Opta’s supercomputer has delivered its match predictions for this weekend’s Premier League second round and believes Brighton have a better chance of beating Manchester United at the Amex Stadium this Saturday lunchtime.
The 2024-25 Premier League season got off to a flying start last weekend, with plenty of talking points emerging from an excellent first round of fixtures.
VAR has once again been a topic of debate, with Everton fans lamenting the system following their 3-0 defeat to Brighton at Goodison Park after the video assistant referee system disallowed a penalty opportunity. Eberechi Eze also had a free-kick disallowed during Crystal Palace’s 2-1 defeat to Brentford.
Defending champions Manchester City picked up where they left off last season and claimed a 2-0 win over Chelsea at the Etihad, with questions still being raised over the size of Enzo Maresca’s squad and his transfer dealings this summer.
Arsenal are back in the hunt for a first Premier League title since 2004, with Mikel Arteta’s side beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0, while a revamped Liverpool side under Arne Slot made a solid start to the season, beating newcomers Ipswich. One of the most interesting results of the weekend came on Monday night, when Leicester drew 1-1 with Tottenham at the King Power Stadium, with Jamie Vardy announcing his Premier League return with a goal.
Manchester City look to continue their strong start to the season with a win over Ipswich
Meanwhile, Opta backs Manchester United as the team most likely to lose their game against Brighton at the AMEX Stadium this weekend.
But there will be plenty more action this weekend as Manchester United face the difficult task of beating Fabian Huzeler’s Brighton at the Amex Stadium, fresh from a fine win over Everton at Goodison Park.
Erik ten Hag’s side made a strong start to the season but took too long to seal victory against Fulham on Friday night at Old Trafford, with Joshua Zirkzee scoring in the 87th minute.
And stats experts Opta believe Brighton are more likely to claim three points on Saturday, giving the Seagulls a 39.4 per cent chance of winning at home, while the stats agency has given the Red Devils a 36 per cent chance of sealing victory.
Despite winning the FA Cup last season, Ten Hag’s side endured a dismal league campaign and finished eighth in the table – United’s worst ever Premier League finish. The Dutchman will no doubt be keen to get his side off to a strong start in the 2024-25 season as his side look to push for a top-four place.
Opta’s supercomputer has delivered its predictions for the next round of Premier League matches
Arsenal are looking to win the league title once again and will face Aston Villa at Villa Park
Southampton are expected to claim their first win of the Premier League season
Meanwhile, newly promoted Southampton are backed to claim their first win of the season, having been beaten 1-0 in a heated encounter against Newcastle at St James’ Park last weekend.
The Saints face Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest at St Mary’s this weekend but Opta believe Russell Martin’s side have a 39.3 per cent chance of winning, compared to Forest’s 34.4 per cent chance.
Aston Villa take on Arsenal in a thrilling game at Villa Park, which sees Unai Emery once again face his former club. Following Arsenal’s win against Wolves last weekend, they go into the clash with a 51.1 per cent chance of winning, according to Opta, who have given Villa a 24.7 per cent chance of winning.
Elsewhere, two clubs who suffered defeats in the weekend’s opening game, Chelsea and Wolves, will meet at Molineux. It has been a turbulent week for the Blues, who, despite signing Pedro Neto and Joao Felix in the last week, have been criticised for their business model and bloated squad.
However, Opta are backing Enzo Maresca to claim his first win as Chelsea manager, claiming they have a 52.6 per cent better chance of beating Gary O’Neil’s side. By contrast, Wolves have a 24.0 per cent chance of winning, while a draw is 23.4 per cent.
Tottenham drew 1-1 with Premier League newcomers Leicester City on Monday.
Sean Dyche hopes Everton can surprise everyone and beat Tottenham on Saturday afternoon.
Tottenham host Everton in north London hoping to make amends for allowing Leicester to equalise in the second half on Monday night.
Ange Postecoglou’s side have a 61.8 per cent chance of winning according to Opta, while Sean Dyche’s side have just an 18.4 per cent chance of sealing their first away win of the season.
Postecoglou looked defeated on the touchline after Spurs succumbed to a draw against Leicester, with the manager admitting his side “lacked sharpness and composure”.
“It’s a disappointing result. We were very dominant in the first half, but we wasted a lot of time in front of goal. We started the second half in a similar way,” he said after the match.
He added: “I’m really disappointed because we lacked a bit of precision in the front third and made some bad decisions. We lacked a bit of composure and didn’t get the reward our football deserved.”
Ipswich have a 7.3 per cent chance of beating Pep Guardiola’s side, while City have an 81.6 per cent chance of sealing a home win.
Champions Manchester City have secured the biggest margin of victory this weekend as they look to continue their start to the 2024-25 season with a win against Ipswich.
The Tractor Boys have a 7.3 per cent chance of beating Pep Guardiola’s side, according to Opta, who, by contrast, have given City an 81.6 per cent chance of winning.