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EPL betting: What's in store for Week 2 after an unpredictable opening weekend?

It was a wild and unpredictable first weekend of the English Premier League.

Sure, teams like Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea had relatively straightforward Week 1 EPL wins over their underdog opponents on the first weekend of the season. But Manchester United lost at home to Brighton & Hove, newly promoted Bournemouth scored a win over Aston Villa, Leeds beat Wolves and Liverpool only managed a tie against Fulham.

We have a feeling the second weekend could also have a few surprises, though one of them likely isn’t going to happen at the Etihad. Bournemouth has to follow up that win with a trip to City and enters the game as a 40-1 underdog to win straight up. Yes, Bournemouth is +4000 just to get a victory. Are you brave enough to bet that? We aren’t.

Here’s what we like heading into the second match weekend. We hope to do a lot better than we did in Week 1. All odds are via BetMGM.

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 06: Harry Kane of EPL's Tottenham Hotspur applauds the home fans after the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 6, 2022 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Harry Kane and Tottenham had the biggest win of EPL Week 1. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images) (Visionhaus via Getty Images)

Aston Villa vs. Everton (over/under 2.5 goals)

  • Villa (-120)

  • Everton (+350)

  • Tie (+250)

Both teams lost to start the season and Everton is dealing with some significant injuries. The team’s injury issues are so bad along the back line that it recently signed Wolves’ Conor Coady on loan and he may have to feature on Saturday. We’ll go with Aston Villa.

Arsenal vs. Leicester City (2.5)

  • Arsenal (-225)

  • Leicester (+550)

  • Tie (+360)

Leicester tied Brentford at home in Week 1 while Arsenal got a win over Crystal Palace. Arsenal looked strong in that win and we’ll take them to get six points in two games.

Brighton & Hove vs. Newcastle (2.5)

  • Brighton (+135)

  • Newcastle (+210)

  • Tie (+225)

Newcastle knocked off Nottingham Forest to start the season. A tie here feels like the right move, though Brighton could get another win.

Wolves vs. Fulham (2.5)

  • Wolves (+125)

  • Fulham (+220)

  • Tie (+225)

Another tie for Fulham? It wouldn’t stun us to see Wolves eke out a 1-0 win, but we’ve got a feeling Fulham will get a goal or two.

Manchester City vs. Bournemouth (+3.5)

  • Man City (-1200)

  • Bournemouth (+4000)

  • Tie (+1100)

We can’t convince ourselves to bet anything other than a City win.

Southampton vs. Leeds (2.5)

  • Southampton (+125)

  • Leeds (+210)

  • Tie (+240)

Leeds beat Wolves to open the season and get a crucial three points. Southampton was demolished by Tottenham after taking an early 1-0 lead. This game also looks very likely for a tie, but we’ll go with Southampton to win at home.

Brentford vs. Manchester United (2.5)

  • Brentford (+270)

  • Man U (+100)

  • Tie (+250)

We should have stuck with the lesson we learned late last season and not bet on any Manchester United outcome in Week 1. We’ll go with the under in Week 2.

Nottingham Forest vs. West Ham (2.5) [Sunday]

  • Nottingham Forest (+310)

  • West Ham (-115)

  • Tie (+260)

Forest has made the most acquisitions of any team ahead of the season. Does that mean it’ll take some time for the team to gel? We’ll go with West Ham to bounce back after the City loss.

Chelsea vs. Tottenham (2.5) [Sunday]

  • Chelsea (+125)

  • Tottenham (+210)

  • Tie (+240)

This is by far the marquee game of the weekend. Tottenham is the favorite to finish third in the table behind City and Liverpool while Chelsea is the No. 4 favorite. We’ll go with the tie here as we have no lean either way.

Liverpool vs. Crystal Palace (3.5) [Monday]

  • Liverpool (-500)

  • Palace (+1350)

  • Tie (+575)

The Monday nightcap looks lopsided on paper. It’ll be rough for Palace if it loses twice in its first two games, but the squad also has the toughest first two weeks of any team in the league.