English Premier League Picks and Predictions (8/23): Set Those Alarms, We’ve Got Early Action!

Hello my loyal readers. I hope you are as excited as I am for Week 0 of College Football kicking off this weekend, but before that gets going, there’s plenty of chances to profit on the pitch! The English Premier League bring us five matches for Saturday’s action, and we’re getting started pretty early as Manchester City host Tottenham at 7:30 a.m. eastern. Tune in below for my favorite EPL picks for Saturday’s slate.

We had success during the opening weekend, let’s see if we can keep it going.

Head over to our EPL Picks Page for our expert’s soccer analysis, or read my best bets below.

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English Premier League: Saturday’s Predictions August 23

Manchester City vs. Tottenham EPL Picks

Best Bet: Manchester City -1.5 (+136) Bovada

This one is easy. Manchester City had a dominating win on the road against Wolverhampton in their opening match. City found the back of the net four times in their shutout victory, putting every shot on target past the keeper while gaining 58% of possession and winning the corner kick battle, 6-4.

Will they be more tested against Tottenham? Of course. But the Spurs had it easy in their first match. They beat up on new face in the league Burnley, winning 3-0 at home. Now they have to go on the road in a hostile environment and try and take down one of the best rosters in the league.

Manchester City has all the intangibles in my eyes. They are playing in front of their home fans for the first time this season, they sit on top of the table after their 4-0 win, and they’d like to continue building off that momentum. Pep Guardiola has indicated that both Rodri and Phil Foden will be back in the already stacked lineup, meaning we will probably see Man City’s favorite 11 on the pitch.

After a 2-0 lead in the UEFA Super Cup, Tottenham melted, allowing two goals in the final five minutes plus stoppage time, eventually losing to Paris Saint-Germain in a penalty kick shootout. The Spurs last win against “top” competition was over Manchester United in the Europa League final back in May, beating them in February in the EPL as well.

However, I don’t necessarily count that with Man U’s current form. Prior to those matches, in my eyes, the Spurs last victory over a quality opponent came all the way back in January, when they beat Liverpool’s JV squad in the Carabao Cup at home. They ended up losing 4-0 on the road in the second leg.

The point being, Tottenham has not proven they can compete with teams of this caliber in the past year, and with Manchester City’s motivation to get back on top of the league, they will be very dangerous early on this season.

Prediction: Manchester City Wins 3-0 (+1000)

Burnley vs. Sunderland EPL Picks

Best Bet: 1H Under 0.5 (+158) Bovada

We’ve got ourselves a classic first half wager. If you’ve been following me for a bit, you know how much I love to sweat out a scoreless first 45 minutes. This matchup is perfect for the occasion.

Both of these teams were promoted from the English Championship last season and had very different opening matches. Burnley went on the road and were skunked 3-0 by Tottenham, while Sunderland hosted West Ham, and shut them out, winning 3-0.

Now, Burnley gets to face an opponent more their caliber in front of their own fans in their home opener, while Sunderland get their first road EPL test. These teams have gone head to head every year in the English Championship, with two meetings going completely scoreless, and the other having just one goal, although it was in the first half.

The point is, we have two very familiar teams who are looking to limit as many mistakes as they can early on. Sure, Sunderland will be riding their momentum from last week’s victory, but doing so on the road against Burnley has proven to be difficult, as both matches at Burnley were scoreless.

I expect the hosts to be very defensive focused after last weekend’s debacle, and I doubt Sunderland breaks away early.

Prediction: 0-0 Draw (+625)

Arsenal vs. Leeds United EPL Picks

Best Bet: Arsenal ML/Under 3.5 (+120) BetOnline

You can get Arsenal ML and Under 3.5 at the same price as Arsenal ML and Both Teams to Score No, meaning the Gunners win in shutout form.

However you want to attack this game is good with me, but I lean with the under.

I see this being a 2-0 match in Arsenal’s favor for a flurry of reasons.

Number one, they had seven home shutouts last season, winning six of those contests. They had the best back line in all of the EPL, allowing less than one goal per match, and they already have a road shutout under their belt this season. The Gunners are looking to win the English Premier League, something they haven’t done in two decades.

They can’t afford to waste points against inferior opponents at home, and I’m sure they know this. They gave up just three corners despite defending Manchester United’s attack for nearly 80 minutes last match, so Leeds should be no problem.

Although Leeds won their opening match, it took an 84′ minute penalty to do so. They produced just three shots on target despite 21 total attempts, and to get one past the Gunners defense, they will need to be much more efficient.

I do not see Leeds contributing to the total, but I also don’t see them letting the Gunners run away with it completely.

Prediction: Arsenal Wins 2-0 (+500)

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