The opening week of the English Premier League season threw up some interesting results, with upsets aplenty across the league. The second week of the season has some big clashes on the schedule and Jack Tobin has you covered with his best bets for EPL Week 2 below!
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EPL 2026-27: Matchday 2 Preview & Betting Tips
Crystal Palace vs Manchester City
Selhurst Park, Saturday 29th August, 5:00am AEST
Crystal Palace and Manchester City kick off Matchday 2, with both sides coming off contrasting results on Matchday 1. Manchester City turned their dominance into a result on the scoreboard, producing some late brilliance scoring in the 84th and 92nd minutes to overcome a gallant Bournemouth 2-1. Crystal Palace’s campaign got off to an underwhelming start in a 2-0 defeat to Everton, pointing signs towards this season being a tough campaign coming off a 15th placed finish last season.
Manchester City were full value for their win against Bournemouth, dominating general play. City recorded 14 shots to Bournemouth's 5, registering 66% and a passing accuracy of 92%. They couldn’t quite capitalise in their final third, however if they continue to produce these kinds of stats week after week, they’re going to be challenging for the title.
Selhurst Park wasn’t a happy hunting ground for Crystal Palace last season, holding just a 4-9-6 record at home, ranked 16th in the Premier League. Manchester City Have dominated Palace in recent times, holding an unbeaten record in Premier League matches against them since 2021. The last three meetings between these two sides have resulted in wins to City by scorelines of 3-0, 3-0 and 5-2. Given the form of both sides, it looks likely another big win is in store for Manchester City.
Manchester City -1
$2.50 (1 unit)
Chelsea vs Brighton
Stamford Bridge, Sunday 30th August, 11:00pm AEST
Chelsea and Brighton come into Matchday 2 full of optimism after wins on the opening weekend of the season. Brighton produced the biggest win of the weekend, with a 4-0 win over Aston Villa putting them to the top of the table. Chelsea grinded out a 3-2 against Fulham, with an impressive attacking performance, producing more shots on goal than Fulham despite only recording 39% possession.
The biggest positive for Chelsea out of their win over Fulham was the excellent performances of their front three. Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer all scored, while Pedro and Palmer also registered assists, in what gave Chelsea fans a lot of optimism for this season. As positive as the attacking performance was, the defensive woes that hurt them last year still remained, conceding 2 goals against a Fulham side that won’t pose the same danger as the best teams in the league will.
Stamford Bridge should not hold any fears for Brighton, with Chelsea only winning 7 of their 19 games at home last season. Brighton have a great recent record against Chelsea, winning three consecutive games in convincing fashion - 3-0, 3-1 and 3-0. Chelsea are the heavy favourites, but given the Seagulls good record against them, Brighton +1 provides great value.
Brighton +1
$1.83 (1.5 units)
Aston Villa vs Arsenal
Villa Park, Tuesday 1st September, 5:00am AEST
Aston Villa will be looking to bounce back from a horror performance on Matchday 1, when they host the defending champions at Villa Park. Every concern that was held over Villa came to reality against Brighton, copping a 4-0, looking well and truly off the pace. Aston Villa failed to put a shot on target and only managed to register 28% possession, with the absences of Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemens, Lucas Digne, Donyell Malen and Lewis Dobbin clearly impacting the side.
Arsenal kicked off their title defence in excellent fashion with a 3-0 victory over Coventry City. The Gunners dominated from start to finish, recording 65% possession alongside winning the shot count 19-4, as Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard all got on the scoresheet. It was another typical performance of a side that was the number one ranked defence and the number two ranked attacking side in the Premier League last season.
Aston Villa’s lack of quality in the midfield has completely changed the trajectory of their team, with their inability to gain control of the ball hurting both their attack and their defence. Their inability to win possession means they lose the territory battle, putting their defence under repeated pressure and not allowing their attacking players to get good opportunities in the front third. The last time these two sides met the Gunners came out on top in a 4-1, and this fixture will be a similarly convincing result.
Arsenal -1
$2.38 (1 unit)
