably more of a surprise. It was clearly a very open and entertaining game with plenty of chances. Perhaps that game was a reflection of why you can understand City slipping up in the Champions League. They are almost too open for their own good, and that style isn’t always going to work out. Sometimes the other team can outscore or match you. The xG figures were obviously very high, Newcastle created 2.30 and Manchester City 3.77. You can clearly see City created a host of chances, but they still need to be more solid at the back. You have to give them credit though, they find a way to get a result after going 3-1 down – they could have won it too, they had the time!
After Liverpool losing to Manchester United on Monday night, City will be kicking themselves as they really could have put one hand on the Premier League trophy even so early in the season. It’s clear to see that they are the best side in the league though, and it would be a major shock if they didn’t lift the title. Crystal Palace come into this game in good form though, and they won’t be a pushover for City. They impressively beat Aston Villa last weekend, and they would have been delighted with a 1-1 draw away to Liverpool. They were outplayed by Arsenal on the opening day of the season though, and that has to be a worry in regards to this fixture. I feel City will win, but it won’t be too easy and City will have to grind out a result. I’m happy to have the same bet as the Liverpool game above and lay Any Other Home Win at 3.3. I expect City to win but Palace to keep the score line respectable.
The Striker Says:
One point lay (liability) Any Other Home Win Correct Score at 3.3 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/MciCry
MATCH STATS
● Crystal Palace were one of four teams Manchester City failed to beat in the Premier League last season (D1 L1), while the Eagles were the only side the Citizens failed to score against last term.
● Crystal Palace have taken seven points from their last four Premier League away games against Man City (W2 D1 L1), as many as they had in their previous 15 league visits to the Citizens (W1 D4 L10).
● Following their 2-0 win in this exact fixture last season, Crystal Palace are looking to become just the second team to win as many as three away league games against Man City boss Pep Guardiola, after Manchester United. Man Utd are also the only side to win consecutive away league games against sides managed by the Spaniard.
● Manchester City have found themselves two goals behind in three of their last five Premier League matches, as many as in their previous 72 matches combined. They’ve avoided defeat in all three of those games (W1 D2), having lost their 35 previous league matches when going two goals down.
● Crystal Palace drew 1-1 at Liverpool in their first away league game this season. The Eagles are the second side in Premier League history to play their first two away games of a campaign against the previous season’s top two sides, after Burnley in 2017-18, who beat Chelsea before drawing at Spurs.
● Manchester City have scored at least twice in each of their last 12 Premier League matches, netting 40 times. Only twice has a side had a longer such run: Man City themselves between May and November 2011 (14 games) and Liverpool between March and September 2019 (15 games).
● Manchester City have only lost two of their last 54 Premier League games kicking off at 3pm on a Saturday (W46 D6) but both have come at home against Crystal Palace, losing 3-2 in December 2018 and 2-0 in October 2021.
● Eberechi Eze has been involved in six goals in his last eight away Premier League starts, assisting in each of Crystal Palace’s last two away matches. Only two Palace players have assisted in three consecutive away Premier League appearances: John Salako in 1992 (four in a row) and Christian Benteke in 2018 (three).
● Kevin De Bruyne has been involved in 25 goals in his last 23 Premier League appearances (14 goals, 11 assists) and has assisted in each of his last four appearances. He is looking to become the first ever Man City player to assist in five consecutive Premier League appearances, with four in a row previously achieved by Martin Petrov in 2007, David Silva in 2011, Yaya Toure in 2014 and De Bruyne in 2019.
● Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha has scored 11 goals in his last 16 Premier League appearances, more than his previous 41 beforehand (10 goals). Zaha is looking to score in a third consecutive Premier League appearance for only a second time, having only previously done so in February 2019.
