Hey everyone, apologies for the extended hiatus. Work has been getting in the way of my ability to write on the blog having struggled to find any time. But things have changed now and I should be back for the foreseeable future. To help me be able to spend more time on the blog and not have to go on another hiatus, it would be awesome if anyone could donate to it through the link here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/sportscloudblog. Anyway, without further ado, here are my first set of predictions for the new Premier League season.
Brentford vs Arsenal
Odds – Brentford – 16/5 Draw -11/4 Arsenal – 5/6
What I think will happen:
This will be Brentford’s first game back in the Premier League since the mid 1930s and while most of the focus for them is on Ivan Toney, they’re more likely to be built on a solid defence this season and I can see them getting a draw here.
Arsenal haven’t bought any attacking players this window and will need to rely on Aubameyang or Lacazette finding form again this season if they are to improve up top. Partey being injured won’t help things either and counters the injury Brentford have with Josh Da Silva. I can see this one being a cagey 1-1 to start the season.
Brentford 1-1 Arsenal
Manchester United vs Leeds United
Odds – Man Utd – 1/2 Draw – 7/2 Leeds – 19/4
What I think will happen:
Both sides here haven’t had the biggest squad overhaul over the summer which has surprised me on the front of Leeds. Man United have at least made the big money signing of Jadon Sancho and though both sides have had poor results in the pre season, Man United showed a return to form last weekend against Everton with goals for Bruno and Greenwood. They’ve dominated Leeds the last couple of times they’ve played at Old Trafford and I can see more of the same here.
Man United 3-0 Leeds
Burnley vs Brighton and Hove Albion
Odds – Burnley – 11/5 Draw – 21/10 Brighton – 11/8
What I think will happen:
Both sides have had fairly mediocre pre-seasons and I’m not sure if they’ve really improved. I’d have liked to have seen Brighton pick up a striker by now considering their finishing was what let them down so much last season.
Burnley seem to not have the transfer budget to make big changes but a boost for them with such a thin squad is finally getting an extended rest period and with the return of fans, I expect them to have an improved season.
This game is likely to be a poor one and I’m going to take Burnley to just edge it with the home advantage.
Burnley 1-0 Brighton
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace
Odds – Chelsea – 2/11 Draw – 5/1 Palace – 12/1
What I think will happen:
A lot of people have Palace as major relegation candidates but they’ve at least kept Zaha and have had some fairly encouraging preseason results as well.
Chelsea meanwhile are about to make their big signing for the summer with Lukaku but I’m not certain he’ll be ready to start this weekend, it shouldn’t matter though as Chelsea will still have just about enough to win this game. It just may be closer than most people would expect it to be with Palace being a decent shout to stop Chelsea from getting a clean sheet.
Chelsea 2-1 Crystal Palace
Everton vs Southampton
Odds – Everton – 10/11 Draw – 13/5 Southampton – 29/10
What I think will happen:
Everton have had a dreadful preseason which has shown a huge lack of ambition and effectively are the same team as last season which is a concern given how they fell away late. Meanwhile, Southampton have lost their star man in Ings and while they have found a replacement in Armstrong who deserves a crack at the Premier League, I’d worry he’ll be more of a 10 goal a season striker than a 15/20 goal player in the Premier League though. Southampton have a dreadful record against Everton and seem to be unable to beat them and with Ward Prowse likely to be missing, they may fail to pose enough of an attacking threat in this one while Everton do at least still have some decent attackers and a manager with a proven Premier League record so can grind a win out here.
Everton 1-0 Southampton
Leicester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Odds – Leicester – 13/20 Draw – 3/1 Wolves – 17/4
What I think will happen:
Leicester are a team that just continue to impress even though people expect them to fall away and I can see them having another good season this year having made some astute signings, they may be a little short at the back though early on with injuries to Evans and Fofana but are coming off a clean sheet against Man City.
Wolves meanwhile have also been busy in the transfer market but have a huge injury problem going into this one, with no Neto, Podence and Jonny and the transfer of Patricio they suddenly feel a bit like a bare bones squad and could really struggle early on this season.
The return of Jimenez is at least a boost and should help them perform a lot better once those guys are back. But for this game, I see them losing fairly comfortably.
Leicester 2-0 Wolves
Watford vs Aston Villa
Odds – Watford – 12/5 Draw – 12/5 Villa – 23/20
What I think will happen:
Watford have spent a lot of the transfer window buffing up their midfield which makes a lot of sense since they are solid at the back and have proven Premier League experience up top, I feel this could be a tough season for them but they are good enough to stay up if they stay fit and other teams have injuries.
Villa have been the talk of the town for a lot of people and are seen as a big top 6 contender this season which I fully agree with, Buendia and Ings are extremely smart signings with a proven Premier League record that can cover for the loss of Grealish while Bailey will either be brilliant or a complete flop.
In terms of this matchup, Watford have had a poor preseason and with Villa it’s hard to tell with them playing lots of games against lower league opposition and with a new look squad. I’m taking Villa to win a tough to predict game.
Watford 1-2 Villa
Norwich City vs Liverpool
Odds – Norwich – 8/1 Draw – 19/4 Liverpool – 2/7
What I think will happen:
Norwich have unsurprisingly been very active in the transfer market but I’m not 100% sold on their signings, there’s very little Premier League experience there and losing Buendia is a killer blow. They’ll do very well to stay up in my opinion.
Liverpool have been quiet which is a little surprising, they’ve managed to hold onto their attacking players but they lack the depth to compete for the title if they get many more injuries now that Robertson is out for a while and are heavily reliant on Van Dijk at the back.
Liverpool have had the stronger preseason and I felt that Salah and Mane really need the summer break to recharge, I expect them to come out firing and put Norwich to the sword.
Norwich 0-3 Liverpool
Newcastle United vs West Ham United
Odds – Newcastle – 11/5 Draw – 5/2 West Ham – 23/20
What I think will happen:
I really feel for Newcastle fans, they were poor to watch last season and have now made 0 signings in this window, it’s going to be a rough ride again this season.
West Ham have also been disappointingly quiet and look a prime candidate to regress to the mean this year which unfortunately means this game is fairly uninspiring.
Newcastle have dominated the head to head as of late and I think that may be enough to ensure they don’t lose this one with a draw seeming a good bet.
Newcastle 1-1 West Ham
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City
Odds – Tottenham – 17/4 Draw – 16/5 Man City – 3/5
What I think will happen:
Tottenham haven’t had a good time of things lately, they’ve had the Kane saga impacting things at the club and look in a really poor place defensively at the moment, they have talent up top which helps at least even without Kane.
City have made their transfer window about getting Grealish and Kane and have managed to pick up Grealish so far who will make a big impact for them on the left this season.
City looked fairly modest last week against Leicester but should still have enough to win here given the defensive problems Spurs have.
Tottenham 0-2 Man City
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