BETMGM GOLDEN GOALS PREMIER LEAGUE STAT PACK: MAN UTD TO BOUNCE BACK ON MD2?
From Arsenal cruising to victory as champions so often do to Hull pulling off the upset of all upsets against Manchester United, the opening weekend of the Premier League more than lived up to the hype.
And our £250,000 Golden Goals jackpot is back! No one got all six last week and there’s still big money to be had ahead of this weekend’s fixtures.
Remember, you can still walk away with something even if you don’t get all six. As few as two correct predictions could see one of several prizes heading your way – from Free Bets to a share of £5,000 cash!
Click here for full Golden Goals information, including prize breakdown and terms.
Need a hand with your scores ahead of another action-packed weekend?
We’ve lined up key stats, facts and insight – including a correct score prediction and a Bet Builder – for each of the six games below, starting with action at the Vitality…
BOURNEMOUTH 2-0 EVERTON
- Kick-off: Sat 29th Aug, 15:00
- Match odds: Bournemouth 21/20; Draw 5/2; Everton 5/2
- Bournemouth MD1: Lost 2-1 vs Man City
- Everton MD1: Won 2-0 vs Crystal Palace
- Player to watch: Marcus Tavernier (Bournemouth)
- Key stat: No team lost fewer home games last season than Bournemouth
Bournemouth’s opening-weekend defeat to Manchester City ended a 19-match unbeaten league run – but they will fancy getting back on that particular horse having won five of their last six against Everton.
The Toffees dispatched Crystal Palace 2-0, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall confirming his status as the team’s focal point by scoring following 12 goal contributions during his maiden campaign, but looked suspect defensively.
David Moyes’ men were rescued twice by the frame of the goal and surrendered four big chances – only Tottenham and Aston Villa conceded more on opening weekend.
Last term yielded away victories for both sides, though that defeat to Everton was one of just two Bournemouth suffered on home turf all season; no team in the division lost fewer.
Goals could be scarce – nine of Bournemouth’s 19 home fixtures and seven of Everton’s away trips featured three-plus goals last term – though Marcus Tavernier presents a compelling case in the shot markets after scoring last week while averaging over two shots per 90 across three consecutive Premier League campaigns.
BetMGM’s Bet Builder: Bournemouth to win, over 3.5 total cards, Tavernier 2+ shots and Dewsbury-Hall 1+ shots on target @ 11/2
COVENTRY 2-1 HULL
- Kick-off: Sat 29th Aug, 15:00
- Match odds: Coventry 17/20; Draw 5/2; Hull 3/1
- Coventry MD1: Lost 3-0 vs Arsenal
- Hull MD1: Won 2-0 vs Man Utd
- Player to watch: Taiwo Awoniyi (Coventry)
- Key stat: Frank Lampard has never lost to Hull in 14 meetings as player or manager
Coventry were given a rude Premier League welcome against champions Arsenal – no shame in a 3-0 loss there – while Hull produced the shock of the weekend in seeing off Manchester United 2-0 on their own top-flight return.
Frank Lampard will fancy his side’s home fortress to make amends given only two of Coventry’s 23 league games there ended in defeat last term, both against the sides that finished second and third, while he has never lost to Hull in 14 meetings as a player or manager.
Relegated Sheffield Wednesday were the only team to register a worse Championship xG difference last term, with Hull overperforming at both ends.
Tigers keeper Konstantinos Tzolakis could be in for another busy afternoon after his five-save, player-of-the-match performance on Matchday 1.
New Sky Blues arrival Taiwo Awoniyi marked his debut with a goal in the midweek EFL Cup win at Plymouth and is expected to get his first taste of home league action here.
He managed only fringe minutes across his last two seasons at Forest but 16 goals and four assists in 47 Premier League appearances in the two campaigns prior could make this a shrewd acquisition for Lampard.
BetMGM’s Bet Builder: Coventry to win, Awoniyi anytime scorer, 12+ Coventry shots, over 3.5 total cards @ 19/5
TOTTENHAM 2-2 NEWCASTLE
- Kick-off: Sat 29th Aug, 17:30
- Match odds: Spurs 6/5; Draw 13/5; Newcastle 2/1
- Spurs MD1: Lost 3-0 vs Brentford
- Newcastle MD1: Drew 2-2 vs Liverpool
- Player to watch: Anthony Elanga (Newcastle)
- Key stat: Over 2.5 goals has landed in all of the last 11 meetings
Tottenham head into this one off the back of a chastening opening weekend at Brentford – their six big chances conceded were the most of any side while the 26 shots they allowed were second only to Newcastle's own tally.
Spurs picked up just 15 points at home all last season, yet their Matchday 2 visitors have won only four of their last 22 away days and haven't kept a clean sheet in 10 games.
