Soccer Betting Preview: EPL Matchday 4 Odds
Premier League On Enthralling Start
Can Arsenal Make it Four in a Row?
The Premier League is often full of surprises and Matchday 3 was no exception. Leeds United demolished Chelsea 3-0 to extend their unbeaten run to three. Newcastle and Manchester City finished in a thrilling six-goal draw. City’s rivals, Manchester United got their first win of the season and extended Liverpool’s winless streak. Meanwhile, Arsenal topped the table with a 3-0 win over Bournemouth. Plenty more happened on a topsy-turvy Matchday. Now, we’ll look ahead to this weekend and look over the EPL Matchday 4 odds.
Southampton vs Manchester United:
Southampton is tipped by many to be a relegation candidate but you wouldn’t guess it by the way they’ve started the season. Che Adams scored a double to hand the Saints a 2-1 comeback win over Leicester last Saturday. In 11th, they sit a few places above their opponents this weekend, Manchester United. United, currently in 14th, earned a gritty 2-1 win over Liverpool on Monday as +425 underdogs.
Erik ten Hag made ballsy calls by benching captain Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo. It appeared to pay off as the center-back duo of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez were excellent. Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho got on the scoresheet for United. Ten Hag may be reluctant to change things as United head down to Southampton on Saturday. His Red Devils are -130 road favorites and haven’t lost on the road vs Southampton since 2003.
This fixture has been draw-heavy in recent seasons. Both meetings last season ended all square and four of the last six have finished in draws. A draw is priced at +305 and Southampton is listed at +340 EPL Matchday 4 odds to win. United haven’t won consecutive Premier League matches since back in February and will hope to break the streak here.
Manchester City vs Crystal Palace:
Manchester City looked done and dusted down 3-1 vs Newcastle in the second half last Sunday. They showed a lot of determination to level the match at St. James’ Park and come away with a point. On Saturday City will host Crystal Palace, who fully deserved their 3-1 win over Aston Villa last Saturday. Eberechi Eze and Wilfried Zaha were standouts and can cause the City defense some problems this weekend.
Palace defeated Manchester City at the Etihad last season and drew with them at home. However, they’re +1500 underdogs heading into Saturday’s match. Two-goal favorites Man City sit at whopping -575 odds to win. One of the best EPL betting tips last season was taking Man City to win after a draw or loss. They didn’t have a two-game Premier League winless streak all last season.
Incredibly, City failed to score vs Palace last season but their team total stands at O/U 2½ goals for this match. A draw is priced at +700 odds, while Palace shows -125 odds to be shut out. It won’t be an easy task for City to contain Palace, though.
Brighton vs Leeds United:
Brighton vs Leeds should be one of the most intriguing matches of this weekend’s EPL game schedule. They’ve both been two of the biggest surprises of the season and stand at fifth and third place, respectively. They’ll put their unbeaten records on the line here as hosts Brighton enter the match as -115 favorites.
For Brighton to be undefeated after facing Manchester United, Newcastle, and West Ham is seriously impressive. The Seagulls defeated West Ham 2-0 last weekend, handing them a third straight loss. Meanwhile, Leeds destroyed Chelsea 3-0 at Elland Road last weekend as Rodrigo continued his scoring run. The Spanish forward leads the league with four goals in three matches.
Both matches between these teams finished in draws last season and a draw shows +285 odds in this one. Leeds are +310 underdogs but have scored at least twice in each of their three matches so far. Brighton is the owners of the league’s best defense so far, with just one goal conceded. The over/under stands at 2½ goals but only two goals total were scored in this fixture last season.
Liverpool vs Bournemouth:
Liverpool’s injury crisis has hampered them to start the season. They had little depth on Monday at Manchester United and it certainly showed in the 2-1 loss. Three matches into the season, Liverpool is still winless. The Reds host Bournemouth, who lost to Arsenal 3-0 last weekend, on Saturday.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool is a massive -800 favorite despite all of the injuries and recent performances. The Reds are somewhat close to getting Naby Keita, Joel Matip, and Diogo Jota back but it doesn’t look good for any of them on Saturday. Meanwhile, Thiago Alcantara, Curtis Jones, and Ibrahima Konate are all out for the foreseeable future. Forward Darwin Nunez is also suspended for two more games. Still, with the likes of Mo Salah and Luis Diaz, Liverpool is expected to take down Bournemouth here.
The Cherries couldn’t be getting Liverpool at a better time but are still 2½-goal and +1900 underdogs. Scott Parker’s side may very well be enmeshed in a relegation battle this season and are lacking in big-name talents. Even a draw shows a +900 price as Liverpool has won their last six EPL meetings vs Bournemouth.
Arsenal vs Fulham:
After missing out on the top four in 2021-22, Arsenal has responded extremely well. The additions of Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and William Saliba returning from loan have raised the Gunners’ level. Saliba, a center-back, scored a wonder goal with his weaker foot in the 3-0 win over Bournemouth last Saturday. This weekend, Arsenal will take on another newly promoted team, Fulham.
Fulham has impressed through three weeks, with a win and two draws. Aleksandar Mitrović has looked like a danger up front and scored the winner vs Brentford last Saturday. Still, the Cottagers are +875 underdogs in this London Derby. The EPL Matchday 4 odds price Arsenal as -325 home favorites. Arsenal is unbeaten in their last eight matches vs Fulham but the last meeting, in 2021, ended in a draw. Another drawing shows +480 odds on Saturday.
So far, Arsenal has averaged three goals per game and their over/under team total is at 2½ for this match. The Gunners are also favored to cover the 1½-goal spread but Fulham will hang on to their unbeaten status for dear life.
Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham:
In the last match of the weekend, Nottingham Forest hosts a dangerous Tottenham side in their first EPL meeting since 1999. Forest has been defensively well organized so far and has a record of 1-1-1. Forest drew with Everton 1-1 on Saturday but was just minutes away from a win. Tottenham managed to scrape by Wolves last Saturday but the 1-0 win was entirely unconvincing.
Still, Spurs are -210 road favorites for Sunday’s match. Antonio Conte’s Tottenham is looking to push their EPL unbeaten run to 10 matches, dating back to last season. This will be Nottingham Forest’s toughest test of the season so far and a barometer for where their defense really is. Spurs are expected to score goals, with Tottenham over 1½ priced at -175 odds.
Nottingham Forest is +600 underdogs but they did win their home debut over West Ham. Forest has been one of the biggest spenders of the Summer and their roster will undoubtedly take time to mesh; however, there’s no denying the talent there with players like Jesse Lingard, Taiwo Awoniyi, Morgan Gibbs-White, Brennan Johnson, Remo Freuler, and Emmanuel Dennis. Regardless, Tottenham shows -135 odds to cover the one-goal spread on Sunday.
Follow us on Twitter
