The 2020/21 Premier League season is back for a later than usual kick-off on Saturday, and there are some cracking games in store on the opening weekend.
talkSPORT has analysed the fixtures and here are our top betting tips for the first gameweek…
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Liverpool vs Leeds United (Saturday, 5.30pm)
Liverpool begin their hunt to retain the Premier League title on Saturday when Leeds visit Anfield.
The Reds cantered to the championship last term, finishing 18 points clear of runners up Manchester City, and they are just 2/1 to win another English crown in 2020/21.
History is on Liverpool’s side heading into Saturday’s match, as they dominate the head-to-head record (Liverpool – 59 wins, Leeds – 28 wins) and have not lost to Leeds since April 2001.
The Reds are, unsurprisingly, odds on to extend their brilliant run against Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites – returning to the top table for the first time in 16 years.
Liverpool’s incredible Anfield record – they won 18 of their 19 home league matches last season, drawing the other – certainly suggests Jurgen Klopp will be celebrating victory once again on Saturday.
The foundation of Liverpool’s success has been their brilliant attack of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane – and it appears goals will be on the menu this weekend.
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In each of their last three Premier League opening fixtures Liverpool have scored three goals, so a -2 handicap for the Reds – meaning Leeds get a two-goal head-start – at 2/1 is a good bet.
Salah played a key role in those dominating opening day victories, scoring in three successive gameweek one matches. He could become only the second player in Premier League history to score in four consecutive opening fixtures, and the Egyptian as a 4/5 anytime scorer is a confident punt, while it is 7/2 he scores twice or more.
Having relinquished the Golden Boot to Jamie Vardy last season, he will be determined to win it this term and is 9/2 to finish as the Premier League’s leading goalscorer.
There could be a surprise source of goals against Leeds, though.
One of Andy Robertson or Trent Alexander-Arnold scored in three of Liverpool’s final four home matches at the end of last season as Klopp made the most of his brilliant, marauding full-backs. At 10/1 (Robertson) and 11/2 (Alexander-Arnold) to net anytime, these are outside bets with a good chance of winning which will reap big rewards.
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talkSPORT’s best bets:
West Ham United vs Newcastle United (Saturday, 8pm)
A new season, a new club, but for Callum Wilson it could be business as usual against West Ham.
The striker completed his move from Bournemouth to Newcastle and lines up against the Hammers on the first day of the new Premier League campaign.
Wilson has an excellent record against West Ham, with seven goals in eight games, including a 2015 hat-trick for Bournemouth.
He is 150/1 to get another treble, and is a great price at 11/2 to score first in the game.
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“I like playing against them,” he said shortly after his £20m move. “It is a nice team to play against, it gives me confidence going into the game having scored so many goals against them in the past.”
And what of Joelinton? He’s kept hold of the number nine shirt despite Wilson’s arrival and the £40m record signing is 7/2 to put last season’s struggles behind him and score at anytime against West Ham.
The fact West Ham have had a poor record in their opening games will give Wilson and his Newcastle teammates added confidence.
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The Hammers were beaten 5-0 by Man City last season and in their previous five opening day matches, won just once – against Arsenal in 2015 – and are 11/10 to win, with Newcastle 5/2.
David Moyes has so far been able to sign Tomas Soucek on a permanent £15m deal, but the board provoked the anger of fans – and some players – by selling Grady Diangana to West Brom for £18m.
Moyes will therefore desperately hope that Michail Antonio continues the form that won him July’s Player of the Month award.
At the end of June, only goal difference was keeping the Hammers out of the bottom three, but the forward’s eight goals went some way to securing their survival.
Antonio is 10/3 to score first against Newcastle, 13/10 to score anytime and 13/2 to net twice or more.
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talkSPORT’s best bets:
Tottenham vs Everton (Sunday, 4.30pm)
What a week it has been on Merseyside and a whole host of signings have now made the Toffees 9/2 to finish the top six – and it could be at the expense of Spurs, who are 8/13 to accomplish the same feat.
Whether we see all of their latest transfers in the starting XI is yet to be seen, especially with Abdoulaye Doucoure only arriving on Monday in a £20million deal from Watford.
But ex-Napoli ace Allan and former Real Madrid superstar Rodriguez could well be in contention for big debuts.
In Rodriguez’s first campaign in LaLiga he managed an impressive 17 goals in all competitions and for him to score the first goal of the match you can get 9/1.
Allan, though, has been signed to add some extra bite in midfield. He’ll need to be on his game if he’s going to stop the supply line to Tottenham striker Harry Kane.
You can only imagine he’ll be keen to get stuck in and if Doucoure gets a look in too they might just be able to overpower Jose Mourinho’s Spurs.
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Could Carlo Ancelotti’s men keep out the Lilywhites on their own patch in N17? Tottenham only managed 1.5 goals per game in the final nine matches of the 2019/20 campaign and it seems unlikely Mourinho’s men will go gung-ho on the opening day.
Spurs might find it hard to get the goals necessary for victory if the Italian gets his tactics right. Especially with creator Giovani Lo Celso a possible absentee for the hosts. Everton are 15/4 to keep a clean sheet in north London.
It won’t be that easy though, the north Londoners are unbeaten in their last 15 Premier League encounters with Everton.
Harry Kane, meanwhile, ended last season in fine fettle with five goals in his last three games but drew a blank for England against Iceland and Denmark.
If Tottenham are going to battle their way into the top four once again, he’ll need to be firing on all cylinders from the off and is 21/20 to score at anytime in the match.
Netting against the Toffees will also be good for his Golden Boot hopes, Kane is currently 11/2 to land the award given to the Premier League’s top scorer at the end of the season.
At the start of a campaign, many fans dream big and since 2016 every fanbase has wondered if it’s possible they could ‘do a Leicester’.
What are the chances Tottenham or Everton could do it? Well, Spurs are listed at 50/1 to claim the Premier League title, while the Toffees are a touch further back and 400/1 to lift the trophy a year after neighbours Liverpool.
talkSPORT’s best bets:
All odds from Ladbrokes are correct at time of publication.
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