England Round 2

spkutano

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Arsenal vs West Ham Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Arsenal:
Leno; Holding, Gabriel, Tierney; Bellerin, Elneny, Ceballos, Maitland-Niles; Willian, Lacazette, Aubameyang

West Ham:
Fabianski; Fredericks, Diop, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Soucek, Rice; Bowen, Noble, Anderson; Antonio

Arsenal managed to beat newly promoted Fulham 3:0 in the opening round of the Premier League season. The new acquisition Willian, who arrived from Chelsea) was a key figure in the match. The Brazilian winger had a hand in all three goals. Alexandre Lacazette scored the opener from close range, while centre-back Gabriel scored his first goal in his first English game. The captain Pierre-Emerick Aubamayeng set the final 3:0 in the 57th minute. By the way, the Gabonese international has signed a new three-year deal with the club. He joined Arsenal in January 2018 and won the Premier League Golden Boot in his first full season in 2018/19. Aubameyang's contract was due to expire at the end of the 2021 season meaning he would have been free to talk to other clubs from January. Aubameyang has scored 72 goals in 111 appearances for North London side across all competitions. He was made captain in November after midfielder Granit Xhaka was stripped of the role. It is clear Arsenal are improving under Mikel Arteta. The Gunners won the FA Cup after beat Manchester City and Chelsea and also won the FA Community Shield against Liverpool in August. They will surely try to continue the winning series, though Arteta has some injury worries. Defenders David Luiz, Shkodran Mustafi and Pablo Mari remain sidelined, while Granit Xhaka, who picked up a knock against Fulham, is rated as doubtful for this match.

West Ham lost the opening match of the season. They were beaten 2:0 from Newcastle after uninspiring display. The fans are used to opening defeats, the Hammers have lost 14 season openers in the Premier League, more than any other club in the competition's history. The fans are afraid to see a repeat of last season's relegation battle. The fans are angry following the sale of homegrown attacking midfielder Grady Diangana to West Brom, a decision that was criticized publicly by captain Mark Noble. Owner David Sullivan try to explain the situation and said the club needed money to ensure bills were paid during the coronavirus pause. On Tuesday West Ham beat Charlton 3:0 in EFL Cup. Sebastien Haller scored two first-half goals and Felipe Anderson sealed the victory in the 80th minute. West Ham will host League One Hull City in the third round. I believe the atmosphere in the squad is now better. Manager David Moyes will try to use the momentum in order to produce a surprise at the Emirats, but it wont be easy. The Irons ended the last season in solid way (2 wins and 2 draws on the last 4 matches), including an 1:1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford in July. Moyes has some positive news as Manuel Lanzini has recovered from the injury and is in contention for this match. Felipe Anderson, who scored against Charlton, should start alongside Michail Antonio in attack. At the end I will mention that Moyes want to sign defender and offered around £30m for James Tarkowski from Burnley. The Clarets have rejected the previous bid of £27m earlier this week.

Arsenal vs West Ham Prediction:

Arteta made the fans believe in their club again. The Gunners had excellent start of the new season, they won the FA Community Shield and beat Fulahm last weekend. West Ham, meanwhile, suffered a 2:0 defeat to Newcastle. I think the Gunners will register another victory.

Arsenal vs West Ham Pick: Arsenal @ 1.57 with BetVictor
 
Leeds United vs Fulham Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Leeds United:
Meslier; Ayling, Koch, Cooper, Dallas; Costa, Klich, Phillips, Hernandez, Harrison; Bamford

Fulham:
Areola; Tete, Ream, Hector, Bryan; Reed, Cairney; Kebano, Onomah, Cavaleiro; Mitrovic

Leeds United are newcomers in the Premier League, however they impressed in the first match against Liverpool. The fact is they lost, but scoring three goals at Anfield is something to be respected. The reigning champions led three times only for Leeds, playing in the Premier League fixture for the first time since 2004, to hit back three times. Marcelo Bielsa's side were close to earn a deserved draw when Mohamed Salah scored from the penalty spot after new £30m striker Rodrigo produced a shocking 88th-minute challenge on Fabinho. The scorers for Leeds were Jack Harrison, Patrick Bamford and Mateusz Klich. Leeds were between the rare teams that dominated the possession (52%) at Anfield. The Whites got on the ball and attacked the champions every time they had the chance, playing with big confidence. On Wednesday they faced Hull City in the Carabao cup, but suffered an elimination after penalties. Macedonian international Ezgjan Alioski was in the focus. First he cancelled out Hull's 1:0 lead in the 93rd minute, but then missed his spot kick in the shootout. Nevertheless, I believe the atmosphere in the club remain positive. Bielsa, who played with different 11 against Hull, should welcome the vast majority of those who started at Anfield last weekend. He has captain Liam Cooper available after the defender recovered from a calf injury, while Adam Forshaw remain out with a hip injury.

