Premier League Predictions: Round 3

Fans will be getting fired up for more Premier League action this weekend, having enjoyed two highly eventful rounds of fixtures so far.

Last weekend’s matches saw Manchester United run rampant again while Newcastle and West Ham both suffered second consecutive defeats.

Despite likely upsets, Bookmakers.co.uk have had a crack at predicting the outcome of this weekend’s fixtures. Check them out below:

Bournemouth vs Man City (12.30pm, Saturday 26th Aug, Vitality Stadium)

It’s been a poor start for Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth side after losing their opening game to West Brom before being defeated 2-0 by Watford in a lacklustre display in front of their home crowd.
Manchester City should count themselves unlucky after only managing a 1-1 home draw with Everton on Monday. The Toffees held on despite having a one-man advantage for over 30 minutes.

City look very potent at present and the only outcome we can see is a high-scoring away victory for The Sky Blues.

A City win is certainly our tip for a free bet this weekend.

Prediction: 0-4
Our tip: Over 3.5 goals, 11/10 (Betway)

Crystal Palace vs Swansea (3.00pm, Saturday 26th Aug, Selhurst Park)

Two sides who’ve started the season poorly face off at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

A resilient Palace may have lost to Liverpool last weekend but there’s reason to be hopeful that Frank de Boer will turn it round as his side should have scored at Anfield.

Swansea, on the other hand, were very poor against Manchester United on Saturday and once again looked light in front of goal, with star forward Fernando Llorente still out with a broken arm.

We don’t fancy Swansea’s chances of victory to improve this weekend, so we’re going to go for a home win.

Prediction: 1-0
Our tip: Crystal Palace to win 1-0, 6/1 (bet365)

Huddersfield vs Southampton (3.00pm, Saturday 26th Aug, John Smith’s Stadium)

Huddersfield’s opening two fixtures have been nothing short of superb.

They hammered Palace away from home on their debut to the Premier League and looked very comfortable against fellow newcomers Newcastle on Sunday, with Aaron Mooy’s great goal sealing a second win on the bounce for David Wagner’s men.

Southampton have been impressive too. They scored a late winner against West Ham despite some earlier complacency but were extremely unfortunate to not bag a comfortable three points against Swansea on the opening day.

Despite Huddersfield’s magnificent start, we do expect them to be brought back down to earth this weekend, with Southampton having a bit too much quality for them.

Prediction: 0-1
Our tip: Southampton Win, 23/20 (BetVictor)

Newcastle vs West Ham (3.00pm, Saturday 26th Aug, St. James’ Park)

This game is a huge test for both Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez and West Ham gaffer Slaven Bilic, with both their sides heading into the game without a point on the board.

Both bosses are amongst the bookies favourites to leave their post first, so they will each be desperate to win this weekend.

West Ham produced a spirited display at Southampton, to come back from two goals down with 10 men but were defeated in the end by a Charlie Austin penalty in injury time.

Newcastle look short of Premier League quality and low on confidence. For those reasons alone, we believe that West Ham will have the edge on them this weekend and will run out victorious for the first time in the league since the closing day of last season.

Prediction: 1-2
Our tip: West Ham to win Half Time/Full Time, 4/1 (SkyBet)

Watford vs Brighton (3.00pm, Saturday 26th Aug, Vicarage Road)

With five goals in their opening two games, Watford fans should feel confident, despite starting the season as feared relegation candidates.

Saturday’s opponents Brighton, have yet to score a top-flight goal this season and haven’t showed the quality required to survive in this league. However, it’s early days and they’ve had a tough start to the season, but they really need to buck their ideas up if they’re to get a result at Vicarage Road.

We think Watford’s firepower may be too much for them here and we expect more goals from a forward line that boasts a lot of attacking talent.

Prediction: 3-1
Our tip: Watford to win and BTTS, 10/3 (Bet365)

Man United vs Leicester (5.30pm, Saturday 26th Aug, Old Trafford)

Jose Mourinho’s side have set the pace so far in the Premier League, with two consecutive 4-0 victories against West Ham and Swansea.

They’ll be expecting another triumph this Saturday evening against 2015 champions Leicester City. Leicester have scored five in their opening two fixtures and pose United with a more substantial problem than they’ve faced so far.

Jamie Vardy is expected to start despite his nasty knock against Brighton and with Shinji Okazaki amongst the goals too, Leicester could get at this United defence.

With this said, Manchester United have been very potent in front of goal this season, with three players already scoring more than once this campaign. We expect goals from both sides, but United to end the day with all three points.

Prediction: 3-1
Our tip: Juan Mata to score anytime, 2/1 (SkyBet)

Chelsea vs Everton (1.30pm, Sunday 27th Aug, Stamford Bridge)

Chelsea’s testing start doesn’t get any easier on Sunday lunch time.

Their first home game saw them lose their heads against Burnley, but last week they produced a resilient performance to win late on at Wembley against Tottenham. This could give them the confidence to see off an Everton side who have been equally impressive so far.

Everton will be buoyed by their 1-1 draw away at Manchester City on Monday night, but The Toffees are probably a striker short of improving on their league finish of seventh last season.

We predict back to back victories for Antonio Conte’s Chelsea…but only just.

Prediction: 1-0
Our tip: Chelsea to win 1-0, 11/2 (Betway)

West Brom vs Stoke (1.30pm, Sunday 27th Aug, The Hawthorns)

West Brom are one of three sides with a 100% record in the league this season, and come up against a Stoke team who scraped past the finish line to beat Arsenal in their last match.

This game is surely going to be close, with both sides impressive defensively and not so impressive in attack. For that reason, this game has 0-0 written all over it with both sides not decisive enough in front of goal.

Prediction: 0-0
Our tip: 0-0, 6/1 (BetVictor)

Liverpool vs Arsenal (4.00pm, Sunday 27th Aug, Anfield)

If Arsene Wenger is to prove that he is still the right man to take Arsenal forward this season, then he’ll need to pull out all the stops against Liverpool on Sunday.

Already under pressure after last weekend’s defeat against Stoke, The Gunners need to produce something special this weekend to calm the already frosty Arsenal fans. With question marks over their defence, it’s probably the worst time for them to take on Liverpool, who certainly have the ability to penetrate defences at will.

The Reds bounced back from their opening day draw with Watford to beat Palace last weekend, and will be bolstered by Barcelona’s reported refusal to match their asking price for star man Philippe Coutinho.

Regardless of whether the Brazilian is available for selection Sunday, we still believe that Liverpool’s attacking riches of Firmino, Mane, Sturridge and Salah will be too much for this shaky Arsenal defence.

Prediction: 2-1
Our tip: Liverpool to win and BTTS, 13/5 (bet365)

Tottenham vs Burnley (4.00pm, Sunday 27th Aug, Wembley Stadium)

Tottenham’s Wembley hoodoo continued last Sunday against Chelsea, despite being in control for the majority of the game.

If they don’t let the result get to them, they should certainly have enough gumption to see off Sunday’s opponents Burnley in the late kick-off.

Burnley were beaten at home in their last fixture against West Brom, and despite having 20 attempts on goal, were unable to get one on target. They certainly can’t afford to be this wasteful against Spurs if they want to take a point or three back up north with them.

With The Clarets thriving on compact pitches, perhaps the Wembley turf is going to pose too much of a test to them, and we, as well as most UK bookmakers, expect handsome success for Spurs.

Prediction: 4-0
Our tip: Over 3.5 Goals, 13/8 (SkyBet)

With another round of fixtures to contest, punters across the country will surely be looking to indulge in some free bets this week.