BETMGM GOLDEN GOALS PREMIER LEAGUE STAT PACK: MANCHESTER DERBY HEADLINE STACKED MD4
From one derby weekend to another, our free-to-play Golden Goals is back for another round of Premier League action headlined by Manchester United against Manchester City at Old Trafford this Sunday. There are five other matches to predict the scores of before that, though, with up to £250,000 up for grabs if you can successfully call them all before our weekend deadline.
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Need a hand with your scores? We’ve got you covered with key stats, facts and insight – including a correct score prediction and a Bet Builder – for each of the six Golden Goals games below…
ASTON VILLA 2-0 NOTTINGHAM FOREST
- Kick-off: Sat 12th Sep, 15:00
- Match odds: Aston Villa 23/20; Draw 23/10; Nott’m Forest 21/10
- Aston Villa MD3: Drew 0-0 vs Hull
- Nott’m Forest MD3: Drew 0-0 vs Tottenham
- Player to watch: John McGinn (Aston Villa)
- Key stat: Nott’m Forest haven't won a competitive fixture at Villa Park since 1994
Aston Villa go into our first Golden Goals game full of relief rather than confidence.
Their midweek 3-2 win at Club Brugge finally ended a run of three straight games without a goal – and who else but captain John McGinn to break the deadlock just after 10 minutes.
Nottingham Forest haven't had it any easier under new head coach Oliver Glasner, now winless in four across all competitions and failing to score in all but one of them.
Something has to give on Saturday and the history at this ground points firmly one way: a convincing win for the Villans with McGinn at the centre of it and their new man up top getting on the scoresheet.
Villa have won five straight meetings with Forest at Villa Park by an aggregate score of 15-4. McGinn, and his former team-mate Ollie Watkins, made up the lion's share of those goals with four each.
The Tricky Trees’ wait for a competitive win on this ground stretches over 32 years and includes a Europa League semi-final second leg that ended 4-0 back in May with goals from Watkins, Emi Buendia and their celebrated Scotsman not once, but twice.
There’s no Watkins this time around but Nicolas Jackson hit the target twice midweek – a performance the former Chelsea man will, no doubt, want to repeat in the league.
BetMGM’s Bet Builder: Aston Villa to win, Jackson to score & McGinn 1+ SoT @ 11/2
LIVERPOOL 2-1 FULHAM
- Kick-off: Sat 12th Sep, 15:00
- Match odds: Liverpool 2/5; Draw 18/5; Fulham 5/1
- Liverpool MD3: Won 2-0 vs Ipswich
- Fulham MD3: Lost 3-2 vs Crystal Palace
- Player to watch: Alexander Isak (Liverpool)
- Key stat: Liverpool have scored exactly two goals in all four games so far this term
Andoni Iraola further extended his unbeaten run to 21 games on Matchday 3 – a streak no manager in top-flight history has built across two different clubs.
What he hasn't had, until last Friday, is a win of his own with this Liverpool side despite the Reds finding the net in every game – to the tune of exactly two goals in each of their three Premier League matches so far.
That’s not to mention the two scored against Atletico Madrid in the Spanish manager’s first taste of Champions League football at Anfield this past Wednesday.
Stylistically, Fulham find themselves in a similar position as they move away from Marco Silva’s tried and tested pragmatism but are yet to adapt to the tactical demands of Alvaro Arbeloa, losing all three of their opening games and conceding seven.
The Cottagers have had the most possession in all of their previous matches but continue to be picked off on the counter with how much space they’re leaving in behind – space that should appeal to the speed of Iraola’s wingers and Alexander Isak, fresh off a brace against Ipswich.
For all their troubles, Gonzalo Garcia continues to show his class as one of La Fabrica’s finest exports, hitting the target seven times in 11 attempts already and looking a constant threat.
BetMGM’s Bet Builder: Over 1.5 Liverpool goals, BTTS, Isak to score & Garcia 2+ SoT @ 7/1
TOTTENHAM 1-1 EVERTON
- Kick-off: Sat 12th Sep, 17:30
- Match odds: Tottenham 20/21; Draw 12/5; Everton 12/5
- Tottenham MD3: Drew 0-0 vs Nott’m Forest
- Everton MD3: Drew 2-2 vs Man Utd
- Player to watch: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Everton)
- Key stat: Tottenham are one of three teams still yet to score a single goal this season
Roberto De Zerbi's first full season in charge has started about as badly as it could.
A summer outlay reported north of £350 million on 10 new signings has bought Tottenham just one point from three games and precisely zero goals.
Everton may have a much smaller squad by comparison, but have found an early rhythm under David Moyes – unbeaten in three and coming from behind in injury time to avoid defeats to Bournemouth and Manchester United.
And while his side has lost their previous two to the north Londoners, momentum is definitely more on the side of the Toffees at the moment.
Spurs were awarded a striking 16 corners in their one home fixture so far this season in a losing effort to Newcastle – suggesting they are more than capable of applying pressure, even if it’s all for nothing.