ARSENAL V FULHAM
5.30pm We finish a wonderful Saturday with Arsenal hosting Fulham. If Arsenal fans weren’t getting ahead of themselves, they definitely are now after sitting top of the table after last weekend’s results. It’s definitely too early to say Arsenal have changed, but the way things look at the moment they do look like they will challenge for the Top Four again this season, and with Chelsea not looking that solid they might be able to bump them out of the Top Four. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though – we all knew Arsenal had a reasonably easy start to the season and they would have fancied winning their early fixtures. It wouldn’t be Arsenal fans if they didn’t get carried away though! I think it’s been the manner of the performances which has everyone excited – however Bournemouth look very limited and they are odds on to go down, while Leicester have major issues at the back and look poor in general. Granted they played well against Palace in the opening game, but the xG figures weren’t anything to write home about. Tougher challenges lie ahead for Arsenal, and we aren’t going to find out much more today either. It’s hard to see past an Arsenal win here – there’s a gulf in class between the sides and Fulham are a classic example of a side that Arsenal tend to do very well again, especially with home advantage. That being said though, it’s hard to make the case that Arsenal should be shorter than their current 1.34 – that’s not a price I’d like to include in my Acca today!
Fulham were well fancied to go back down to the Championship, and they have had a yo-yo type experience with the Premier League in the past so you can understand the odds. They will be very happy with their start to the season though – especially picking up a point against Liverpool on the opening weekend. They played well against Brentford last weekend too – creating an xG of 2.83, and they could have easily beaten Wolves – they had to settle for a 0-0 but created an xG of 1.70. Arsenal have been banging in the goals for fun, but Fulham have been creating a lot of chances too. I don’t see a cagey game here, I actually think it could be quite entertaining and end-to-end. Over 2.5 goals looks priced correctly at 1.54, but Both Teams To Score catches my eye at 1.92. Fulham have shown enough to suggest they can score here, even if they don’t get a result.
The Striker Says:
Two points win Both Teams To Score at 1.92 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/ArsFul
MATCH STATS
● Arsenal have lost none of their 30 home meetings with Fulham in all competitions (W24 D6) – only Blackburn against Grimsby (31) have faced a side at home more often without ever losing in English football.
● Fulham have won just one of their last 15 Premier League meetings with Arsenal (D5 L9) and are winless in eight since a 2-1 home win in January 2012.
● Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 33 Premier League home games against promoted sides (W28 D5) since a 1-0 loss to Newcastle in November 2010. It’s the Gunners’ longest ever such unbeaten run in the competition, and the longest ongoing run of all teams.
● Arsenal have won each of their last four Premier League home games, netting at least four times in the last two (5-1 v Everton, 4-2 v Leicester). The Gunners haven’t scored 4+ goals in three consecutive home league games since May-September 2010 (4-0 v Fulham, 6-0 v Blackpool, 4-1 v Bolton).
● Fulham remain unbeaten in this season’s Premier League (P3 W1 D2 L0); in their top-flight history, only in 2010-11 have they avoided defeat in their opening four matches of a campaign.
● Arsenal boast the only remaining 100% win record after three games in this season’s Premier League. In only four previous top-flight campaigns have the Gunners won each of their first four matches of a season: 1930-31 (first five), 1947-48 (first six), 2003-04 (first four) and 2004-05 (first five).
● This will be Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s 100th Premier League game in charge, making him the 14th different manager to reach 100 league games in charge of the Gunners. Only two of the previous 13 have lost their milestone game (Herbert Chapman in 1927, George Swindin in 1960), with the most recent two managers to do so both winning (George Graham in 1988, Arsene Wenger in 1999).
● After ending a 24-match Premier League winless run in London derbies with a 3-2 win over Brentford, Fulham are looking to win consecutive top-flight London derbies for the first time since winning three in a row between January and April 2013 under Martin Jol.
● Gabriel Jesus has been involved in five goals in his first three Premier League appearances for Arsenal (2 goals, 3 assists), the most of any Gunners player in their first three games for the club in the competition. He’s also had four goals and four assists in his last four Premier League starts against newly promoted opponents.
● Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic fired in more shots (15) than any other player across the opening three matches of this season’s Premier League, over half of which came against Brentford last time out (eight). The Serbian’s three goals this season are as many as he scored in 27 Premier League appearances in Fulham’s last campaign in the top-flight (2020-21).
