Good day everyone,
I hope you are all well and having a great weekend, welcome to CryptoGod-1's blog on all things sports. Today we will be looking at the upcoming games in the Premier League for the first round of matches this season. After Liverpool beat Man City in the Community Shield, all the busy transfer action, and every team hoping for a bright start, it should be a wonderful opening weekend of football.
Fixtures - Times are shown as U.K. Time
This weekends round of fixtures will see all games kicking off on Friday evening and finishing on Sunday evening.
Friday 5th August 2022
Crystal Palace - Arsenal 8pm KO (Kick Off)
Saturday 6th August 2022
Fulham - Liverpool 12.30pm KO
Bournemouth - Aston Villa 3pm KO
Leeds - Wolves 3pm KO
Newcastle - Nottingham Forest 3pm KO
Tottenham - Southampton 3pm KO
Everton - Chelsea 5.30pm KO
Sunday 7th August 2022
Leicester - Brentford 2pm KO
Manchester United - Brighton 2pm KO
West Ham - Manchester City 4.30pm KO
Predictions
Now for the most exciting part, as I go through the latest info regarding each team to make an attempt at predicting the results for this weekends matches. Remember this is just my fun analysis and should not be taken as advice or a guarantee.
Crystal Palace - Arsenal
The last time these two sides met Vieira witnessed his side demolishing Arsenal and winning by 3-0. It cemented a four points from a possible side against his former side, and the Frenchman will hope for more of the same at Selhurst Park on Friday night. Finishing 12th in the table along with an FA Cup Semi Final marked a very impressive first season in charge, but the Eagles start this season without the prolific Gallagher after he returned to Chelsea. They managed to go unbeaten in their last six home games last season, while keeping a clean sheet in each of their last five at Selhurst Park. Arteta will want his side to start strong this season after the disappointment of loosing out on top four to Spurs at the end of last season. They have looked strong in pre season, with Jesus brought in to lead the line along with Zinchenko from City and Vieira from Porto. This season will be make or break for the Gunners boss after another window of heavy backing from the owners in the transfer market. Palace will be without the injured Johnstone and Butland, meaning Guaita should be starting in goal. McArthur and Olise are also expected to be missing. As for Arsenal, they look set to be travelling without Smith-Rowe, Vieira, Tierney, and Tomiyasu. Saliba will be expected to make his debut at the heart of their defence, while Odegaard will play his first competitive match for Arsenal as their new official captain. Arsenal will hope for a strong start compared to last season where they lost their opener to Brentford. Palace are missing their key stars from last seasons 3-0 win in Gallagher and Tavares. Due to this, I expect Arsenal to have just enough about them to secure the away win with a 1-3 victory.
Fulham - Liverpool
The Reds travel to Fulham for the early game on Saturday as they once again open the campaign against a newly promoted side in Fulham. The London side will be aiming to cement their place in the top flight this season and loose the yo-yo club tag, after they ran away with the league in the Championship last season. This will be an altogether different challenge, with Mitrovic needing to hit the ground running if they are to have a strong season. Good signings in Leno and Palhinha could prove key, as youngster Carvalho has been whisked up by Liverpool. Klopp will want to see his side go one better than last season when they finished second, and will be looking for Darwin Nunez to continue his form from the Community Shield after replacing Mané in the squad. Salah has signed his new deal and the Reds will look to continue where they finished the second half of last season, playing as one of the most in form teams around. Fulham will be missing ex-Red Wilson for this tie, along with Chalobah and Bryan. As for Liverpool, they will travel without the injured Jota, Kelliher, Jones, Tsimikas, and Chamberlain. Konate is also a doubt after picking up a knock in pre season. Alisson will be back in goal and it will be a toss up between Nunez or Firmino up front, while youngster Carvalho will hope for a chance to shine against his old side. While Fulham have made some strong additions to their side, there can only be one winner here. Salah will be aching to open his league account for the season along with Nunez, and Diaz would love a strong start to the season. Expect plenty of goals as Liverpool welcome Fulham back to the top flight and win this game by 0-4.
Bournemouth - Aston Villa
Bournemouth are back in the top flight after spending two seasons in the Championship, and will welcome Steven Gerrard's side for their opening game at the Vitality Stadium. The Cherries finished second in the Championship last season, while Villa managed a mid table finish. A lack of summer signings so far has seen Bournemouth tipped for a relegation battle, as Scott Parker will be relying on the likes of Solanke to find his Premier League feet quickly. Villa meanwhile have ambitions of reaching Europe this season, with Diego Carlos, Boubacar Kamara, and the permanent signing of Coutinho deemed enough to push the forward. McGinn has also replaced Mings as the clubs captain, aiming to better the 14th place achieved last year. Parker will be without free signings Stacey and Smith for this opening contest, while Brooks is also out. Gerrard will without Hause but should have a full squad besides that to select from. The Cherries were strong at home last season, but the higher level of competition this year will certainly test their resolve. Villa have a squad worthy of the top half and will have real hopes of a strong start to set a benchmark towards European qualification. Due to this, I can only see one winner, and that will be Villa winning away from home by an overall score of 1-2.
