ALEX CROOK PREVIEW: Premier League GW5

Star Sports football ambassador ALEX CROOK previews the upcoming weekend Premier League action…

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🐝BRENTFORD v CHELSEA 🔵
Friday, 8pm

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We start the weekend with a west London derby as Brentford entertain near neighbours Chelsea on Friday night.

The Bees maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 2-1 victory at League One Reading in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night.

Chelsea meanwhile were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Hull last weekend in another game which proved they are lethal in attack but decidedly dodgy in defence.

The Blues have been the Premier League entertainers in the opening weeks of the season and have had more shots than their 19 top-flight bedfellows.

Brentford are third on that list so we can expect an incident-packed evening at the Gtech.

My build-a-bet relies on just such a contest as I am backing over 3.5 goals, Cole Palmer to score or assist, Kevin Schade to score at any time at 7/1 with starsports.bet.

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⚪ TOTTENHAM v ASTON VILLA 🟣
Saturday, 12.30pm

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If Brentford v Chelsea has all the makings of a goal fest then Tottenham’s clash at home to Aston Villa on Saturday lunchtime is at the opposite end of the entertainment spectrum.

Despite spending more than £300m in the summer, Spurs have picked up just two points from their four league games and were dumped out of the EFL Cup at Liverpool in mid-week.

Villa’s summer of big-name departures has hit them hard, but Unai Emery’s men did at least pick up a morale-boosting cup victory at Midlands rivals Coventry.

Confidence is a big word when it comes to both these two and particularly Tottenham and especially when they are playing at home.

Roberto de Zerbi’s team were booed off following last weekend’s dour 0-0 draw at home to Everton and their forward players looks devoid of belief they can put the ball in the back of the net.

Part of me even wonders if those long-suffering Spurs fans are looking down on West Ham with envy.

Tottenham stayed up at the Hammers’ expense on the last day of last season, but the Eastenders are scoring goals for fun in the Championship.

Back to this game and the obvious approach seems to be to target a low-scoring affair. Under 2.5 goals in the game is priced at evens with starsports.bet.

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🍒 BOURNEMOUTH v LIVERPOOL 🔴
Sunday, 2pm

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Sunday throws up a couple of intriguing contests starting with Andoni Iraola’s return to the south coast as Liverpool take on his old club Bournemouth.

Bournemouth should come into this game on a high after marking their European debut with a hard-fought 2-1 win at Real Sociedad on Thursday.

Iraola’s replacement Marco Rose named an unchanged side for that trip to the Spanish seaside so it will be interesting to see how they cope with their first taste of Thursday-Sunday football.

Liverpool have no excused not to be a bit fresher than their hosts after sweeping Tottenham aside in the cup despite resting a number of first-team regulars.

I think this is another game that guarantees goals as neither team have looked defensively secure so far this season.

Bournemouth have also fallen into an unwanted habit of throwing away points from winning position having led in all four of their Premier League games under Rose but are yet to register a win.

Alex Scott continued his excellent form with an assist against Sociedad and has been rewarded with a place in the England squad.

Scott has an eye for a spectacular goal and is 13/2 with starsports.bet to celebrate his Three Lions call by scoring at any time.

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⚪ FULHAM v MANCHESTER UNITED 🔴
Sunday, 4.30pm

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We may only be four league games into the season, but the pressure is already mounting on Michael Carrick.

Carrick’s honeymoon period is well and truly over after picking up a paltry four points and losing 1-0 at home to ten-man City in last weekend’s Manchester derby.

To make matters worse Carrick saw his team go 2-0 at home to Brighton on Wednesday only to lose 3-2 as they were sent crashing out of the Carabao Cup.

The United boss can take solace in the fact his team have avoided defeat in their last ten clashes with the Cottagers, but this already feels like a must-win to silence some of the negative noise around Old Trafford.

United’s XG hints at an under-performing team and if they can tighten up defensively then they have the weapons to hurt a home side who, barring last weekend’s 0-0 draw at Liverpool, have struggled under their new manager Alvaro Arbeloa.

I think United to win at 20/21 with starsports.bet may prove to be a decent price.

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RECOMMENDED BETS
1⃣ BEST BET: Tottenham v Aston Villa under 2.5 goals 1.5pts at 1/1 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)

2⃣ NEXT BEST: Manchester United to win 1pt at 20/21 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)

🎲 LONG SHOT: Alex Scott to score at any time 0.5pts at 13/2 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)

📊 BUILD-A-BET: Brentford v Chelsea over 3.5 goals, Cole Palmer to score or assist, Kevin Schade to score 1pt at 7/1 with starsports.bet.

🚀 ALEX ACCA: Walsall, Reading, Nottingham Forest, Leeds 1pt at 14/1 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)

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ALEX’S PROFIT/LOSS (SEP 2026): +7.20 points

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