The first Premier League Saturday of the season sees seven games take place, with five of them in the traditional 3pm slot, while Manchester United host Leeds United in a mouth-watering 12:30pm clash.
It’s been just over a month since the Euro 2020 final, and the top-flight club action resumes with teams delighted to be playing in front of full houses for the first time in nearly 18 months.
Plenty of sides have made eye-catching signings and Saturday will see some of them make their debuts.
Entertainment Expected in Roses Derby
The last time Manchester United and Leeds United faced off at Old Trafford, eight goals were scored in a bizarre contest.
The hosts went 4-0 up and even though Marcelo Bielsa’s men played well in an attacking sense, the game was beyond them and it ended 6-2.
A raucous atmosphere is in prospect at Old Trafford as United try and end their Premier League title drought this season, which now spans nine years.
Big summer signing Jadon Sancho will provide plenty of goals and assists but defensively, there are still question marks.
Last season, United ended the campaign with just one clean sheet in nine games (against Leeds ironically) and they have been targeting reinforcements in that area. The deal to sign Raphael Varane has been held up and he will have to wait for his debut.
Leeds scored 62 goals last season but also had the most porous defence in the top half, despite vast improvement towards the end of the season.
It will be an entertaining one and a draw with both teams to score can be backed at 11/2.
Tough Start For Vieira
Crystal Palace are aiming for a change in style, which is why Patrick Vieira was appointed their new manager to replace Roy Hodgson.
Expansive football is on the menu as opposed to the more pragmatic approach favoured by Vieira’s predecessor and ten goals in five pre-season games suggests they will be bolder.
However, a trip to face Champions League winners Chelsea at Stamford Bridge is probably the worst possible opening fixture they could have been given.
Thomas Tuchel’s men look like they could seriously challenge Manchester City for the title this season and the arrival of Romelu Lukaku for £97.5million has significantly strengthened their frontline.
The German made them very hard to beat in the second half of last season – they kept 11 cleans sheets in 19 Premier League games he took charge of.
Palace have made some good signings but squad depth is still a worry and therefore Chelsea should comfortably get off to a winning start.
They Blues are 20/23 to win to nil.
Resurgent Reds to Outclass Norwich
Last season was a very strange one for Liverpool as they finished third in the table.
They began the campaign well enough, and ended it unbeaten in ten, but a nightmare middle – which saw them lose six in a row at Anfield – wrecked their chances of back-to-back Premier League titles.
However, there were mitigating factors with injuries plaguing all of their senior centre-backs at some point.
Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez are back fit, though, and the signing of Ibrahima Konate means they have more cover now centrally.
Mo Salah is still as dangerous as ever after scoring 31 times last season, while Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota have all looked sharp with goals in pre-season.
An injury-time winner in a nine-goal thriller
Enjoy a look back at a classic encounter with @NorwichCityFC
#NORLIV pic.twitter.com/2JVCGZdkjT
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 12, 2021
They travel to Norwich who will be hoping to have a better crack at the Premier League than they did two years ago.
Daniel Farke’s men were relegated with a whimper then but bounced back with aplomb.
The loss of star creator Emi Buendia will be keenly felt while Oliver Skipp has returned to Tottenham following a terrific loan spell.
There is no question Norwich were more defensively solid in the Championship last season but Farke’s attacking instincts mean Liverpool could still get at them.
The Reds are available at 16/5 to win by a two-goal margin.
*All odds correct at time of writing
