The opening weekend of the 2026/27 English Premier League season continues on Sunday the 23rd of August with two standout fixtures catching our eye.
Manchester City begin their title challenge at home to Bournemouth before Newcastle United welcome Liverpool to St James’ Park in the late encounter. We cover both matches from a betting angle below.
EPL Outright Betting Update
Let’s start with a look at the Outright Betting where defending champions Arsenal are favourites to retain the Premier League title at 2.00 after their 3-0 win over Coventry on Friday night, with Manchester City their closest challengers at 5.00. Liverpool trade at 7.00 while Manchester United and Chelsea are available at 9.00.
Odds correct as at Saturday morning but subject to change.
Click here for the latest English Premier League Outright Betting Markets.
MANCHESTER CITY vs BOURNEMOUTH
Manchester City finished 2nd in the Premier League last season with 78 points from 38 matches, recording 23 victories, 9 draws and 6 defeats. They scored 77 goals across the campaign, the most in the division, while conceding 35 as they finished seven points behind champions Arsenal.
City experienced mixed results during their preparations for the new season. They suffered a 2-1 friendly defeat against Inter before responding with consecutive 3-1 victories over the K-League Stars and Atletico Madrid. However, their latest outing ended in a disappointing 3-0 loss to Arsenal in the Community Shield.
Bournemouth enjoyed an impressive 2025/26 campaign and finished 6th on the table having collected 57 points. The side recorded 13 wins, 18 draws and only 7 defeats while netting 58 goals and allowing 54 to slip at the back.
The visitors displayed plenty of attacking quality during pre-season, beating St Pauli 4-1, Augsburg 5-2 and Genoa 10-1. They then drew 2-2 with Real Betis before ending their preparations with a narrow 2-1 defeat against Mainz.
Head-to-Head:
Manchester City have won four of the last six meetings between the sides, with Bournemouth recording one victory and the remaining encounter ending in a draw. City claimed a 3-1 home win in each of the last two meetings at the Etihad, although Bournemouth held them to a 1-1 draw in their most recent clash in May.
Four of the last six encounters produced over 2.5 goals, while both teams scored in five of those matches.
Betting – Click here to bet
Manchester City 1.51
Draw 5.00
Bournemouth 6.00
Verdict:
Manchester City will be determined to respond after their Community Shield defeat and their excellent attacking record from last season makes them difficult to oppose at home. However, Bournemouth finished only seven points behind City and demonstrated considerable scoring ability throughout pre-season.
City should possess enough quality to collect all three points, but Bournemouth’s attacking form and the recent head-to-head record suggest the visitors are capable of contributing to an entertaining contest.
BET: Manchester City to Win and Both Teams to Score at 2.70
Last Leg Bad Luck!
Scratched/Voided markets do not count towards Leg count.
Pre-match bets only.
Free Bets do not count towards this offer.
Refund must be claimed within 24 hours of the game finishing.
Free Bet vouchers received must be used within 7 days.
Max refund per account per day in Free Bets:
- Max refund per account per day – R5,000
- Max refund for Black card members per day – R7,500
- Max refund for Super Black card members per day – R10,000
Free Bets terms and conditions apply.
Simply email promotions@wsb.co.za with Subject ‘Last Leg Promo or, present your ticket to your branch manager within 24 hours of the game finishing.
NEWCASTLE UNITED vs LIVERPOOL
Newcastle United ended 12th in the league last season with 49 points from 38 matches. They recorded 14 victories, 7 draws and 17 defeats while holding a goal difference of -2 in an inconsistent run.
Newcastle have struggled for positive results during their build up for the tournament. They defeated Darlington 3-0 and Valencia 2-1 but suffered losses against Bristol City, Everton, Bayer Leverkusen and Strasbourg. Their final three friendlies all ended in defeat, with the side conceding seven goals across those matches.
Liverpool finished 5th overall last term after picking up 60 points in their 38 fixtures. They found the back of the net 63 times but had let 53 past their own keeper as well and will be targeting an improved campaign after finishing outside the Champions League positions.
The Reds have also experienced unstable results ahead of the new season. They recorded victories over Sunderland and Wrexham before losing to Leeds and Monaco. Liverpool responded in their latest action by recording a 2-0 victory over Como, giving them some positive momentum heading into their league opener.
Head-to-Head:
Liverpool have won four of the last six meetings between these sides, with Newcastle claiming one victory and the other encounter ending in a draw. The Reds completed a league double over Newcastle last season, winning 3-2 at St James’ Park before securing a convincing 4-1 victory at Anfield.
Five of the previous six encounters produced over 2.5 goals, while both teams scored in five of those matches.
Betting – Click here to bet
Newcastle United 3.85
Draw 4.00
Liverpool 1.93
Verdict:
Liverpool enter this fixture with the stronger recent head-to-head record and should also take confidence from their victory over Como. Newcastle’s preparation has been less convincing, particularly defensively, with four defeats from their last five friendlies.
The hosts remain dangerous at St James’ Park and have scored in five of their last six meetings with Liverpool. However, the Reds have won on each of their previous two league visits to this ground and appear better positioned to begin the campaign with three points.
BET: Liverpool to Win at 1.93
Note: All prices were correct at the time of writing but are subject to change.
