EPL Matchday 5 Odds: Soccer Betting Preview

Arsenal Remain Perfect

Last year, Arsenal lost their first three matches and were at the bottom of the Premier League table. This season, the Gunners have won their first four and are alone at the top of the EPL table. Arsenal and the rest of the EPL teams will be dealing with short rest for the first midweek match week of the season. We’ll see whether the Gunners are favored to stay perfect as we cover the EPL Matchday 5 odds.

Fulham vs Brighton: Tuesday, 2:30 p.m. EST

Fulham hung tough with Arsenal last Saturday in their 2-1 loss and even briefly looked like they’d get a win. The Cottagers have looked like the best newly promoted team so far but face another tough test on Tuesday. While Arsenal has been surprising, Fulham’s opponents Brighton, have arguably been even more so. The Seagulls are undefeated at 3-0-1 and have kept three consecutive clean sheets. Graham Potter’s side is currently tied for second place.

Brighton is the favorite to win, at +125 EPL Matchday 5 odds, but at less than a 50 percent implied chance. The last three Brighton matches have gone under three goals so the totals may be of interest here too. Under 2½ goals is listed at -125 odds for Tuesday’s match; however, Fulham has scored four times in their last two matches and striker Aleksandar Mitrović is rounding into form.

The Cottagers haven’t lost at home yet as they drew with Liverpool and defeated Brentford. Still, they’re +230 underdogs here and a draw shows the same odds. Brighton is 2-0 so far on the road and only lost four times all last season away from the AMEX Stadium. Midfielder Pascal Gross has scored three of Brighton’s five goals this season. However, Seagulls midfielder Adam Lallana stands to miss this match with a calf injury.

Southampton vs Chelsea: Tuesday, 2:45 p.m.

Southampton narrowly lost 1-0 to Manchester United last weekend and this match shouldn’t be any easier. The Saints face a Chelsea team that won 2-1 with ten men vs Leicester City on Saturday. Raheem Sterling got both of Chelsea’s goals and he’ll be a handful for Southampton to contain.

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is back from his one-game touchline ban and will expect a win on Tuesday. Although, his midfield is thin with Conor Gallagher serving a red card suspension in this match. N’Golo Kante is presumably also out until October with a hamstring injury. Despite the omissions, Chelsea is -170 favorites to win two games in a row for the first time this season.

Southampton is +400 home underdogs and haven’t won in two previous matches at the St. Mary’s Stadium this season… three of the last five meetings in all competitions have finished in a draw. A draw sits at +350 odds ahead of Tuesday’s match.

Arsenal vs Aston Villa: Wednesday, 2:30 p.m.

The Arsenal of old may have collapsed 1-0 down to Fulham but there’s something different about this Gunners team. They fought back to win 2-1 and extend their perfect start to four games. Mikel Arteta was ecstatic with his players’ efforts but downplayed talk of Arsenal competing for the title. It’s a long season, and Arsenal will also have the Europa League to contend with soon. Still, the Gunners are -225 favorites to extend their streak to five vs Aston Villa on Wednesday.

Gabriel Jesus has been a real difference maker up top and leads one of the key Premier League player stats, assists. The former Man City striker has raised the level of the Gunners and has three assists so far. Arsenal defeated Aston Villa twice last season and Villa has had a rough start to 2022-23. They’ve won just one of their four matches to start the season and are averaging under a goal per game. Villa is +500 underdogs but this won’t necessarily be a walk in the park for Arsenal.

It’s no surprise to see over 2½ goals listed at -140 odds. Only Liverpool and Manchester City have scored more than Arsenal this season. The Gunners’ last three games have involved three or more goals scored. The Jesus, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli attacking trio certainly have the ability to stretch Aston Villa’s defense. It’s worth noting that both Oleksandr Zinchenko and Thomas Partey could miss out due to injury again for Arsenal.

West Ham vs Tottenham: Wednesday, 2:45 p.m.

West Ham finally got their first goal and win of the season on Sunday in a 1-0 triumph over Aston Villa. Plus, it’s been reported that the Hammers are closing in on signing midfielder Lucas Paqueta from Lyon. It’s doubtful Paqueta would be able to play on Wednesday but it represents a statement of intent for the Hammers. They’re currently in 16th place in the league but few expect them to stay that way. West Ham does face a difficult London Derby on Wednesday when they host Tottenham, though.

Tottenham defeated Nottingham Forest 2-0 on Sunday to stay in the top four and are -110 favorites at West Ham. After scoring twice, Harry Kane now holds one of the most impressive stats Premier League. Kane is the joint-third leading scorer in EPL history and is priced as a +120 anytime goal scorer in this match.

West Ham has won the last two meetings at the London Stadium, though, and defeated Tottenham 1-0 there last season. The Hammers are +280 underdogs and goals have been nearly impossible to come by so far. It will take time for Italian striker Gianluca Scamacca to get settled in. However, forward Michail Antonio won Premier League Player of the Month last August and hasn’t gotten going at all so far. A draw, which has only occurred once in the last five meetings, also shows +280 EPL Matchday 5 odds.

Liverpool vs Newcastle: Wednesday, 3 p.m.

Winning 9-0 is one way to respond to going winless in your first three matches. Liverpool silenced the doubters with the Premier League’s joint-biggest win on Saturday over Bournemouth. More importantly, it was the Reds’ first shutout of the season. Now, Liverpool hosts a dangerous Newcastle team on Wednesday.

Newcastle is still unbeaten, with a win and three draws. Just a couple of weekends ago, they were leading Manchester City 3-1 before the Cityzens stormed back to level the match. The Magpies have added even more offensive firepower now by signing striker Alexander Isak for a club-record fee. Still, Newcastle is +800 underdogs at Anfield on Wednesday, where they haven’t won since 1994.

Liverpool is -300 favorites to get their second win of the season, however, the 1½-goal favorites have only covered the spread once in four games so far this season. Interestingly, Liverpool has had some trouble scoring against Newcastle in recent seasons. They’ve scored more than one goal in just one of the last four meetings.

Leicester City vs Manchester United: Thursday, 3 p.m.

Two weeks ago Manchester United was in last place in the Premier League. Now their Thursday opponents, Leicester City, occupy the unwanted position. Leicester has been in shambles recently, with players openly wanting away from the club. The Foxes are still looking for their first win of the season but are +250 home underdogs on Thursday.

Benching Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have worked for Manchester United so far. With their captain and star striker on the bench, United has won two matches in a row. Plus, they’ve conceded just one goal in those two games. Erik ten Hag will want more goals out of his players but he can’t argue with the recent results. Even money favorites Manchester United will look to kick Leicester while they’re down here.

The problem for United is that Leicester always seems to show up for this game. Brendan Rodgers and Leicester are undefeated in their last five matches vs Manchester United. Last season, the Foxes managed a 4-2 win at the King Power Stadium. They desperately need another result here to kick start their season and get them out of last place.