Accas, Boosts & Offers: Our Premier League Tips for GW2 - 21/08/21

Liverpool started the Premier League season off with a 3-0 win against Norwich at Carrow Road which also saw the long-awaited return of Virgil van Dijk to the Premier League. Their next challenge will be against Burnley who lost their first game of the season 2-1 to Brighton, and they will be looking to bounce back as they try and avoid relegation this season.

The return of van Dijk also means a greater aerial presence for Liverpool at corners and free kicks. Most of van Dijk’s goals for Liverpool have come from corners and it will prove a challenge for the Dutchman due to their strong aerial ability.

The last meeting between the two teams saw Liverpool win 3-0 at Turf Moor thanks to goals from Roberto Firmino, Nathaniel Phillips, and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain. Most notably, Phillips was able to score a goal from a corner showing that Burnley can be breached, and with the ability Van Dijk possess it could happen again.

Manchester City’s title defence got off to a poor start as they lost 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur in London and they must put in a performance against Norwich City to send a remainder to the league.

The previous encounter between the two teams happened in the 2019/20 season, as Norwich were relegated that campaign. City easily won the game at the Etihad 5-0 thanks to goals from Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez and two goals from Kevin De Bruyne. However, the game at Carrow Road saw newly-promoted Norwich shock Man City and win 3-2 through goals from Teemu Pukki, Todd Cantwell and Kenny Mclean, which was the start of their downfall as Liverpool won the title.

Jack Grealish will be making his home debut for City and will be looking to have a better performance than his one against Spurs. Against a weaker opposition such as Norwich, they will have greater opportunities to score their first goals of the season, and the two are 5/1 to do so.

Manchester United played their first game of the season against Leeds United at Old Trafford as they won 5-1 in what might just be a sign of things to come. Bruno Fernandes scored his first hat-trick for United while Paul Pogba continued his form for France with Man United as he had four assists in that game. There were also goals for Fred and Mason Greenwood.

Southampton, on the other hand, lost their opening game 3-1 away at Everton, with the only positive being new boy Adam Armstrong scoring his first goal for the club.

The encounters between these teams have seen goals in recent seasons. Most notably, United beat Southampton 9-0 at Old Trafford last season, while the earlier game in the season saw United win 3-2 with a late Edinson Cavani winner in Southampton.

That is why goals should be expected in this encounter, especially with Jadon Sancho possibly starting for the Red Devils and making his full debut.

Spurs opened their season with a surprising win against City thanks to another goal from Son Heung-min, whereas Wolves lost their opener against Leicester City 1-0 thanks to a Jamie Vardy goal. Wolves will, however, be happy to have seen the return of Raul Jimenez after his horrific head injury, as he was much of the reason for their torrid 2020/21 campaign.

The previous encounter saw Spurs win 2-0 at home thanks to goals from Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. On the other hand, the game earlier on in the season saw both teams share the points as they drew 1-1 due to Roman Saiss’ late goal for Wolves.

Only time will tell if Harry Kane is to play amidst the fiasco of him wanting to depart, so for this reason, we think Son's dependancy and form will continue and get the win for Spurs.

Arsenal will host Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium in a London Derby this weekend in what is the first blockbuster encounter of the 2021/22 season. Arsenal will want to show some sort of reaction after their dismal 2-0 loss away at Brentford on the opening night of the season, whereas Chelsea will want to continue their form after a 3-0 win against Crystal Palace.

The previous games last season between these two sides saw Arsenal surprisingly win both. The first game at the Emirates witnessed the Gunners win 3-1 through goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Granit Xhaka, and Bukayo Saka before now-departed Tammy Abraham scored the conciliation for Chelsea. Emile Smith-Rowe's goal snatched all three points for them at Stamford Bridge last time out.

The difference this time around will be the likelihood that Romelu Lukaku will make his second debut for Chelsea this weekend and he is the man to look out for. Coming off a great season with Inter Milan as well as a decent European Championship with Belgian, Lukaku can make an immediate impact for the Blues

The Belgian will also want to prove people in the Premier League wrong after the criticism he got in his previous tenure at United, and he is now 13/8 to score and win against Arsenal.

By Jack Meenan