Leeds - Wolves
The Elland Road faithful will be hoping for less of a dramatic end to this season, as the club narrowly avoided the drop at the expense of Burnley. Wolves meanwhile were strong contenders for Europe for much of last season, but had a deflating end to the campaign with a poor run of results. Marsch has divided opinions so far, and having lost Raphina and Philips over the summer, he has invested in building a squad which he desires. The incomings have included Americans Aaronson and Adams, while they have been joined by Kristensen, Roca, Gaybi, and Sinisterra. Wolves meanwhile have brought in Collins and secured Hwang on a long term deal. Neves has been linked with a move away but the club will hope to keep hold of him. James will be serving the final game of his suspension, while Cooper, Ayling, Sinisterra, and Firpo are all expected back by the end of the month for Leeds. Lage will see his side arrive at Elland Road without Chiquinho, Jiminez, Semedo, Toti, and most likely Traore whose future is up in the air. With Wolves playing without a recognised centre forward, I can only see one winner in this game and that should be the home side. They will secure a comfortable victory with a 2-0 result.
Newcastle - Nottingham Forest
What a turnaround Eddie Howe had at Newcastle last season, as he took over as manager with them at the bottom of the table before guiding the Magpies to six wins in their final eight games and an eleventh placed finish. With the likes of Pope, Botman, and Targett already signed, Howe will be hoping to add another couple of new faces to his side before the window closes. They will be aiming for a European place this season and the right players, especially in the middle and upfront, could see them seriously challenge for it. Forest meanwhile make a return to the Premier League for the first time since 1999, after beating Huddersfield in the Championship playoff final last May. They have spent big, adding up to eleven first teamers into their squad for the season ahead, including Awoniyi, Williams, Henderson, and Lingard. Howe will be without Shelvey and Manquillo, while Nottingham Forest will be heading into the fixture without Richards and possibly Surridge and Yates. With both sides hoping for a strong start, it will be interesting to see how Forest cope with so many new players in their first team. Similarly, Newcastle will be hoping to keep Saint-Maximin and Wilson fit and firing for the season ahead, while integrating their new players into the team. Its difficult to rule new boys Forest out with the quality of their signings, but with Newcastle having home advantage and a team full of confidence under Howe, I will back them for a 2-0 home win.
Tottenham - Southampton
Conte will be looking to make the perfect start to the season ahead after guiding his side into the top four last season. They face a Southampton side who only managed a 15th place finish and just five points above the relegation zone last year. Spurs managed to win four of their final five games last season to ensure they made it back into the Champions League, and Conte has added to his side since then. The big signings of Richarlison, Bissouma, and Perisic are signs of Spurs ambition, while Spence and Forster have also been added with Lenglet coming in on loan from Barcelona. Hasenhuttl's side will visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium having won only 9 of their 38 league games last season. They have managed to add Bazunu, Mara, Lavia, Aribo, Lis, and Bella-Kotchap to their ranks. With a tough opening five fixtures, the Saints will be hoping for a strong start to avoid the relegation fears they battled last season. Richarlison will be missing for Spurs due to a suspension, while Skipp is out injured. Bissouma is also a doubt for this one. Hasenhuttl confirmed Walcott and Tella will be missing for this game along with Livramento. A very difficult start to the season for Southampton which is unlikely to go well. I can only see one winner, and thats the home side. Conte will demand a lot of his players and I expect them to win this game with a 3-1 result.
Everton - Chelsea
A difficult start to the season for Lampard, as his side welcomes his former club for their season opener. The Toffees managed to avoid relegation last season, finishing 16th, but have lost talisman Richarlison to Spurs since then. They still hold their record of being one of the six clubs never relegated from the Premier League, but will need vast improvements this season to continue in the league. Tarkowski, Vinagre, and McNeil are decent signings so far, but Lampard will hope for more additions to push his squad further up the table and not be dragged into a relegation battle again. Chelsea managed to finish third under Tuchel last season after their strong start, and over the summer new owner Boehly has been busy opening his chequebook. Sterling, Koulibaly, Chukwuemeka, and Slonina have been brought into the team, with more additions expected to follow. Rudiger and Christansen have left for Spain on free transfers, but Tuchel will have faith his new players can adapt to his style and give them a strong opening to the campaign. Calvert-Lewin is a major blow for Everton, as Lampard revealed he is expected to be out for around six weeks. Rondon is suspended, while Coleman, Davies, Gomes, and Townsend are all out injured. Azpilicueta and Werner are the only major concerns for Tuchels side. While it is still early days and Chelsea are not quite fully up to speed, Everton are not much better, especially upfront. This will be a very closely contested encounter and I expect it will finish as a draw with Lampard getting the most from his players against his former side, ending with a score of 1-1.
