The 2023/24 English Premier League (EPL) season is finally upon us, with a blockbuster slate of fixtures for EPL Matchday 1. The season kicks off on Saturday morning in Burnley, while Chelsea’s clash with Liverpool headlines this weekend’s EPL action.
We’re back with our EPL tips for all ten games of Matchday 1!
English Premier League 2023-24: Matchday 1 Betting Tips
Burnley vs Manchester City
Turf Moor, Saturday 12th August, 5:00am AEST
Manchester City embark on a quest to become the first side in Premier League history to win four consecutive titles when they take on Burnley to kick off the season. Burnley return to the Premier League after a dominant season in the Championship, winning the league ten points clear of second place. Vincent Kompany’s side lost just three of their 46 games en route to making the immediate jump back to the top flight, after being relegated in season 2021/22.
Manchester City’s statistical profile last season was nothing short of remarkable. Pep Guardiola’s side scored a league high 94 goals led by Erling Haaland’s record breaking 36 goals, and conceded a league fewest 33 goals. To go with their dominance at either end held 64.9% possession, ranked number one in the Premier League. Even with the departures of Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan, the defending champions are stacked with attacking weapons in Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and Bernado SIlva.
Man City have dominated Burnley, winning eleven of their last twelve Premier League fixtures against the Clarets. City’s last seven games against Burnley have produced eight wins with an aggregate score of 26-1, so taking the defending champions at -1.5 is the way to go. There’s plenty of questions around Burnley’s attacking game, and although they’re an improved side, it’s too big of a jump against the best club team in the world.
Manchester City -1.5
$1.84 (2 units)
Brentford vs Tottenham
Gtech Community Stadium, Sunday 13th August, 11:00pm AEST
Ange Postecoglou’s first competitive game in charge of Tottenham sees Spurs taking on fellow London side Brentford. Tottenham had a series of mixed results throughout pre-season, but there were plenty of glimpses of how they will be looking to play under Postecoglou. Tottenham and Brentford occupied eighth and ninth places on the Premier League table last season, in what was a successful campaign for Brentford but a nightmare season for Spurs.
Brentford punched significantly above their weight last season finishing eighth, however they face a tough challenge this season, with Ivan Toney suspended for the first half of the season. Toney’s 20 goals in season ‘22-’23 placed him third in the Golden Boot, and with Brentford scoring only 58 goals for the entirety of the season, Toney’s absence looms as a major concern for the Bees. Brentford have brought in some quality signings in the likes of Nathan Collins, Kevin Schade and Mark Flekken, however they haven’t brought in a striker to cover for Toney.
With Harry Kane still in the Tottenham side, Spurs will have a chance of being competitive this season. Kane scored 30 goals last season and with James Maddinson coming across from Leicester, it gives the skipper another weapon that will create goal scoring opportunities for him. Postecoglou’s possession dominant brand will make it difficult for Brentford to create goal scoring opportunities, and without their best finisher in Tony, it’s hard to see the Bees scoring enough to beat Spurs.
Tottenham to win
$2.29 (1.5 units)
Chelsea vs Liverpool
Stamford Bridge, Monday 14th August, 1:30am AEST
The headline fixture of Matchday One takes place on Monday morning as Liverpool travel to London to take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Both clubs will be looking to bounce back after disappointing campaigns last season in which both Chelsea and Liverpool failed to finish in the top four. Despite failing to qualify for Champions League football, the Reds went unbeaten in their last eleven games of the season, including a seven-game winning streak in that time period. Jurgen Klopp’s side will be looking to pick up where they left off at the end of season ‘22/’23.
Chelsea have had one of the most drastic overhauls during the transfer window with Kai Havertz, N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, Cesar Azpilicueta, Mateo Kovacic, Christian Pulisic and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang headlining the departures during the off season. Whilst a cleanout was necessary for Chelsea under new manager Mauricio Pochettino, to have eleven players who have played first team football depart in one transfer window means Chelsea have a major challenge on their hands to contend for top four this season.
Liverpool have had remarkable continuity under Jurgen Klopp, and despite a poor season were still the third most potent attacking side in the league in season ‘22/’23. Despite the abundance of talent in their squad, Chelsea ranked in the bottom six for goals last season, scoring just 38 goals in what was the first season they’d failed to finish in the top half of the table since 1996. Given Chelsea’s struggles last season and the overhaul of their squad, Liverpool present some excellent value in the head-to-head market in this clash.
Liverpool to win
$2.30 (2 units)
More EPL Matchweek 1 Tips
Arsenal vs Nottingham (Saturday 9:30pm AEST)
Arsenal are obviously the class team in this matchup but Nottingham won 1-0 the last time they met and have spent far too much money to be $16+ on opening day. The visitors have enough talent to at least find the back of the net, making the ‘Both Teams to Score’ market attackable here.
Both Teams to Score ($2.05 at Ladbrokes)
Bournemouth vs West Ham (Sunday 12am AEST)
West Ham had an ordinary 2022-23 campaign to say the least, but they still dominated Bournemouth in both meetings to win 6-0 on aggregate. The Hammers recently sold their skipper and best player in Declan Rice for a record transfer fee, but still have enough quality to secure all three points at the Vitality Stadium.
West Ham to Win ($2.60 at TAB)
Brighton vs Luton (Sunday 12am AEST)
No team likes to play a newly-promoted side in Matchweek 1 and Brighton are one of the unlucky ones this season. They’ll go into their clash with Luton as the red-hot favourites to collect all three points, but cannot underestimate their opponents who will be absolutely buzzing with energy in their team’s first ever match in the Premier League. With that said, I like the chances of both teams scoring in this one.
Both Teams to Score ($2 at TAB)
Everton vs Fulham (Sunday 12am AEST)
Coming off a disastrous campaign where they were mightily close to being relegated, Everton will be desperate to start this season with a positive result. However, they host Fulham who are coming off a 10th place finish last season and whom have beaten them in each of their last two meetings at Goodison Park. Fulham to win is the best value in this matchup.
Fulham to Win ($3.30 at TopSport)
Sheffield vs Crystal Palace (Sunday 12am AEST)
Crystal Palace had a solid campaign to finish 11th last season and will be hoping for similar or slightly better success this time around. Meanwhile, Sheffield return to the top flight after spending two seasons in the Championship. As mentioned above, newly-promoted sides tend to fare well in their first match back in the EPL, particularly with the home crowd behind them. There’s no reason why they can’t open this season with a win.
Sheffield to Win ($3.10 at TopSport)
Newcastle vs Aston Villa (Sunday 2:30am AEST)
Expectations are high for both teams in this fixture due to superb 2022-23 campaigns. For Newcastle, they’ll be eyeing off another top four finish, and anything other than a strong home win first up would be thoroughly disappointing. They’ll need to bank up wins before their schedule becomes more demanding with UCL action on the horizon. I think they get the chocolates here.
Newcastle to Win ($1.75 at Ladbrokes)
Manchester United vs Wolves (Tuesday 5am AEST)
Manchester United finished last season with four wins on the spin and will be expecting to start this campaign from where they left off. Their squad is settled and player roles are now clearly identified. I’m expecting big things from the Red Devils in 2023-24 and it all starts with a strong performance in their opening fixture at Old Trafford.
Manchester United -1.5 ($1.99 at Bet365)