The Magpies do arrive with some credit in the bank after drawing 2-2 with Liverpool; Matthias Jaissle denied a debut win only by a 99th-minute Dominik Szoboszlai penalty.
Newcastle are on a six-game unbeaten run against the north London side stretching back to December 2023, while this fixture has never finished goalless in 62 Premier League encounters and the last 11 have all contained over 2.5 goals.
Tottenham conceded more home goals before half-time than every Premier League side barring relegated Wolves and Burnley last season.
Given their almighty struggles against the Bees on Matchday 1, a revitalised Yoane Wissa and Anthony Elanga are the last double act the Lilywhites want to encounter.
BetMGM’s Bet Builder: 1+ first-half goals, over 3.5 total goals, Wissa to score or assist & Elanga 1+ shot on target @ 7/1
LEEDS 1-1 BRENTFORD
- Kick-off: Sun 30th Aug, 14:00
- Match odds: Leeds 6/4; Draw 12/5; Brentford 13/8
- Leeds MD1: Won 1-0 vs Nott’m Forest
- Brentford MD1: Won 3-0 vs Tottenham
- Player to watch: Kevin Schade (Brentford)
- Key stat: Every top-flight match between these two at Elland Road has ended in a draw
Leeds matched a club record for successive opening Premier League wins last time out courtesy of Anton Stach’s 88th-minute free-kick – his fourth since the start of last season, level with Dominik Szoboszlai at the top of the free-kick charts.
It was a hard-fought victory at the City Ground, one that looked destined to end in a stalemate – fitting, given every single Premier League meeting between Leeds and Brentford at Elland Road has ended in a draw.
The Bees were all over Tottenham on Saturday night, with the majority of the success coming from Kevin Schade down the left flank.
Only Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo (six) had more shots on Matchday 1 than the German, who stars in our 11/1 Bet Builder.
With these being relatively low-scoring encounters, corners tend to also be less common in this fixture – both fixtures last season produced only 11 across both games; eight in west Yorkshire and three in west London.
BetMGM’s Bet Builder: Draw, Schade 3+ shots & under 9.5 corners @ 11/1
CHELSEA 3-2 BRIGHTON
- Kick-off: Sun 30th Aug, 14:00
- Match odds: Chelsea 10/11; Draw 13/5; Brighton 13/5
- Chelsea MD1: Won 3-2 vs Fulham
- Brighton MD1: Won 4-0 vs Aston Villa
- Player to watch: Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
- Key stat: Over 2.5 goals has landed in each of the last seven meetings
Chelsea may have had their pick of the litter when shopping in Brighton in recent seasons, but it's the Seagulls that have had the last laugh more often than not. Home and away, the Blues have lost all four of their previous meetings to their ‘feeder club’ across all competitions – and by an aggregate of 11-2 no less. Fabian Hurzeler's side are also coming off a big opening-day win, absolutely peppering Aston Villa 4-0, so will definitely be up for stealing Xabi Alonso's chips at Stamford Bridge.
Another that will be up for it is Cole Palmer, who looked back to his best on Monday night when scoring and assisting in the 3-2 West London Derby win.
Palmer famously scored a poker against Brighton a few seasons ago and could be the man to shake off BlueCo’s favourite club for the first time in a long time.
BetMGM’s Bet Builder: Over 2.5 goals, BTTS & Palmer to score or assist @ 15/8
MANCHESTER UNITED 3-1 IPSWICH
- Kick-off: Sun 30th Aug, 16:30
- Match odds: Man Utd 21/50; Draw 18/5; Ipswich 6/1
- Man Utd MD1: Lost 2-0 vs Hull
- Ipswich MD1: Won 2-1 vs Sunderland
- Player to watch: Benjamin Sesko (Man Utd)
- Key stat: Man Utd have not lost to Ipswich in over 20 years
From potential title contenders one second to nowhere near the level the next… that’s what you get when you lose 2-0 on the opening day of the season to Hull.
Losing once to a newly promoted side with their tails up is bad for the ambition Manchester United have this season – but it is forgivable.
To do so twice in successive weeks against an Ipswich side that hasn’t beaten them since 1997 – and this time in front of what is an already agitated Old Trafford – is stepping into house-on-fire territory.
Which is why we’re backing Michael Carrick’s Red Devils to start over with an emphatic win, spearheaded by Benjamin Sesko. The Slovenian striker finished last season joint-top scorer alongside Bryan Mbeumo with 11 goals for his side.
More importantly in the context of this game, only the aforementioned Thiago found the back of the net more times against sides promoted from the Championship than Sesko last season.
So if there’s anyone capable of jumpstarting United’s season, it’s him.
BetMGM’s Bet Builder: Man Utd to win, over 2.5 Man Utd goals & Sesko to score @ 12/5
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change. Please note: This week's Golden Goals deadline is Saturday 29th 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 £500k 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.