Leicester - Brentford
The big news from the King Power Stadium has been the departure of long serving goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to French club Nice. Rodgers allowed him to depart with the clubs blessing, but it will be a blow to the Foxes, who have yet to make any signings in this window. Brentford have lost star man Erkisen to Man United after his deal expired over the summer, but have brought in Lewis-Potter, Hickey, Mee, and Strakosha to strengthen their side. The expectations will be high after their 13th placed finish last year, but Frank will be weary of any second season syndrome kicking in. Rodgers meanwhile has to deal with speculation over the futures of stars Maddison, Tielemans, and Fofana, who are being linked with moves away from the club. They need to sell before they can buy so don't be surprised to see late movement of sales and incomings at the club towards the end of the window. Leicester will be without Pereira and Barnes for this one, while Brentford will be missing Ajer and Pinnock, while Canos is also a doubt. With so much doubt at the King Power, this will give the Bees a chance to capatilise on any nerves or doubts at the club. The Foxes will be at the very least hoping their defensive issues from last season are over, and with the sheer quality of their attacking players I will back the Foxes to win this game 1-0.
Manchester United - Brighton
New manager Erik Ten Hag has certainly drawn lots of attention since his arrival, lifting the atmosphere of the club and fans, but seeing little in terms of big recruitment compared to what was anticipated. They welcome the Seagulls who soared last season, finishing 9th in the league under Potter. Ten Hag will be looking to make his mark from the off, ensuring his new squad adapts to his style of play. After finishing 6th last season, the minimum fans will be hoping for is a push at top four. They have managed to bring in Martinez, Malacia, and Eriksen so far, with De Jong their big summer target. Pogba is gone, along with Mata and Matic while many others are expected to leave the club before the end of the window. Potter wont make it easy for the home side, with his team always energised and having run out 4-0 winners the last time these sides met. Brighton will hope to push on to secure another record high finish in the league, and maybe even dream of qualifying for Europe. They have lost Cucurella to Chelsea and Bissouma to Spurs, but have managed to bring in Enciso and Adingra so far, and we should expect some more arrivals before the window shuts. Martial is out of this encounter for United, meaning Ronaldo might start up front as long as his issues with Ten Hag are resolved. Williams is also expected to miss out, while Sancho and Shaw are minor doubts. The Seagulls will be missing Moder but should have a full squad besides that. While things look dramatic still at Old Trafford, Ten Hag will be confident heading into his first game in charge. His team is beginning to take shape and they face a side who have lost two of thier best players over the summer. Therefore, I am backing United to get the win at home to start of strong for the new season, and the game to finish 2-0.
West Ham - Manchester City
Another tough trip to the London Stadium for last seasons champions as Man City take on West Ham. The Hammers will be determined to push on for more European success and qualification this season after the highs of their run to the Europa League Semi Final. Moyes oversaw a 2-2 draw last time these sides met, and very nearly ruined Pep's title charge. Areola, Aguerd, Downes, and Scamacca have all been brought into the club to help their push and challenge on the top four. Broja is also being linked from Chelsea so expect more business before the end of the window. As for City, they will want to kick on after loosing to Liverpool in the Community Shield last weekend. Haaland, Alverez, and Phillips have been the big signings so far, but the squad lacks depth at left back and expect Pep to address this over the coming weeks. Sterling and Jesus are gone, while Silva is being linked with Barca. It is certainly a new look to the City attack, with much hopes resting on Haaland. Moyes may have to start without his two new big signings, as Aguerd is injured and Scamacca is not quite full match fit as of yet. Ogbonna is also making his way back to full fitness after his injury last season. For City, Laporte is expected to be out until September. Without the Spaniard City do not look the same at the back, and he will be a big miss. I suspect West Ham will go for it here, hoping to use their home fans as a push on against the Champions. With this and the fact Haaland and Alvarez will be playing their first league games for the club after less than impressive game against Liverpool, I am backing West Ham to cause an upset and manage a 2-1 home win for the opening game of the season.
Check out my 2022/23 Season Preview and Predictions here: Premier League 2022/23 Prediction
Have a great day, I hope you enjoyed the preview of the matches and get to see the opening round of league games.
Peace. CryptoGod-1.
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