Liverpool-Aston Villa also could be an exciting clash
The Premier League enters Week 4, and multiple sides hope to enter the upcoming international break with positive momentum.
The summer transfer window closed Thursday, and Liverpool reached an agreement with Bayern Munich to sign midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, according to ESPN’s Mark Ogden. The reported signing brings much-needed depth at midfield. Other sides also made moves to bolster their depth as the first three weeks of the season brought interesting wrinkles.
The exception is Manchester City, which looks dominant as expected. West Ham United’s impressive start could continue if its upcoming arrivals are seamless fits to the side. Everton did not score a goal in its first three Premier League matches and likely is glad to play fellow relegation candidate Sheffield United at Bramall Lane this week.
Manchester United and Chelsea struggled out of the gate, and the former is dealing with key injuries early on. It also doesn’t have the financial flexibility to add players in, so manager Erik ten Hag will need to be creative, especially in the match of the week against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium.
But before we get to that match, let’s dive into the other matchups to pay close attention to. Odd courtesy of FanDuel
Brighton three-way moneyline, over 2.5 goals and both teams to score +279
We’ll start with the first of two same-game parlay picks this week. Parlays can be dicey, but after Brighton & Hove Albion dropped the ball to West Ham United last week at The American Express Community Stadium, we’ll going to get aggressive on the Seagulls against Newcastle United. The Magpies have the talent and the financial backing of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to be a top-four side, but that hasn’t manifested so far this season. Roberto De Zerbi should get his side prepared against Newcastle, and it would be a shock for Brighton to drop two matches in a row at home, especially as a side that has produced 7.7 expected goals this season.
Liverpool-Aston Villa tie and both teams to score +361
A much simpler parlay for this fixture at Anfield. Liverpool will be without Virgil van Dijk after he received a red card last week against Newcastle, and Aston Villa has dealt with its fair share of injuries to start the season. That’s a recipe for a tight contest, and similar to how Darwin Núñez saved Liverpool last week with two late goals, there could be a back-breaking goal in the final 10 minutes that could salvage a point for one of these sides.
Arsenal-Manchester United over 3.5 goals +134
This is a tough fixture to figure out. Arsenal earned a point in a 2-2 draw against Fulham, which has given up the most expected goals with 9.5. Arsenal only has scored four goals off six expected goals, which suggests finishing isn’t there for Mikel Arteta’s side. Andre Onana hasn’t been as smooth in net as Manchester United supporters hoped, and injuries to Raphaël Varane and Luke Shaw won’t help the backline. Anthony Martial has not been an effective center forward as new signing Rasmus Højlund remains out with a back injury. Neutral supporters should expect a good number of goals in this match, but as for the result, it could go down to set-piece execution and tactical decisions from the managers.
Last week: 1-2
Record: 4-7-1