Premier League tips: Betting previews, Super 6 predictions & best bets for Saturday's season openers
The 2019/20 Premier League season gets under way this weekend and George Pitts has three best bets for Saturday's action.
Recommended bets
1pt time of first Man City goal - 1-10 minutes at 21/5
2pts penalty to be taken in Tottenham v Aston Villa at 11/5
1pt Everton to win and under 3.5 total goals at 2/1
For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record
Tottenham v Aston Villa (1730 BST on Sky Sports Main Event)
Tottenham will be looking to take inspiration from last season's Champions League run as they aim to challenge for the Premier League title.
They won the Audi Cup in pre-season, beating Bayern Munich on penalties as well as Euro giants Real Madrid. Having also beaten Juve, drawn with Inter and lost to Manchester United in a scrappy International Champions Cup game, they should be cherry-ripe here.
Spurs welcome big-spending Villa back to the Premier League and this could be an entertaining evening clash. Although the hosts are fancied to win, there is a preference to look at markets which do not rely on the match result.
Kyle Walker-Peters could be Spurs' only fit right-back and the 22-year-old has shown he is not afraid to attack, much like his predecessors. If you can find an assists market, he is worth a look considering his record of setting up five goals in nine Premier League appearances.
But the bet that stands out for this one is priced at 11/5. With VAR coming into play in the top flight this weekend, we could see a rise in penalties and this looks like a good opportunity to capitalise. With the speed and good footwork in both attacks, a rash challenge could well see a spot-kick awarded.
Spurs are good at drawing in fouls - Harry Kane, Danny Rose, Walker-Peters and Lucas Moura all attracted more than one per game last season - and you would expect them to soon pass last season's total tally of just four league penalties. The odds make it too good to pass up here as Chris Kavanagh, who awarded a penalty in his last Premier League outing, takes charge.
Prediction: Tottenham 3-1 Aston Villa (Sky Bet odds: 10/1)
Best bet: A penalty to be taken at 11/5
Sporting Life Price Boost: Harry Kane and Wesley Moraes both to score - enhanced to 10/1 with Sky Bet through this link
West Ham v Man City (1230 BST, BT Sport 1)
A tough start for the Hammers, who have strengthened well in attack but possibly neglected their defence as they aim to rival the likes of Everton, Wolves and Leicester for the top six.
Champions City should start in style and, with the odds stacked in their favour, a trusty favourite from last season is worth a look. Pep Guardiola's side scored a league-high 95 goals last term and 12 of them came in the opening 10 minutes of games - the next best in this period are Liverpool, Man United, Tottenham and Arsenal with six.
Quick-starting City scored after just 12 minutes in the Community Shield against Liverpool last week and at around 4/1 it is worth a small play on them bagging early on here.
Some bookies have markets specifically on the timing of City's first goal, while some have markets for the game's first goal with slightly shorter - but still appealing - odds. Either way, it is a great way to get value from backing early action in a City game.
Prediction: West Ham 1-3 Manchester City (Sky Bet odds: 9/1)
Best bet: Time of first Man City goal - 1-10 minutes at 21/5
Bournemouth v Sheffield United
Both sides will have been fairly pleased with their opening day fixture when it was announced in June and both will fancy a win after spending big this summer.
In Bournemouth's 19 home games last term, 53% of them saw both teams get on the score sheet and they should continue to be a threat in the final third after boosting their attacking options.
Sheffield United, meanwhile, saw both teams score in 10 of their away games in the Sky Bet Championship in 2018/19.
The Blades have only added 36-year-old Phil Jagielka to their defence in the transfer window and could find themselves short at the back over the course of the season. They should be fine at the other end having shelled out on a new front line and will play with the excitement of being in the top flight, so an opening day goal could be on the cards in what should be an entertaining game.
With this in mind, the near even-money price available on both teams getting on the score sheet would get the vote as the best bet, though it's not quite big enough for us to get stuck in. It's a long road to May.
Super 6 prediction: Bournemouth 2-2 Sheffield United (Sky Bet odds: 11/2)
Best bet: Both teams to score at 10/13
Burnley v Southampton
Burnley have had a fairly quiet transfer window and their starting XI may not look too different from last season on the opening day.
They did not end the season too well, which is worrying. Turf Moor was once regarded as a fortress, but 10 defeats there last season shows that some of that fear factor has gone and they may struggle despite this looking to be a decent starting point.
Southampton have had a first pre-season under Ralph Hasenhuttl and should be energetic and good to watch with their high-pressing style. They went unbeaten under the Austrian in the summer and their front-three of Nathan Redmond, Danny Ings and new boy Che Adams could prove troublesome for the Clarets.
Adams, who netted 22 league goals in 46 appearances for Birmingham last term, assisted two goals in their final pre-season outing against FC Koln last week after scoring in three other games (1 minute, 56 seconds into his debut) and he can grab a goal in his first competitive Saints appearance.
Southampton are fancied to win here, so chucking Adams into the equation gives you an appealing price on a goal-getting Premier League debutant.
Super 6 prediction: Burnley 1-2 Southampton (Sky Bet odds: 9/1)
Crystal Palace v Everton
The Wilfried Zaha derby, it seems, after the drama of deadline day. At the time of writing, it remains to be seen where the Ivory Coast winger will be playing his football in 2019/20.
With or without him, Everton could be in for a good season after some promising summer additions and their fixture list could help them get off to a great start.
Palace were far too inconsistent last term and are one of my fancies for relegation in the Premier League outright preview. The Eagles lost nine and drew five of their home games in 2018/19 and were fairly quiet in the transfer window before making late moves.
Top-six-hunting Everton found goals to be an issue in pre-season, drawing four blanks, with Richarlison returning late following international duty and Moise Kean only signing last week so their level of involvement remains to be seen, but they can still get past unconvincing Palace with one goal perhaps enough.
Super 6 prediction: Crystal Palace 0-1 Everton (Sky Bet odds: 6/1)
Jamie Carragher Premier League preview
Watford v Brighton
Watford have been one of the quieter top-flight sides in the summer, with few first-team signings and the most notable of them being Danny Welbeck.
After the highs of last season, it will be interesting to see if they can keep progressing under Javi Gracia after seeing teams around them like Leicester, Everton and West Ham strengthening.
There is always a surprise outfit that starts a season well and with some impressive signings and appointing manager Graham Potter early on, that could be Brighton.
With a three-man central defence, they could be tough to beat while having bolstered their attacking options - they even managed to score 13 in pre-season - after struggling in attack under Chris Hughton.
With this in mind, the 11/4 best price on them to score two or more goals is appealing without worrying about the result, though don't be surprised if there's a minor upset here.
Super 6 prediction: Watford 0-2 Brighton (Sky Bet odds: 20/1)
Best bet: Brighton to score 2+ goals at 11/4
Odds correct as of 1310 BST on 08/08/19
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