| Match | Recommended Bet | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Tottenham vs Aston Villa | Aston Villa +1.75 Asian Handicap | 7/10 |
| Newcastle United vs Arsenal | Arsenal to Win | 8/11 |
| Middlesbrough vs Brentford | Middlesbrough to Win | 13/10 |
| Bolton Wanderers vs Coventry City | Coventry to Win | 1/2 |
| Fleetwood Town vs AFC Wimbledon | Fleetwood to Win | 4/5 |
| All Five Results as an Accumulator | 16.96/1 | |
- Tottenham vs Aston Villa – The new season should be a time for optimism and hope, but with so little happening on the transfer front for Tottenham it’s a case of same old, same old for their supporters. Ndombele should be a shrewd signing, but Son Heung Min is suspended here and Dele Alli is on the treatment table. Aston Villa, on a wave of positivity following promotion, have recruited heavily and will give it a good go here.
- Newcastle United vs Arsenal – These are dark times for Newcastle. With a manager they don’t want and shy of three popular players in Diame, Perez and Rondon, they have also watched on as the likes of Lejeune, Ritchie and Atsu have missed much of pre-season with injury. Arsenal will rally from the Laurent Koscielny affair, and in Ceballos, Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang and Pepe they have attacking options aplenty – enough firepower to see of the Magpies, anyway.
- Middlesbrough vs Brentford – Even though they drew 3-3, Middlesbrough will have taken plenty of positives from a difficult opening game at Luton. But for a Britt Assombalonga missed penalty they would have won, and Jonathan Woodgate seems to have instilled a more progressive brand of football in his players post Tony Pulis. Brentford did everything but put the ball in the net against Birmingham, but an injury to Saed Benrahma – and the sale of Neal Maupay – limits their attacking options considerably.
- Bolton Wanderers vs Coventry City – Here are some stats from Bolton’s game at Wycombe on the opening day to sum up their plight: they lost the shot count 3-25, shots on target were 0-10 and corners were 0-6. And the only stat that matters? They lost 0-2. They played just three contracted players, had eight debutants and two were signed an hour before kick-off. Coventry, an excellent side at this level, will be keen to deepen their misery.
- Fleetwood Town vs AFC Wimbledon – In our own League One predictions, we had Fleetwood to be sniffing around the play-offs and Wimbledon battling relegation, so a home win here is an obvious pick. Joey Barton’s men shone in a 3-1 win at Peterborough on the opening day, while the Dons tasted defeat on home soil against Rotherham.