The Weekend Preview – Value Bets in the Premier League and Beyond (Part 1)

 *All odds courtesy of William Hill and Sporting Bet*

Saturday, August 18 (Kick Off 3PM)

Arsenal v Sunderland

The last few days have been particularly interesting for Arsenal and their players, management and fans. Despite their protestations, the loss of Robin Van Persie will leave a gaping hole, which one or both of Lukas Podolski or Oliver Giroud will be expected to fill. With the exceptional talent of Santi Cazorla dancing around in the final third too, expect goals a-plenty in this opening day fixture at the Emirates.

Sunderland on the other hand have had a quiet summer. Nicholas Bendtner has returned to his parent club (ironically Arsenal), and Asamoah Gyan has moved on to pastures new. They have brought in Louis Saha and Carlos Cuellar, and Martin O’Neill is renowned for getting the most out of his players. But the Black Cats will have to perform greater than the sum of their parts to get anything out of this game.

The Verdict: Nothing other than a home win. We like Santi Cazorla to score anytime (15/8, WH), and 3-0 correct scoreline (15/2, SB).

Fulham v Norwich

Fulham are always miserly hosts at Craven Cottage, rarely giving points away without a fight. They may be set to lose Clint Dempsey, but there are whispers that Mladen Petric could be a more than adequate replacement if given time to settle.

Norwich on the other hand have brought in the gifted Robert Snodgrass but lost their prized asset – former manager Paul Lambert. The Canaries will be looking to battering ram front man Grant Holt to ruffle a few feathers again this season.

The Verdict: Norwich will be tough to break down, but we fancy Martin Jol’s men to start their campaign with a narrow win. The ‘Fulham Win – Under 2.5 Goals’ double looks a near certainty (3/1, SB)

QPR v Swansea

An intriguing one this. QPR have been very active this summer, signing no less than four front line players: the exciting David Hoilett, the folically-challenged Andy Johnson, the nutty Fabio and perhaps the most under-rated signing of pre-season, Park Ji-Sung.

Swansea have lost their chosen one, Brendan Rodgers, and replaced him with a Premier League novice in Michael Laudrup. Add in to the mix the loss of Michael Allen, possibly Scott Sinclair and classic Second Season Syndrome, and you have a potential recipe for disaster.

The Verdict: Have to go for QPR in this one, we did tip them for a top ten finish after all. The 21/20 for a home win offered by Sporting Bet is a simple but effective way for you to earn some spending money.

Reading v Stoke City

Premiership new boys Reading have a crafty gaffer in Brian McDermott, and the Royals will be looking to turn the Madjeski Stadium into a fortress to boost their survival prospects. They also have a new Russian billionaire owner (sound familiar), who has a right sort for a Mrs. Here’s a picture.You’re welcome. Anyhow, he has bank rolled a few signings, including Pavel Pogrebnyak and Danny Guthrie, to add a bit of Premier Leage nous.

Stoke are notorious for being bullies on home soil, but turn into eleven quivering nancies on their travels. They’ve brought in Michael Kightly on the wing, who will no doubt provide the crosses from which Crouch, Jones and Jerome will look to prosper. Expect more blood and sand football from Tony Pulis’ men this season.

The Verdict: A close game this, and one that’s hard to find any real value in. We’ll say that it will be tight and low scoring, so the 1-1 draw at 5/1 (SB) looks tidy value. And we’ve mentioned him already, but can you remember Pavel Pogrebnyak’s spell at Fulham last season? He’s the fastest player to score five Premier League goals you know, in just three games. Back the Yak at 6/1 to be first goalscorer (WH).

West Brom v Liverpool

It’s the battle of the new bosses at the Hawthorns, as Steve Clarke’s Baggies take on Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool. This is Clarke’s first job in the hotseat, and he has acted quickly to bolster his striking ranks with Romelu Lukaku and Markus Rosenberg.

Rodgers meanwhile will be looking to impart his brand of silky football on his new charges. He has brought his midfield lieutenant Joe Allen across from Swansea, as well as bringing in Fabio Borini. Expect plenty of game time for exciting youngster Raheem Sterling and the returning Joe Cole this campaign too.

The Verdict: We fancy the Anfield Roaders to make the best possible start to the season. For the ambitious punter, the ‘Liverpool 1-0/Liverpool 2-1’ score-cast from Sporting Bet (66/1) could warm the cockles come 6pm on Saturday, but to cover that we like the look of William Hill’s Draw/Liverpool half/full time forecast (4/1).