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The Scout: EPL Week 3 Preview

Posted on | Posted by The Scout

Saturday, August 26 10pm (WA time) 

Arsenal v Fulham 

Arsenal surprised just about everyone last season by finishing second in the Premier League, just five points behind eventual champions Manchester City. And the between-seasons signing of midfielders Declan Rice, from West Ham, Kai Havertz (Chelsea) and defender Jurrien Timber (Ajax) was a sign that manager Mikel Arteta was up for the fight again.

His ecstatic reaction to this week’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, a hard-fought victory secured by Martin Odegaard’s second half penalty, was more evidence of his determination to push City as far as possible again.

After warming up with two close victories – they beat Nottingham Forest 2-1 on the opening weekend – Arsenal could be set for an even more rewarding performance against Fulham at the Emirates Stadium.

In three of their last five games against Fulham, Arsenal have scored three or more goals, including a 3-0 win at Craven Cottage last season.

There is not a lot in their first two games of the current season that suggests Fulham can withstand the Gunners barrage. Even in their win against Everton, they looked vulnerable and if it wasn’t for the Toffees’ wasteful finishing, the Cottagers might not have escaped with a victory earned via Bobby De Cordova-Reid’s goal.

To make matters worse, Fulham will be without defender Tim Ream, who was sent off in a 3-0 loss to Brentford last weekend, and, more importantly, there will be no talismanic striker to rely on. Aleksandar Mitrovic, who scored 14 Premier League goals last season, has joined Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia.

Outside of Mitrovic’s goals, Fulham’s best Premier League contributors last season were Willian and Carlos Vinicius, who scored five each.

The case for Fulham isn’t a strong one. Expect the Gunners to come out firing.

Suggested Bet: Half Time/Full Time Arsenal/Arsenal + Both teams to score No + Bukayo Saka Over 0.5 shots on target (Same Game Multi) @ $3.60*

Sunday, August 27 12.30am (WA time) 

Brighton and Hove Albion v West Ham United 

It has been a case of no Alexis Mac Allister, no Moises Caicedo, no problem for Roberto De Zerbi, whose, supposedly weakened Brighton and Hove Albion, have found themselves at the top of the English Premier League.

Despite their two 4-1 wins coming against teams – Luton Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers – that are unlikely to feature in the top half of the table by season’s end, the signs have been promising for De Zerbi.

Solly March has scored three times in two games, while Kaoru Mitoma and Pervis Estupinan have a goal and assist each in Brighton’s flying start.

Between March, Mitoma, Julio Encisco, Billy Gilmour and Pascal Gross, Brighton have a capable midfield that is already coming to the boil.

Despite Brighton’s obvious buoyancy, West Ham will travel south to the Amex Stadium with a spring in their step after last weekend’s 3-1 win over Chelsea.

A man-of-the-match performance from new signing James Ward-Prowse was just what Hammers manager David Moyes was looking for as the ex-Southampton midfielder provided two assists in a hard-fought victory.

They had didn’t have a lot of possession but created enough opportunities to snatch an important victory against the Blues that came after a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth in their season opener.

The signing of Ward-Prowse has paid instant dividends, and although he is not a direct replacement for the departed Declan Rice, his creativity and goals adds another dimension to the Hammers.

With Ward-Prowse, Jarrod Bowen, Said Benrahma and Michail Antonio, West Ham should trouble Brighton more than they experienced against Wolves and Luton.

Moyes will have to make at least one change to his side due to the suspension of defender Nayef Aguerd. The Moroccan scored the opener against Chelsea before later being sent off.

Suggest bet: Half Time/Full Time, Draw/Brighton @ $4.80*

Sunday, August 27 11.30pm (WA time) 

Newcastle United v Liverpool 

Newcastle United finished four points ahead of Liverpool last season to claim their place in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in more than 20 years. Liverpool’s fall to fifth was seen as a major disappointment.

The gap that once existed between Liverpool and Newcastle – the clubs were separated by 55 points when the Reds won the title in the 2019-20 season – has narrowed considerably, although it has been almost eight years since the Magpies won against Liverpool.

Even last season, as Howe revved up his side, Liverpool twice beat Newcastle, including a 2-0 victory at St James’ Park in which Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo scored.

Liverpool started this season with a 1-1 draw against Chelsea that was followed by a 3-1 win over Bournemouth. New signing Dominic Szoboszlai was lively against the Cherries, while the return to full fitness of Luis Diaz, who scored in both games, is a welcome sight for Reds fans.

There is no doubting Liverpool’s capacity to score goals – even when Mohamed Salah had a penalty saved against Bournemouth he was on hand to score the rebound. But they aren’t always in control – they had only 35% of possession against Chelsea – and errors do seem to come more frequently than Jurgen Klopp would like. In good news for the manager, Alexis Mac Allister, who was sent off against Bournemouth, had his three-match ban overturned on appeal.

Newcastle’s optimism had been soaring going into the season and an opening day 5-1 humbling of Aston Villa was immediately seen as evidence of further improvement. Last weekend’s 1-0 loss to Manchester City was at least a reminder that Newcastle aren’t quite at that level just yet.

But they do have a deeper squad than previous seasons – Callum Wilson generally plays second-fiddle to Alexander Isak up front, newcomers Antony Gordon and Harvey Barnes can chop and change, and AC Milan recruit Sandro Tonali is a high calibre midfield option. Newcastle are also hard to break down, as was the case last season when they had the equal best defence in the league, alongside Manchester City.

Suggested Bet: Draw @ $3.85*

*Odds correct as at 9am, 24th August 2023.

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