Player to score – Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa v Everton)
Ollie Watkins looked rusty before the international break, but the striker should be sharper against Everton this weekend having been left out of the England squad for the wins over the Republic of Ireland and Finland. Watkins didn’t have a pre-season after returning from Euro 2024, but should now be in better shape to score goals for Aston Villa.
What’s more, Everton have conceded more goals than any other team over the opening three fixtures of the Premier League season. The Toffees have looked defensively vulnerable in every outing and Villa will fancy their chances of scoring at least once. Watkins could be at the front of the queue.
Under 2.5 total goals – Real Sociedad v Real Madrid
Kylian Mbappe has struggled to find his feet as a Real Madrid player. While the Frenchman has scored twice in four La Liga games, one of them was a penalty kick. On top of this, Mbappe has disrupted Real Madrid’s attack as a whole, particularly away from home where they have yet to score more than once in a single match in two attempts this season.
Meanwhile, Real Sociedad have struggled for attacking firepower over the early part of the campaign. The Basque side have found the back of the net just three times in four games with Mikel Oyarzabal still unavailable through suspension. This could be a low-scoring affair.
Match to be a draw – Bournemouth v Chelsea
Bournemouth entered the International break on the back of a morale-boosting comeback victory over Everton which saw them score three times in the dying moments of the match. This, however, was the Cherries’ first win of the season. In fact, it was their first league game not to end in a draw.
Chelsea struggled to a 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace before the international break and a similar result could be on the cards this weekend. The Blues are unbeaten in their last six matches against Bournemouth in all competitions, but might not be able to keep them out as the Blues’ defensive woes continue.
Both teams to score – Southampton v Manchester United
Manchester United need a positive result against Southampton on Saturday to ease the pressure on Erik ten Hag and kick-start their season. While the Old Trafford side started with an opening weekend win over Fulham, they have since suffered damaging defeats to Brighton and Liverpool with familiar defensive frailties exposed.
Southampton, on the other hand, have yet to pick up a point from the three league fixtures they have played, but will almost certainly have chances to change that against Manchester United such is the number of opportunities they allow all opponents. The Saints could make this a battle.
Graham’s Fourfold
Our red-hot tipster is back with his best bets from across Europe’s top leagues.
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Tottenham vs Arsenal
The first North London Derby of the season comes at a crucial point for both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. Ange Postecoglou’s team need a positive result to kick-start their season after disappointing results against Leicester City and Newcastle United. Arsenal, meanwhile, are undefeated in their last nine league games, but dropped points at home to Brighton in their last outing.
There has been over 2.5 goals in 27 of Spurs’ last 32 Premier League matches. Postecoglou’s side have scored six goals in the three games they have played so far this season, but have kept a clean sheet in just one of these matches – and that was against bottom-of-the-table Everton.
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