Fulham started the new season with a high defeat. They lost 3:0 to Arsenal in a match that worried the fans. Counting the last season's results, Fulham have lost 15 of their past 19 Premier League games. The Cottagers were harmless for most of the time and created few chances. The last season's top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic started on bench and entered the game in the second half. The reason is because he played two matches for Serbian national team in Nations League. Playing only 27 minutes, he forced Bernd Leno into a save, but failed to score. It is clear Fulham don't like the openers - they have lost their first game in three consecutive league seasons. The improvement came in Carabao Cup as Scott Parker's men won 1:0 against Ipswich. More important, Mitrovic scored his first goal in the new season. The Serbian international will try to continue with goals, but it wont be easy against Bielsa's defenders. Leeds have conceded a league-low 14 goals at Elland Road last season. Parker could start with new signings Alphonse Areola and Kenny Tete after they both made their debuts for the club against Ipswich. Antonee Robinson also made his debut on midweek, but he should start from the bench. Ola Aina, another new acquisition, is in contention, while Mitrovic will definitely start. Stefan Johansen remain sidelined with a foot injury, while this match comes too soon for Jean Michael Seri.

Leeds United vs Fulham Prediction:


I expect a low efficient match at Elland Road. I am well aware of the fact Leeds have scored three times at Anfield, but it was different match. It was an open game in which both teams played attacking football. I expect Fulham to put the focus on defense. It is a little bit strange, but Leeds may find matches like these more difficult than the ones against the favorites.

Leeds United vs Fulham Pick: Under 2.5 goals @ 1.96 with Pinnacle
 
Southampton vs Tottenham Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Southampton:
McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Stephens, Bednarek, Bertrand; Smallbone, Oriol Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Redmond; Adams, Ings

Tottenham:
Lloris; Doherty, Dier, Sanchez, Davies; Hojbjerg, Winks; Lucas Moura, Dele Alli, Son; Harry Kane

Southampton lost 1:0 to Crystal Palace last weekend, while now host Tottenham Hotspur at St Mary. Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men won 1:0 in this fixture last season and I am sure the Austrian coach will like to see a repetition. At the same time, Tottenham fans want to forget that match - not only they lost, but Harry Kane suffered a nasty injury. However, it is clear we will see an interesting match. The Saints played another match on Wednesday, against Brentford in the League Cup. Hasenhuttl named a strong lineup, but things didn’t go well. Southampton have suffered another defeat. What is worse, that was another goalless display, something that worried the fans. It is clear Hasenhuttl should make a couple of changes for this game. To be worse, forward Nathan Redmond suffered an ankle ligament injury in the League Cup match against Brentford. Midfielder Stuart Armstrong is available after missing the opening two fixtures with a thigh problem. At the end I will mention Southampton were poor when play at home last season. They have collected 21 points at St Mary, with Norwich City as only side with worse record. The Saints suffered a total of 10 home league defeats and equaled the club record for a single campaign, set in 1993/94 season.

Just like Southampton, Tottenham also lost 1:0 in the opening game of the new season. What is worse, the defeat came at home after a poor display of Jose Mourinho's men. According to statistic, the best striker Harry Kane has only touched the ball twice in Everton's penalty area. Another star - Dele Alli - was heavily criticized by Mourinho who replaced him at halftime. It was the first ever defeat for "the Special One" on the opening matchday of a league campaign in his managerial career. Tottenham, meanwhile, haven't started a league campaign with back-to-back defeats since 2011/12 season. On Thursday Mourinho had another stressful day as Tottenham visited Lokomotiv Plovdiv in qualifications for UEFA Europa League. The Spurs were one goal down, but two red cards for the Bulgarians helped the English side to register a 2:1 win and to face Macedonian outfit Shkendija Tetovo in the play-off round. The positive news is that Real Madrid star Gareth Bale has arrived at Tottenham training ground as he nears a return to the club. Wales international flew into Luton Airport on Friday and should join the team after medical tests. It is also anticipated Real Madrid defender Sergio Reguilon will complete his transfer to Tottenham this weekend. The 23-year-old Spaniard played last season on loan at Sevilla, winning the trophy in UEL. Nevertheless, this match comes too soon for both Bale and Reguilon. In addition, Tanganga remains out injured.

