BETMGM GOLDEN GOALS MD2: BACK SUNDERLAND IN EARLY SEASON SIX-POINTER
A pulsating first week of the Premier League season saw new boys Sunderland briefly sit atop the pile before Manchester City spoiled their fun by hammering Wolves at Molinuex.
The Old Gold need a response on Matchday 2 and head to Bournemouth, who were impressive in defeat at Liverpool in the season’s curtain raiser.
Sunderland take a trip to Burnley with the two promoted sides on opposite ends of 3-0 results last week, with fellow new boys Leeds facing Arsenal at the Emirates.
Brentford host Everton while a heated clash could be in store at Selhurst Park, with Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest having clashed off the field in the summer over European places.
Manchester United need to bounce back from a 1-0 reverse at home to Arsenal when they travel to Fulham, where they are unbeaten since 2009.
Remember, successfully predicting the scorelines in these games could net you up to £250,000. The best part? Getting as few as two scores correct could mean one of several prizes heading your way, ranging from Free Bets to a share of £5,000 cash!
Can you be one of the entrants to win a prize? Click here for full Golden Goals information, including prize breakdown and terms.
Bournemouth 2-1 Wolves
Bournemouth lost to champions Liverpool last week but their second-half performance will encourage them – particularly that of Antoine Semenyo.
They’ll welcome the visit of Wolves, who had a couple of bright moments against Manchester City but ultimately slipped to a 4-0 defeat.
The Old Gold’s xG of 0.52 was lower than all but Fulham on the opening weekend but they did win on this ground last season.
In fact, both sides won the away fixture last term and Wolves have never lost a top-flight game on this ground.
It's all out attack in our first 𝙏𝙀𝘼𝙈 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙒𝙀𝙀𝙆 of the Premier League season ⚽️
— BetMGM UK (@BetMGMUK) August 19, 2025
Would you make any changes? pic.twitter.com/alkhcNxoot
That changes this week, especially with Semenyo starting the season in scintillating form – the Ghana international bagged a brace at Anfield and scored the winner at Molineux in this fixture in April 2024.
Add that he has four goals in his last two Premier League games and the Cherries’ seven corners at Anfield was the joint-second highest on Matchday 1 and 19/5 for Semenyo to score anytime, Bournemouth to win and have over 4.5 corners holds considerable appeal.
We’re backing the home side to pick up their first win in this one, leaving Wolves’ home game against Everton next week already looking important.
Burnley 0-1 Sunderland
Regis Le Bris’ men marked an eight-year hiatus from the Premier League with an emphatic 3-0 win over a less-than-stellar West Ham on Golden Goals Matchday 1.
It stood in stark contrast to Burnley, who were on the opposite side of the same result away to Tottenham.
It’s expected the Clarets will bounce back on Saturday when they welcome Sunderland to Turf Moor – but it may well go the opposite way.
Burnley were rightly hailed for their colossal defensive effort in last season’s Championship campaign… but they weren’t invincible.
The Black Cats were one of only two teams to get the better of them, nabbing four points from Scott Parker’s side with an away stalemate following a 1-0 win in the North East.
Give Sunderland the opportunity and they will pounce. Indeed, scoring three goals despite an xG of 0.75 against the Hammers, even in a one-off game, is no mean feat.
A 26th-minute goal sealed the 1-0 win last season and, given their solid defensive start, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Wearsiders edge it again to keep this wave of momentum going.
For those backing a similar outcome, we’re offering 13/2 on a Bet Builder with under 0.5 goals for Burnley, no for both teams to score and Sunderland half-time/full-time.
Brentford 1-2 Aston Villa
A storm of uncertainty swirls around the Brentford Community Stadium but one thing looks nailed on this weekend: Aston Villa’s enduring supremacy over the Bees.
The Villans are unbeaten in this fixture since January 2022 – a run of form that has been spearheaded by the ghost of Brentford past, Ollie Watkins.
The former Bees striker has six goals and three assists in eight appearances against his former employers and has scored home and away against them in each of the last two seasons.
At 18/5 to score first or 13/10 anytime, he is very well priced to add to that record here.
