Six English Premier League matches take place on Saturday 12th August and our focus is on Arsenal v Nottingham Forest, Brighton v Luton and Newcastle v Aston Villa
Before we get into the preview a reminder that Fantasy League players are most welcome to join the Goodforthegame league on this link before the first match in Game week on Friday night
Arsenal 0.17 Draw 6.25/1 Nottingham Forest 14/1
The Gunners led the title race for much of last season before running out of steam towards the end of the campaign and they finished as runners up, 5 points behind Manchester City, with a record of 26 wins, 6 draws and 6 defeats.
Transfer activity at the time of writing includes the arrivals of Kai Havertz from Chelsea for £65m and Declan Rice from West Ham for £105m as well as defender Jurrien Timber from Ajax for £38m whilst Granit Xhaka has departed. Last weekend a late equalizer sent their Community Shield clash with Manchester City to a penalty shoot out which Arsenal won. Gabriel Jesus will miss the start of the season through injury.
Forest achieved their aim of avoiding the drop last season, finishing fifth from bottom with 38 points, 4 clear of the relegation zone. They won just once away from home in the EPL last season, drawing 5 and losing 13 which was the worst away record in the top flight. There isn't too much in the way of notable transfers after a very heavy spending spree before the 2022/23 campaign.
The Verdict:
Arsenal have gone for quality rather than quantity in the transfer market and I see no reason why they won't have another terrific season. They won the corresponding fixture 5-0 last season but did lose 1-0 to Forest in Nottingham towards the end of the campaign when they were beginning to falter.
I'm looking for an any time goalscorer and Bukayo Saka fits the bill.
Bets: Anytime goalscorer Bukayo Saka at 13/10 with Sportingbet
Bet on the EPL and get a 100% deposit match plus 20 slot spins
Note, odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
Brighton 0.32/1 Draw 4.25/1 Luton 8/1
Brighton finished sixth last season and their matches were generally very entertaining with 72 goals scored and 53 conceded. Alexis Mac Allister and Robert Sanchez have left, at the time of writing Moises Caicedo continues to be linked with a move away whilst a number of new arrivals come in from Europe for undisclosed fees.
Luton came up through the play offs from the Championship last season. They are operating on a small budget and will need to have spent it wisely if they are to avoid the drop.
The Verdict:
I've loads of time for Brighton and they ought to start with a win but for a bet in my usual price range I'm eyeing up the total corners market. I'd expect the majority of corners to go the way of Brighton but Luton were fond of a set piece in the Championship last season and I'm hoping the visitors contribution can nudge the tally to 11 or more.
Bets: Total match corners over 10.5 at even money with Sportingbet
Note, odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
Bet on the EPL and get a 100% deposit match plus 20 slot spins
Newcastle 15/20 Draw 29/10 Villa 34/10
Newcastle finished an excellent fourth last season and with 71 points they qualified for the Champions League. Harvey Barnes , Sandro Tonali and Tino Livramento have been brought in for combined fees of around £130m whilst Allan Saint-Maximin has taken the Saudi exit route.
Villa finished seventh last season and their fortunes and results improved dramatically after Unai Emery took over. They have signed some useful players with Pau Torres , Moussa Diaby and Youri Tielemans strengthening a squad which will also play in the Europa Conference League this season. .
The Verdict:
Both these sides were unbeaten in pre-season and I fancy it will be competitive. Although Villa crashed 4-0 on their most recent visit to St James Park, that was just after Emery took over and they improved leaps and bounds thereafter and won the return at Villa Park 3-0.
My gut feel is both sides will score in a game of 3 goals or more in total.
For the any time goalscorer market Ollie Watkins is my pick to be on target for Villa.
Bets: Both teams to score? (yes) and over 2.5 total goals at 11/10 with Sportingbet
Anytime goalscorer Ollie Watkins at 24/10 with Sportingbet
Bet on the EPL and get a 100% deposit match plus 20 slot spins
Note, odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
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