The Premier League returns after last week's fixtures were postponed due to the Queen’s passing. It’s a tight battle at the top of the table, with some crucial games in store this weekend for Matchday 8.
Jack Tobin has you covered with his tips for this weekend, and be sure to check out our EPL Tips page for previews of each Matchday this season.
EPL 2022-23: Matchday 8 Preview & Betting Tips
Wolverhampton vs Manchester City
Molineux Stadium, Saturday 17th September, 9:30pm (AEST)
Manchester City head to the Molineux, looking to continue their unbeaten campaign intact when they take on Wolverhampton. City are second on the premier league table with a 4-2-0 record, while Wolves are 14th with a 1-3-2 record.
This game is a contrast in styles, City are elite at both ends of the pitch, ranking as the 5th best defence (6 goals conceded), and the number one ranked attack (20 goals). Wolves are the best defence in the Premier League, conceding only 4 goals from the opening six games, but are the worst attacking team having scored just 3 goals.
The reigning champions have put together some ruthless performances against Wolverhampton in recent seasons, winning their last four Premier League fixtures against Wolves. Across the last four games between the two sides, the aggregate score is 13-3. With Wolverhampton providing no threat, possession is going to live in City’s front third and that’s going to provide the defending champions an opportunity to put up some big numbers in front of goal. Manchester City will pick up a convincing win in this clash.
Manchester City -1.5
$1.87 (3 Units)
Tottenham vs Leicester
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Sunday 18th September, 2:30am (AEST)
Tottenham have a golden opportunity to keep the pressure on league leaders Arsenal, when they host 20th placed Leicester. Spurs have had an excellent start to the season, sitting unbeaten in third place with a 4-2-0 record. It’s been a nightmare campaign for Leicester, who are at the bottom of the table with just one point from six games.
Tottenham’s consistency in both attack and defence has seen them improve once again this season, ranking as the second-best defence and the fifth best attack in the Premier League. Harry Kane and Heung Min-Son will be loving the prospect of coming up against the second worst defence in the league this season. Leicester have conceded 16 goals from six games, had 5 goals scored against them in their last outing, and are yet to keep a clean sheet.
Tottenham have won three games in a row against Leicester and have had no troubles getting past the foxes defence. Spurs have scored eleven goals across those three fixtures and given Leicester’s defensive struggles this season, they’ll have a big chance to have another big day out against the Foxes.
Tottenham -1
$1.75 (2 Units)
Brentford vs Arsenal
Brentford Community Stadium, Sunday 18th September, 9:00pm (AEST)
Arsenal have had a fortnight to stew on their first loss of the season and will be looking to bounce back when they play Brentford on Sunday night. Brentford have had an excellent start to their second season in the top flight, sitting eighth with only one loss from their opening six games.
Surprisingly, Brentford are the second most prolific attacking side in the Premier League this season with 15 goals, however they haven’t faced many strong opponents. The Bees have played Leicester (20th), Manchester United (5th), Fulham (10th), Everton (16th), Crystal Palace (15th) and Leeds (9th). So, it’ll be a big step up taking on the league leaders, and it will be fascinating to see if they can continue their form in the front third.
The Gunners had a slip up in their last outing; however, they’d barely put a foot wrong in a dream start to the season. Gabriel Jesus (3 goals and 3 assists) has led a dynamic Arsenal outfit that has had even contributions from right across their squad. Brentford have been impressive to start this season, but they don’t have the quality to match it with a side as good as Arsenal.
Arsenal H2H
$1.80 (2 Units)
More EPL Matchday 8 Tips
Aston Villa vs Southampton (Saturday 5am AEST)
Two mid-table clubs going at it here and there isn’t much separating them. Something of note is that both sides are yet to keep a clean sheet from their six matches this season. I expect that trend to continue, which means taking both teams to score looks to be the best way to play this one.
Both Teams to Score ($1.70 at TAB)
Nottingham vs Fulham (Saturday 5am AEST)
A battle between two newly promoted clubs is always an interesting watch. Forest have been the biggest spenders in the league but are yet to bear fruit, while Fulham have been super competitive in all of their games to date. I believe Fulham should be shorter in the market here, making them good value in the H2H.
Fulham H2H ($2.60 at TAB)
Newcastle vs Bournemouth (Sunday 12am AEST)
Newcastle would be frustrated with their inability to capitalise on dominance in games to date and already have four draws to their name. They get a seemingly easy kill in the Cherries this weekend however, and I expect them to take full advantage of it.
Newcastle -1.5 ($2.25 at Ladbrokes)
Everton vs West Ham (Sunday 11:15pm AEST)
After starting the season with three losses and zero goals for, West Ham have improved their performance in recent weeks. They were unlucky not to come away with at least a point away to Chelsea last start. That sort of form is certainly good enough to take all three points against the current version of Everton this Sunday night.
West Ham H2H ($2.40 at Ladbrokes)
