It’s back!
Yes the new season gets into gear tomorrow as the Premier League kicks off at 12.15 with Louis Van Gaal’s first match in charge against Swansea getting things underway on BT Sport and with a full card across the UK and most of Europe, tomorrow marks the first day of the season and for Bobreaksthebookies our first full season with the blog up and running. As mentioned in my previous post, we will be starting with a 1000 euro bankroll and bets will be recommended in a points based system. For more info, please check my last post. It was a tremendous World Cup with for BBTB ending up in decent profit having backed the Germans at 15/2 and I also landed a fine top goalscorer team treble at 38/1 odds but now the real action returns and with a new season comes new risks and rewards. Form is obsolete in the first weeks so all of our picks have to be based on other factors such as injuries, historical match ups and general gut instinct. Historically I have performed very well in the opening weekend of the EPL (perhaps with some luck involved) and this weekend gives us a chance to get things going in the right direction with some entertaining ties ahead. I will be doing low stakes for these opening weeks as I wait for the form to develop and this is important to note at this early stage of the season when everything is that little bit more unpredictable and risks are not worth taking. While the UK football is now back in full swing, the Bundesliga and La Liga are still a week behind so this weekend’s focus will be purely on our UK card although the Dutch league is back and always provides plenty of goals and I may sneak a peek at what is on offer but for the EPL I will always post a preview of every game with my top tips included. Please bear in mind that while I will do a preview for the EPL action, with my tips and suggestions, I will also post a separate piece which will detail my bets and staking plans. Don’t worry, all will become clear! EPL PREVIEW Part 1 Manchester United v Swansea – 12.15pm 3 points should be the reward for Louis Van Gaal in his first match of the season as a new look United (new shape at least) get things going against Gary Monk’s Swansea who have a lot to prove this year after a poor end to last season saw them dragged into a relegation dog fight as the beautiful Michael Laudrup paid for his rather horizontal approach to the job and found himself kicked out for failing to motivate a side that seemed to be on a downward spiral. Does the inexperienced Monk have the tools to turn the club around? Time will tell but Saturday looks sure to bring about defeat as a confident United side should have enough to secure 3 points and bring about the beginning of a new era at Old Trafford Although United will be without new signing Luke Shaw at left wing back, and while the thought of Ashley Young at wingback is a perplexing one, Louis seems to know what he is doing and I fully expect a comfortable home victory based purely on the fact that David Moyes will not be sitting in the dugout. Sorry Dave. Predictions Man Utd -1 to beat Swansea – 20/21 Leicester v Everton – 3pm New boys Leicester get things under way against Everton in what should be an entertaining event at the King Power stadium with Bobby Martinez’s Everton looking to continue their fine form of last season against a side that romped the Championship with over 100 points last year. Everton have added on loan star Romelu Lukaku on a permanent transfer from Chelsea for a staggering £28 million pounds (seriously, Everton spending 28 million!, the world has gone nuts) while also making a permanent move for Gareth Barry while Bosnian Muhamed Besic should add further steal to their midfield. Under Martinez, Everton were very strong last season and if they can add a little further quality to their attacking options then an assault on the top 4 is not beyond the realms of possibility but with Europa League football to come, further investment is required. Leicester have retained the majority of the same squad that so handsomely reached the EPL and with only a few additions, manager Nigel Pearson appears to be placing his belief in the existing team. A refreshing approach and perhaps sensible too. I expect Leicester to be decent and they have a good chance of avoiding the drop. As for Saturday? BTTS is my play as I think Everton will do enough to get at least a point but I am not certain they will get the win against last season’s Championship winners. Predictions Leicester v Everton - BTTS – 4/6 QPR V HULL Another new boy as QPR return to the EPL after a hard fought and at times lacklustre campaign in the championship which saw them gain promotion with a fortuitous victory over Derby in the playoff final at Wembley in May. Glenn Hoddle has been added to the coaching staff while new signings Rio Ferdinand and Steven Caulker should give them some much needed protection at the back and if they maintain the services of Loic Remy then relegation would seem unlikely although that is a big if. Hull meanwhile have added Robert Snodgrass from Norwich while Jake Livermore has made his loan deal a permanent one and with 12 million coming in from the sale of Shane Long, Hull should be able to invest further to strengthen a squad that could be hampered by a Europa League campaign. I expect a close affair on Saturday and a share of the spoils seems likely Predictions Qpr v Hull – draw 23/10 Stoke v Aston Villa – 3pm Stoke under Mark Hughes certainly improved their style last season and with new signing Bojan Krkic added to their attacking options, it could be another decent season for Sparky. Krkic has looked sharp in pre season (sharp enough for me to put him in my fantasy team) and I expect the home side to be particularly strong at their own ground this season where they only lost 3 times last season. Villa meanwhile have added Roy Keane to their coaching staff which seems an interesting if somewhat slightly strange appointment while the additions of Joe Cole, Kieran Richardson and Philippe Senderos hardly inspire confidence in a team bereft of real quality in key areas. It could be a big struggle for Villa this season and I expect them to come unstuck against a decent Stoke side that should be good enough to win quite comfortably tomorrow. Predictions Stoke to beat Aston Villa 10/11 Bojan Krkic to score anytime 2/1 Comments are closed.
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