Everton, meanwhile, have conceded 10 corners in their solitary away outing to date – an early sign that they may give up a couple to a De Zerbi team desperate to get off the mark.
That desperation may lead them to their first win of the season… or cause them to crumble again at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
We lean more towards the latter.
BetMGM’s Bet Builder: Draw, Over 10.5 corners & Everton to score last @ 14/1
SUNDERLAND 1-3 ARSENAL
- Kick-off: Sat 12th Sep, 20:00
- Match odds: Sunderland 11/2; Draw 3/1; Arsenal 9/20
- Sunderland MD3: Drew 1-1 vs Brentford
- Arsenal MD3: Won 2-1 vs Chelsea
- Player to watch: Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
- Key stat: Sunderland ended an 812-minute, eight-clean-sheet run for Arsenal last season
There was a time last term that Arsenal were deemed impenetrable. One clean sheet away from a new club record… they arrived at the Stadium of Light and conceded not once but twice.
Fitting that former Hale End graduate Dan Ballard would end that streak, only for Mikel Arteta’s side to be within seconds of an impressive comeback victory, were it not for Brian Brobbey’s acrobatic finish in injury time to snatch a 2-2 draw at the death.
And, while the return fixture at the Emirates was far more routine, we still expect Regis Le Bris’ side to make the visiting champions work for it once again if they have any hope of taking all three points this time round.
Skipper Martin Odegaard is our player to watch, missing the corresponding fixture last season through injury and now back to full fitness as the north Londoners’ creative fulcrum, scoring four in his last five in all competitions.
Another player to watch for a completely different reason is Sunderland’s Reinildo, who struggled to keep a lid on Bukayo Saka in this fixture last season, fouling the England international five times before picking up a booking.
Saka, of course, scored the equaliser in their previous meeting on Wearside and is another Gunner who looks to be fit and firing once again.
BetMGM’s Bet Builder: Arsenal/draw double chance, BTTS, Odegaard to score or assist & Reinildo to be carded @ 15/1
COVENTRY 0-3 BRIGHTON
- Kick-off: Sun 13th Sep, 14:00
- Match odds: Coventry 11/4; Draw 13/5; Brighton 17/20
- Coventry MD3: Lost 1-0 vs Man City
- Brighton MD3: Drew 1-1 vs Leeds
- Player to watch: Diego Gomez (Brighton)
- Key stat: Only Spurs have taken more corners than Brighton so far this term
Coventry's Premier League return has delivered plenty of effort but not much else.
Three defeats, zero goals and a manager in Frank Lampard who's now lost 12 of his last 15 top-flight games – two of those came against this very opponent.
Brighton, meanwhile, have found the net in all three outings so far for an average of over two goals per game despite a mixed points return.
The Seagulls have lost just once in their last 14 Premier League matches against newly promoted sides, while only Tottenham have won more corners across the opening trio of games.
Diego Gomez has already fired in a dozen shots this season with Maxim De Cuyper's goal-and-assist start extending the habit he showed regularly at Club Brugge and Westerlo.
History says Coventry can dig in at home when it's Brighton - they're unbeaten in five against them – but a side finding the net, the shots and the corners this consistently won't be easy to shut out this time.
BetMGM’s Bet Builder: Brighton to win, De Cuyper to score or assist, Gomez 2+ shots & Brighton most corners @ 7/1
MANCHESTER UNITED 1-1 MANCHESTER CITY
- Kick-off: Sun 13th Sep, 16:30
- Match odds: Aston Villa 23/20; Draw 23/10; Nott’m Forest 21/10
- Man Utd MD3: Drew 2-2 vs Everton
- Man City MD3: Won 1-0 vs Coventry
- Player to watch: Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd)
- Key stat: No team has taken more shots than Man Utd so far this season
There's no introduction to Manchester quite like the derby, as Enzo Maresca is about to discover. Michael Carrick found that out himself when this game doubled as his first of his interim spell back in January, a match he won 2-0.
You could argue fireworks stay in the box for this fixture these days – nine of the last 10 Manchester Derbies have stayed under 3.5 goals while the away side blanked in both meetings last season.
That's not to say chances will be scarce though. No Premier League team has taken more shots than United's 68 ahead of this one, while City's 19 attempts on target in the same span is matched only by their neighbours.
And Erling Haaland rarely goes unnoticed. Eight goals in seven Premier League appearances against United puts him third behind only Mohamed Salah and Alan Shearer, while he has five in five in all competitions already this season.
At the other end, Bruno Fernandes contributes volume regardless of the scoreline. The Red Devils captain is averaging five shots per 90 across the opening weeks and that hasn't dipped below 2.5 across his last 11 top-flight seasons.
BetMGM’s Bet Builder: Under 3.5 goals, Man Utd 11+ shots, Man City 5+ SoT, Fernandes 2+ shots & Haaland to score anytime @ 9/1
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change. Please note: This week's Golden Goals deadline is Saturday 12th September 15:00. Opt-in is required and you can find out more here.
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