IT’s matchday two in the English Premier League this weekend and I’m going to focus on two of Saturday’s fixtures before having a look at one bout from the opening weekend of the Bundesliga.
Everton vs West Brom (12:30)
Everton will be looking to continue their upward progression under Carlo Ancelotti when they welcome West Brom to Goodison Park on Saturday lunchtime.
The Italian’s influence has generated a monumental mood swing on the blue half of Merseyside and the new-look Toffees impressed last Sunday when putting Spurs to the sword at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Blues boss has opened the cheque book to revamp the Merseysiders’ midfield by making some eye-catching additions in the shape of Abdoulaye Doucoure, Allan and James Rodriguez, all of whom enjoyed successful debuts last time out.
West Brom, meanwhile, endured a baptism of fire last weekend when losing 3-0 at home to Leicester and I suspect Slaven Bilic’s newly-promoted Baggies could find the Toffees too hot to handle.
There is little value in backing a home success at a general 1/2, however, we can boost the price up to 17/20 at Betway by backing an Everton win and under 4.5 match goals.
Taking this approach would have banked profit in seven of the eight league victories that Ancelotti has steered the Toffees to thus far and I’m happy to side with a repeat on Saturday when they host a West Brom side who already look set to be gearing up for a scrap for survival.
Arsenal vs West Ham (20:00)
Mikel Arteta has made a positive impact at Arsenal and the Gunners can put another three points on the board when they play host to West Ham on Saturday night.
The Spaniard guided his side to a comfortable 3-0 away win at Fulham during last Saturday’s Premier League curtain-raiser, while West Ham fell to a 2-0 defeat at home to Newcastle.
Unrest blighted West Ham’s preparations for the new season and I suspect things could get worse before they get better for David Moyes and co.
I highlighted the Hammers defensive deficiencies in my match preview on site – West Ham have recorded a mere one shutout in their last 19 Premier League matches -and that does not bode well ahead of a bout with in-form Arsenal.
The Gunners look a bit skinny at 8/15 with Bet 365 to make it two wins from two, however, combining a home success alongside over one match goal will give us a backable 4/5 shot with Bet 365.
Arsenal have won 25 of their last 30 tussles when hosting bottom-half teams and that coupled with West Ham’s ropey rearguard has me attracted to the above-mentioned combination with Bet 365.
FC Koln vs Hoffenheim (14:30)
The Bundesliga kicks off this weekend and FC Koln will square off with Hoffenheim at the RheinEnergieStadion on Saturday afternoon.
Markus Gisdol’s men endured a miserable end to the last campaign having failed to win any of their final 10 Bundesliga matches following the enforced break.
The Billy Goats have since seen key attacking duo Jhon Cordoba and Mark Uth move on and with that in mind I fancy Hoffenheim to hit the ground running on Saturday.
Sebastian Hoeness’ side posted a sixth-place finish last term and I suspect deadly strike duo Andrej Kramaric and Munas Dabbur could have the tools to trouble what was one of the most brittle backlines in the Bundesliga last season.
Koln conceded 69 goals last season – an average of just over two goals per-game – and they have shipped at least two strikes in eight of their last 10 German top-flight tussles.
What’s more, Hoffenheim have won each of the last four meetings by an aggregate score of 14-2 and that sees the Even-Money on offer with Bet 365 for two or more Hoffenheim goals on Saturday take appeal.
Recommended Bets
- Everton To Win & Under 4.5 Match Goals (17/20, Betway)
- Arsenal To Win & Over 1 Match Goal (4/5, Bet 365)
- Arsenal & Everton To Win (Outright Double) – (11/8, UniBet) (NAP)
- Hoffenheim Over 1 Goal (1/1, Bet 365)
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