Burnley vs Arsenal, Saturday 3pm - PLAY SUPER 6 FOR FREE!
If Mikel Arteta can create a solid spine to what Arsenal are trying to do, then a top-six finish is still within their grasp despite a flaky start. The signs are there to get me on board with that prediction - which is a 9/4 shot with Sky Bet.
Gabriel Magalhaes adds plenty of steel and no-nonsense defending to compliment Ben White's footballing ability and Thomas Partey will become an automatic starter when able to stay clear of injury. There is a talented team lurking, I'm sure of it. And I'm happy to side with them for this one in what should be a tight game.
That spine will be significantly tested at Turf Moor, though. Sean Dyche does not seem overly concerned about Burnley's winless start to the campaign and for 60 minutes at Everton on Monday night where they were the better team you can see why. It is all about channelling that level for an entire 90 minutes and avoiding getting punished for mistakes made in key areas of the pitch.
Kieran Tierney will be seeing plenty of the ball down Arsenal's left, as he always does. Arteta makes it pretty obvious regarding their ploy of getting him on the overload down that side and it is difficult to stop. He put in 15 crosses in the defeat at Brentford and six in the win at Norwich, officially creating nine chances for his team-mates. One of those is going to be taken soon in a game like this one where Arsenal are expected to dominate territory.
SCORE PREDICTION: 1-2
BETTING ANGLE: Kieran Tierney to register an assist (4/1 with Sky Bet)
Liverpool vs Crystal Palace, Saturday 3pm - PLAY SUPER 6 FOR FREE!
The quality within the ranks of Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City is making them impossible to oppose when facing any other team in this Premier League. As Gary Neville pondered on Monday Night Football, this might be the best English domestic league we have ever seen in terms of quality.
If Liverpool take their chances in this one, then Palace will not stand a chance - a very similar defeat looks on the cards to the one they suffered at Stamford Bridge on the opening weekend.
Interestingly, Sadio Mane has scored in each of his last eight appearances against Palace.
Only Robin van Persie (against Stoke) has scored in eight consecutive Premier League games against the same opponent, so Mane is set to create history if finding the net. Of course, these runs do eventually hit the buffers, but I am happy to invest in his chances. Despite his wayward finishing from his 10 shots against Leeds last weekend, he leads the way for expected goals in the Premier League this season with chances falling his way equating to a figure of 3.47 with an actual return of two goals. He can bring those two figures closer together by scoring first at 7/2 with Sky Bet at Anfield.
SCORE PREDICTION: 3-0
BETTING ANGLE: Sadio Mane to score first (7/2 with Sky Bet)
Manchester City vs Southampton, Saturday 3pm - PLAY SUPER 6 FOR FREE!
If it looks like a home win, quacks like a home win, then it is probably a home win. You do not need me to tell you that. And odds of 1/9 with Sky Bet certainly back that theory up.
Instead of fumbling around trying to sniff out some betting value in the outright match prices, my eyes are firmly focused on Manchester City players in the various goalscorer markets. A price that jumps out to me is the 25/1 with Sky Bet about Ferran Torres scoring with a header, something he has already done this season in the win over Arsenal. Pep Guardiola has started the Spaniard in all six matches across all competitions this season - clearly he likes the way he leads the line.
Although ripe for improvement in that position, Torres does have the instincts to get in where it hurts and should be thriving in that central role with the amount of quality ammunition coming in from wide areas. This is especially relevant for this encounter as Southampton are notoriously sloppy at defending direct ball into their box. Since Ralph Hasenhuttl took over in 2018, Saints have allowed 84 headed shots on target - the third highest of any Premier League team with 22 of those headers finding the net.
SCORE PREDICTION: 4-0
BETTING ANGLE: Ferran Torres to score a header (25/1 with Sky Bet)
Norwich vs Watford, Saturday 3pm - PLAY SUPER 6 FOR FREE!
On what we have seen, I would be surprised if these two are not in the bottom three come the final day of the season.
However, relegating teams in September is not a smart move. And a win for either of these two at Carrow Road could ignite a spark in results.
Norwich are not a team I can trust fully to turn promising performances into results. But I am happy to back them here at 23/20 with Sky Bet, mostly down to Watford's tameness in attack. Since breezing past Aston Villa on the opening day, they have only created a total expected goals tally of 1.5 with their attacking patterns very lacklustre when falling behind in matches.
Those that like playing the cards market may want to check out what Sky Bet has to offer in that regard for this one. With both teams playing for the win and tension in the air, I am expecting a full-blooded battle with a potential for a card-frenzy. This fixture in the Sky Bet Championship last season was card-crazy with 11 being shown across the two fixtures. It should be spicy.
Watford, despite not carrying much dangerous attacking threat in the final third, are a team that plays with a physical edge and do draw fouls from the opposition, especially through Ismaila Sarr. Opposition teams have averaged 2.75 cards per 90 minutes vs Watford this season. That bodes well for the chances of Norwich midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou getting the attention of the referee and picking up a card at 7/2 with Sky Bet. The fiery Frenchman was cautioned in the defeat to Leicester.
SCORE PREDICTION: 2-0
BETTING ANGLE: Pierre Lees-Melou to be carded (7/2 with Sky Bet)