Premier League predictions: Gameweek 1
Hello, how are you doing? We’re back and ready to do it all over again.
The 2023/24 Premier League season kicks off on Friday night, and boy do we need some actual football to escape the madness of the summer transfer window.
Let’s get into it. Here are 90min’s predictions for gameweek 1.
Premier League predictions: Week 1
The top-flight returns on Friday as Championship winners Burnley welcome EPL holders Manchester City to Turf Moor – a trip previously likened to the dentist by Pep Guardiola.
This Burnley side is much different to the one relegated just over a year ago, however, with Vincent Kompany getting the Clarets to keep the ball on the floor a tad more. They were hammered 6-0 by City in the FA Cup last season, but that was at the Etihad Stadium. You should expect a much different game over in neighbouring Lancashire.
On Saturday, we start the day with Arsenal hosting Nottingham Forest in the lunchtime kick-off. The Gunners fell agonisingly short to Man City last season and have spent north of £200m in the summer transfer market to bridge that gap.
After bringing in approximately 86 players last summer, Forest have settled for just the four senior incomings so far, with continuity expected to be a bit more of a strength in their battle against relegation this time around.
The opening weekend sees four traditional 3pm kick-offs. First up we have a new-look Bournemouth taking on ‘European champions’ West Ham United.
The Cherries head into the season off the back of a summer refresh, bringing in highly-rated manager Andoni Iraola and injecting a talented squad with more young blood. The Hammers, meanwhile, are stuck in purgatory due to a stop-start transfer window, though David Moyes will have at least one new body to call upon in Edson Alvarez.
Further east on the south coast, Brighton & Hove Albion are Luton Town‘s first Premier League opponent. The Hatters have been given little-to-no chance of surviving their debut season, while the Seagulls can look forward to playing in Europe later this term.
Like Luton, fellow promoted side Sheffield United will face a real battle to beat the drop. They take on Crystal Palace at Bramall Lane to begin their Premier League return. After just about staving off relegation in the last two seasons, Everton will be hoping for more of a settled campaign this time around. They begin the term at home to Fulham.
Saturday’s late kick-off pits two of last season’s surprise packages against each other, with Newcastle United facing Aston Villa up at St James’ Park. These two will be gracing Europe again this year after earning qualification to the Champions League and Conference League respectively, and you’d be brave to think there’ll be too much between them in this first meeting.
| Date | Time (BST) | Fixture | Prediction |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/08/23 | 20:00 | Burnley vs Man City | 2-2 |
| 12/08/23 | 12:30 | Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest | 3-1 |
| 12/08/23 | 15:00 | Bournemouth vs West Ham | 2-0 |
| 12/08/23 | 15:00 | Brighton vs Luton | 3-0 |
| 12/08/23 | 15:00 | Everton vs Fulham | 0-0 |
| 12/08/23 | 15:00 | Sheffield United vs Crystal Palace | 0-1 |
| 12/08/23 | 17:30 | Newcastle vs Aston Villa | 1-1 |
| 13/08/23 | 14:00 | Brentford vs Tottenham | 3-1 |
| 13/08/23 | 16:30 | Chelsea vs Liverpool | 1-1 |
| 14/08/23 | 20:00 | Man Utd vs Wolves | 2-0 |
There are two huge games down in west London on Sunday to fill your boots. The first comes from the Gtech Community Stadium where Brentford take on Ange Postecoglou’s new-look Tottenham Hotspur.
After scoring a combined 50 goals last season, neither side will have star strikers Ivan Toney or Harry Kane to call upon, with the former serving a lengthy ban and the latter heading to Bayern Munich.
A few miles down the River Thames is the location for Mauricio Pochettino’s first match as Chelsea head coach, with the Blues hosting Liverpool.
The battles for Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia this week have added an extra bit of spice to what is already an intriguing matchup. Expect lots of goals and nonsense over at Stamford Bridge.
And finally, Manchester United face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday night. The Red Devils have made some serious moves in the transfer market, unlike their opponents who have changed manager in the last few days and brought in two new senior players (and one of them is former star Matt Doherty).
Source; 90mins
