ALEX CROOK

AUTHOR: Star Sports Content

ALEX CROOK PREVIEW: Premier League Weekend

Star Sports football ambassador ALEX CROOK previews this weekend’s Premier League fixtures…


🔴 ARSENAL v LIVERPOOL 🔴
Sunday, 4.30pm

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It’s third against first in the big game of the weekend, and one of the biggest of the season so far, when Arsenal host Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

The Gunners are unbeaten at home this while Liverpool have a 100% away record under Arne Slot, so something has to give after last weekend’s surprise 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth.

Arsenal find themselves four points behind Slot’s early-season pacesetters and can ill afford to lose any more ground on Liverpool and defending champs Manchester City, but they have more than their fair share of injury headaches to overcome as Ricardo Caiafiori joined a growing list of absentees after picking up a knee injury in Tuesday’s 1-0 Champions League victory at home to Shakhtar Donetsk.

Manager Mikel Arteta is also without the suspended William Saliba and Captain Martin Odegaard while both Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber face a race to be fit for this crunch clash.

Arsenal fans are right to be wary after an uninspiring and unconvincing performance against Shakhtar when a better European team could easily have come away with a positive result. Liverpool meanwhile continued their excellent start to the season with a hard-fought triumph at RB Leipzig on Wednesday, although that does mean they have 24 hours less to recover for this one.

Arsenal have beaten Liverpool at home in each of the last two seasons, but is Saka is not fit I think most Gunners supporters would settle for a point against a Liverpool side who have won their last four League games since the shock defeat at home to Nottingham Forest.

Arteta has a history of going quite defensive in games like these, particularly with his best 11 not available while Liverpool have been efficient more than thrilling under Slot so I think goals could be at a premium.

A build-a-bet on the draw and under 2.5 goals returns 3.19/1 with starsports.bet.


🔵  BRIGHTON v WOLVES 🐺
Saturday, 3pm

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For the first time in Premier League history four teams head into their ninth game of the season still looking for a first victory of the campaign.

It looks like an almost impossible task for Southampton to end their winless start away from home against champions Manchester City while Ipswich also have a tough away day at Brentford and Crystal Palace host Tottenham in a London derby while for the final team in that quartet. Wolves.

Ahead of the game manager Gary O’Neill. Has backed his side to turn around their poor form and avoid relegation to the Championship, but Wolves have lost their last six matches in all competitions – including an EFL Cup defeat at the Amex Stadium – leaving them bottom of the table.

However, O’Neil’s troops can take a lot of heart from their performance against City last weekend when they were seconds away from claiming an unlikely point before John Stones’ controversial late winner.

Wolves scored early in that game through Jorgen Strand-Larsen, but for the third time this season having grabbed the first goal they went on to lose, which is a worrying trend that O’Neill, although it is worth noting they have already come up against five of the current top six.

Brighton continue to punch above their weight and have lost just one of their eight Premier League games under rookie Premier League manager, Fabian Hurzeler to leave themselves just two points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa.

They have. Injury concerns coming into this one with the in-form Danny Welbeck battling to be fit after being hospitalised after scoring the only goal at Newcastle last weekend. If Welbeck doesn’t make it then the home side looked light up top with Joao Pedro already sidelined and they already dropped points at home to Nottingham Forest and Ipswich this season against teams they would expect to beat.

I have been impressed with Strand-Larsen so 17/2 for him to score the first goal with starsports.bet looks too big. I also think Wolves at 4/1 with starsports.bet to pick up a much-needed victory is worth a small play.


🦊  LEICESTER v NOTTINGHAM FOREST 🌳
Friday, 8pm

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The weekend kicks-off with an East Midlands derby on Friday night and one with an added spice given the presence of former Forest boss Steve Cooper in the Leicester dugout.

Forest have been the surprise package of the season so far and are in the giddy heights of eight place in the table following Monday’s 1-0 win at home to Crystal Palace.

After a difficult start to his tenure, Cooper has silenced some of his doubters among the Foxes faithful by masterminding back-to-back wins at home to Nottingham Forest and away at Southampton, where they came back from 2-0 down to triumph 3-2.

The home side have also scored in every Premier League game this season, but have found hard sheets hard to come by so both teams to score looks an obvious starting point for punters.

Chris Wood scored his fifth scored already this season to see off Palace, joining an elite list of players to net 20 Premier League goals in Forest colours and will be out to continue his purple patch against his old employers.

The visitors can also make it seven away games unbeaten if they avoid defeat and a draw would potentially suit both Cooper and his Forest successor Nuno Espirito Santo.

A build-a-bet of a draw, both teams to score and Chris Wood to score at any time returns 10.5/1 with starsports.bet.

Given I am expecting goals I also like the look of a correct score of 2-2 at 14/1 with starsports.bet.


RECOMMENDED BETS
Build-a-bet: Draw, both teams to score and Chris Wood to score at any time 1pt at 10.5/1 with starsports.bet
BACK Leicester 2 Nottingham Forest 2 0.5pts at 14/1 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Jorgen Strand-Larsen to score the first goal 0.5pts at 17/2 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Wolves to win 0.5pts at 4/1 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
Build-a-bet: Arsenal Liverpool draw and under 2.5 goals 1pt at 3.19/1 with starsports.bet


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