Man City crowns the first weekend with a visit to West Ham

The first week of the Premier League season is upon us.

The EPL season officially begins on Friday when Arsenal travel to Crystal Palace. There’s a whole series of games on Saturday and then three games on Sunday to round out the weekend. The final game of the weekend is Manchester City’s visit to West Ham. City are the defending league champions and are coming in as better than even money favorites to win the 2022-23 league.

The EPL normally starts its season in mid-August, but November’s World Cup in Qatar forces this season to start a week earlier than normal. This is great news for us American soccer junkies who love to watch games on weekend mornings.

It’s also important to keep in mind this weekend that many teams won’t field the rosters they will have for most of the year. The summer transfer window is still open until the end of the month, and teams will look to add – or cut – to their rosters over the next few weeks. Teams with new players may also pull them off the bench or not play them at all this weekend due to lack of training.

Here are the lines at BetMGM for the first week of EPL games.

Crystal Palace vs Arsenal (over/under 2.5 goals) [Friday]

• Palace (+333)

• Armory (-120)

• tie (+260)

Arsenal played in the first game of the season a year ago and lost away to Brentford. Will the same happen at Crystal Palace? We’re not sure if Arsenal will lose, but we’re also not sure if we would bet on Arsenal to win. Something tells us Palace will get at least a point.

Fulham v Liverpool (2.5)

• Fulham (+850)

• Liverpool (-300)

• Tie (+450)

Fulham get an instant hilarious draw in their first EPL game after a year in the Championship. Liverpool should win this one.

Tottenham v Southampton (2.5)

• Tottenham (-275)

• Southampton (+700)

• Tie (+400)

Tottenham are the No. 3 favorites for the league title and should start the season with a win.

The story goes on

Bournemouth vs Aston Villa (2.5)

• Bournemouth (+275)

• Villa (+100)

• tie (+240)

Bournemouth have an easier time starting their Premier League campaign than Fulham, but we’re still backing Aston Villa with equal money here.

Newcastle vs Nottingham Forest (2.5)

• Newcastle (-155)

• forest (+450)

• Tie (+280)

Newcastle were seventh favorites to win the league thanks to a cash inflow from the Saudi Arabian government. Lots of people will be cheering for a win at Nottingham Forest on Saturday. We bet the hell on a tie.

Leeds vs Wolves (2.5)

• Leeds (+130)

• Wolves (+195)

• tie (+230)

If we were to bet on a 0-0 game this week, it would be this. We’re not sure how Leeds will fare without Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha, while Wolves games in 2021-22 averaged little more than two goals a game.

Everton v Chelsea (2.5)

• Everton (+400)

• Chelsea (-160)

• tie (+275)

Chelsea should have enough firepower to get past Everton on the road. It’s a fun season opener for former Chelsea legend and current Everton manager Frank Lampard.

Manchester United v Brighton & Hove Albion (2.5) [Sunday]

• Male U (-175)

• Brighton (+500)

• Tie (+300)

Is Ronaldo in the starting XI for United? While United need Ronaldo’s goals, one can also argue that the team would be better off without him. The odds here reflect United’s popularity and we are reluctant to choose the Red Devils.

Leicester City v Brentford (2.5) [Sunday]

• Leicester (+100)

• Brentford (+260)

• tie (+260)

Who plays for Leicester on Sunday? Defender Wesley Fofana and midfielder Youri Tielemans are the subject of transfer rumours. We’re taking the foxes home, but we won’t be surprised by any of the three possible outcomes.

West Ham vs Manchester City (2.5) [Sunday]

• West Ham (+750)

• Manchester City (-275)

• Tie (+400)

West Ham could play the kind of football to frustrate City on Sunday when the defending champions work on the squad at Erling Haaland. But it’s hard to bet against City and its depth. It may be ugly, but City should win.