While Villa’s backline was hardly watertight on their Premier League travels last season, losing nine times and shipping 31 goals, they arrive in west London to face a Brentford side whose own foundations have been rocked.
The Bees conceded an average of almost two goals per home game last term and have been gutted this summer with attacking talisman Bryan Mbeumo joining Manchester United and midfield linchpin Christian Nørgaard moving to Arsenal. Yoane Wissa’s future also remains in doubt amid interest from Newcastle.
This all points to an away win with both teams finding the net and our 21/5 Bet Builder combining a Watkins goal or assist with an Aston Villa victory and both teams to score feels like it offers real value.
Arsenal 2-0 Leeds
A massive three points away to Manchester United on the opening day of the campaign should have fans feeling confident – but instead there is an air of anxiety in north London.
There were some concerning signs for Arsenal. New signing Viktor Gyökeres registered just 21 touches in the entire game and didn’t attempt a single shot. It’s the first time since April 2023 he’s failed to do so, bringing to an end a 69-match streak.
The Gunners also conceded 22 shots in the game, their most against the Red Devils in a match since they lost 8-2 at Old Trafford back in 2012.
It wasn’t too pretty at the other end of the pitch with an xG of 1.05, of which just 0.29 came from open play. Short sample size, yes, but not something expected of title challengers away to last season’s 15th-placed team.
Leeds, meanwhile, were excellent in their 1-0 win over Everton and managed 21 shots and an xG value of 2.08.
Midfielder Anton Stach shone brightest with 12 completed progressive passes placing him second across all teams on opening weekend.
Yet it’s hard to see Arsenal repeating their Matchday 1 performance. We have them in a 3/1 Bet Builder combining a win to-nil and Bukayo Saka to score anytime.
Crystal Palace 2-2 Nottingham Forest
After going head-to-head off the pitch in the summer after securing European qualification, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest clash on the field this weekend.
This is a fixture with six draws in the last eight matches and one that Palace have won only once since 2008.
But that doesn’t mean no goals.
Forest striker Chris Wood has continued his good form from last season with a brace on Golden Goals Matchday 1.
Having also netted against Palace in each of the last two seasons, backing the big New Zealander to have at least one shot on target in a draw could be worth supporting at 7/2.
The Eagles have drawn five of their last seven Premier League games and, adding to the appeal of the draw, four Selhurst meetings in a row have ended level pegging.
Expect a feisty encounter – this fixture had an extraordinary 11 yellow cards last season, so that market is one worth exploring for any Bet Builders too – in which history points to a draw.
We can’t see past it.
Fulham 1-3 Manchester United
Fulham stole a point right at the end against Brighton on Golden Goals Matchday 1 thanks to a 98th-minute equaliser from super sub Rodrigo Muniz.
The Brazilian is a potent weapon for Marco Silva to unleash if he needs to alter the trajectory of a match. Indeed, seven of his past nine goals have been off the bench.
However, despite his heroics, there are some issues to ponder for the west London outfit.
They have made just one signing over the summer – 34-year-old goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte – and seemed sloppy and lethargic for large parts of the game against the Seagulls.
For Manchester United, the prevailing narrative after their season-opening defeat was largely positive. They were unlucky not to get something against Arsenal, though concerns remain around goalscoring.
Much of the good feeling comes from the performances of new signings Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha.
The former, in particular, was a thorn in the side of the Gunners all afternoon long. He completed eight progressive carries in the game – more than any other player in the league over the weekend – and drew a fantastic flying save from David Raya with a diving header.
We like him to score anytime in a 5/1 Bet Builder that combines his goal with United to win and over 2.5 goals in the game.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change. Please note: This week's Golden Goals deadline is Saturday 23rd August, 15:00. Opt-in is required and you can find out more here.
Golden Goals Terms & Conditions
Opt in & predict 6 correct scores (see game lobby for weekly tournament cut-off time) to win up to £250k jackpot. Predict 2+ correct scores and win a prize (ranging from Free Bets to £5k Prizepool). Winnings shared evenly in case of multiple winners. Each prize subject to its own terms. Void if 1 or more matches postponed/abandoned or not completed. Verification procedures apply. 18+. T&Cs and exclusions apply.