Southampton vs Tottenham Prediction:


I expect no more than two goals at St Mary. Southampton have suffered two defeats in the new season and failed to score a single goal. Tottenham also lost the opening match of the Premier League. The atmosphere in both teams is not at desired level. I believe both managers will not risk too much here, so I expect a low scoring match.

Southampton vs Tottenham Pick: Under 2.5 goals @ 1.93 with Pinnacle
 
Chelsea vs Liverpool Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Chelsea:
Kepa; James, Rudiger, Zouma, Azpilicueta; Kante, Kovacic; Hudson-Odoi, Havertz, Mount; Werner

Liverpool:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Keita; Salah, Firmino, Mane

Chelsea will host Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in the first big title clash of the season. Both teams are seen as strong contenders for the title, while the rivalry developed in the last period between the managers - Jurgen Klopp and Frank Lampard - add some spice. The Blues had a busy transfer window this summer as many big names arrived in London. Hakim Ziyech came from Ajax, Timo Werner signed from Red Bull Leipzig and Kai Havertz came from Bayer Leverkusen. Lampard hasn't forget the defense, centre-back Thiago Silva came from Paris Saint-Germain and left-back Ben Chilwell signed from Leicester City. Russian owner Roman Abramovich spent a large amount this summer, so far more then the others. That was the reason why two managers started 'war of words' in the last period. Chelsea begin the season with a 3:1 win over Brighton last week. Jorginho scored the first goal from a penalty, while defenders Reece James and Kurt Zouma netted the remaining two. For this match Lampard has some injury issues - new signings Ben Chilwell, Hakim Ziyech and Thiago Silva remain unavailable, as well as long-term absentee Billy Gilmour. Mateo Kovacic is back after serving a suspension. Christian Pulisic, who registered a goal and assist last time these two sides faced off, is sidelined.

Liverpool started the new season with a dramatic 4:3 win over Leeds United at Anfield. The Reds have extended their unbeaten home league run to 60 games. Man of the match was Mohamed Salah, who scored a hat-trick. The Egyptian international became the first player to score on the opening day of four consecutive league seasons for Liverpool. At the same time he's only the second to do so in the Premier League for any club, after Teddy Sheringham. The remaining goal was netted by Virgil van Dijk. It was his 10th Premier League goal for Liverpool - more than any other centre-back in the competition since his club debut in January 2018. Last week was very busy for Liverpool at transfer market. The reigning champions have signed Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich. The Spaniard is eligible to make his debut at Stamford Bridge, though I believe he will start from the bench considering the fact he hasn't yet trained with the team. Klopp also bought Wolverhampton striker Diogo Jota for £41m in a deal that could rise to £45m with add-ons. The Jota deal includes defender Ki-Jana Hoever, who will join the Wolves. Jota has scored 44 goals in his 131 appearances for the Molineux side, including hat-tricks in last season's UEFA Europa League matches against Besiktas and Espanyol. The German coach has no new injury worries ahead of this match, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain remain sidelined. Kostas Tsimikas and Xherdan Shaqiri are available, but they should start as reserves.

Chelsea vs Liverpool Prediction:


I expect Chelsea to remain unbeaten, at least. The Blues have produced lot of issues to Liverpool in July, even they lost 5:3. Now they play at Stamford Bridge and they are much stronger. The Reds defense isn't good as the last season. Key man Virgil van Dijk is showing some issues that should worry Klopp - the Dutcman has made two errors that lead directly to a goal in his last 4 league games, more than he had in his first 154 appearances. I don't see Liverpool winning this fixture.


Chelsea vs Liverpool Pick: Chelsea +0.5 AH @ 1.78 with Pinnacle
 
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