Matchday 2 of the Premier League season throws up some tantalising clashes between big clubs, with Newcastle vs Liverpool, Man City vs Tottenham and West Ham vs Chelsea all on the schedule. Jack Tobin provides you his best bets for this weekend, with plenty of action happening!
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EPL 2025-26: Matchday 2 Preview & Betting Tips
West Ham vs Chelsea
London Stadium, Saturday 23rd August, 5:00am AEST
Matchday 2 kicks off with an all London clash on Saturday morning as Chelsea head to the London Stadium to take on West Ham. Both teams had disappointing fixtures on the opening weekend of the season, and will be desperate to bounce back and claim their first win of the season. West Ham were beaten 3-0 by newly promoted Sunderland last week, despite having 63% possession and more shots on goal than the Black Cats. Chelsea failed to convert a dominant performance onto the scoreboard, being held to a draw against Crystal Palace at home.
Chelsea had 19 shots to Palace’s 11, as well as recording 72% possession but couldn’t find the back of the net in a frustrating performance. Given their lack of attacking quality, West Ham will likely look to do what Palace did in getting plenty of numbers in their back third, and try to get Chelsea on the counter. West Ham were the 15th ranked attacking side last season with just 46 goals, and their defence was just as bad, ranked 15th having conceded 62 goals.
The Hammers have only recorded one clean sheet in their last twelve league games, and have only won two of those twelve games. West Ham have also got a terrible record against Chelsea, with a 2-1-7 record from their last ten Premier League games against Chelsea. Chelsea have an aggregate score of 10-1 across their last three games against West Ham, as they comfortably controlled proceedings at both ends against the Hammers. Chelsea will be desperate to pick up their first win, as a long season is in store for West Ham.
Chelsea -1.5
$2.63 (1 Unit)
Manchester City vs Tottenham
Etihad Stadium, Saturday 23rd August, 9:30pm AEST
Manchester City and Tottenham face off at the Etihad on Saturday night as Manchester City look to keep their place at the top of the table. City’s quest to bounce back to title contention got off to a great start, with a 4-0 demolition of Wolverhampton. Erling Haaland scored a brace, while new signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki scored on debut. Tottenham also got off to a winning start, with a 3-0 win over Burnley in Thomas Frank’s first game in charge of Spurs.
Tottenham were a good attacking side last season, scoring the seventh most goals in the league, despite finishing 17th on the table. Spurs issues came around their defence, conceding 65 goals, the fifth most in the Premier League. Another big issue for Spurs was their ability to match up against the best sides in the league, having a 2-0-10 record against the top six teams from last season. So although their win last week was a positive, you can’t get carried away given it came against recently promoted Burnley.
Manchester City looked rejuvenated with some fresh faces and a tweaked gameplan on Matchday 1, and they look set to be competing for the title next season. Playing away from home was a big weakness for Spurs last season, recording 5 wins, 2 draws and 12 losses in away fixtures. Pep Guardiola’s side have won two of their last three Premier League games against Spurs, and will extend that winning run with a comfortable win over Tottenham at home.
Manchester City -1.5
$2.20 (1.5 Units)
Newcastle vs Liverpool
St James’ Park, Tuesday 26th August, 5:00am AEST
The final fixture of Matchday 2 is the biggest game of the weekend, as Newcastle host Liverpool and St James’ Park. This would have been a big game already given both teams finished in the top five last season, however the Alexander Isak transfer saga has caused plenty of tension between both clubs. Liverpool began their title defence with a 4-2 win over, but it did require two late goals from Federico Chiesa and Mo Salah to get the Reds over the line.
Newcastle failed to take advantage of their dominance after Aston Villa were reduced to ten men in the 66th minute. Eddie Howe’s side had 13 more shots than Villa, as well as having 61% possession, but they couldn’t break the deadlock in a frustrating 0-0 draw away from home. Ironically Newcastle could’ve used someone with the attacking quality of Isak, and they need some high quality reinforcements up top if they are to compete for a Champions League place.
Liverpool have well and truly had the wood over Newcastle, and the Magpies are going to have to buck history if they are to win this game. Newcastle haven’t beaten Liverpool in a Premier League fixture since 2016, which has seen the Reds pick up 12 wins and 5 draws in the following seventeen fixtures since Newcastle’s last win. Arne Slot’s side have won seven out of their last eight games against the Magpies, and have had no issues winning at St James’ Park.
Liverpool to Win
$1.98 (1 Unit)
