It’s a welcomed return for Premier League football, with most keen to put the polarising events of the international break firmly aside.
Crystal Palace will take on Manchester City at Selhurst Park on Saturday, in a fixture that hasn’t been the most straightforward for the champions in the past – they’ve taken just four points from a possible nine in their last three Premier League contests.
Sunday plays host to one of English football’s most anticipated rivalries of the modern era, Manchester United vs Liverpool, and it’s been 30 years since the former have fallen so far behind their north West neighbours.
Our Premier League betting expert delivers his thoughts on the two fixtures, as well as sharing his best bets for the weekend.
Crystal Palace vs Man City
Over the last two years Roy Hodgson has instilled a confidence in the Eagles to take on Manchester City.
Their 3-2 victory at the Etihad in December of last year, remembered for Andros Townsend’s stunning Puskas award-nominated volley, would be the first and only time City would drop a single point at home in the Premier League that year.
Fast forward to this term and the Eagles sit just two points behind Pep Guardiola’s side in the domestic standings after eight matches, and a 2-0 defeat to Wolves last time out has underlined major doubts as to City’s capability of winning a third successive Premier League trophy.
The south London club have won three of their last five in the league, losing just once, and Hodgson will feel confident that their free hit against Manchester City might prove fruitful in their pursuit of top-flight survival.
The smart money is on Manchester City to bounce back to winning ways at 1/4 with Grosvenorsport.com, but if you fancy Palace to remain as a thorn in the side of the Citizens, you can get Crystal Palace to win OR draw on Saturday afternoon at 3/1.
Manchester United v Liverpool
Where to start? 10 years ago, we would have been talking about a complete role reversal of these two teams’ current ambitions.
Liverpool are heading are on a rampant collision course to snatch their first domestic league title in over 30 years, whilst Manchester United are fighting for their lives to remain a side competing at European level.
One thing United do have on their side is their recent form in this fixture; you’d have to head back to March 2014 for the last time Manchester United lost at home to Liverpool, seven months before Jurgen Klopp succeeded Brendan Rodgers as head coach.
With that said, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad is ridden with key injuries, with the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, David De Gea, Luke Shaw, Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial among the list of absentees, compounded by the fact that Liverpool are yet to drop a point this season.
Although the Reds’ struggles away at Old Trafford cannot be overlooked, it’s hard to see how the home side can trouble Liverpool’s defensive unit, nor deal with the threat posed by a relentless forward trio in Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino.
We make Liverpool strong favourites at 8/11 to come away with the victory on Sunday afternoon, while United are an incredible 7/2 to win at home, surely one of the biggest prices for a home win at Old Trafford in recent memory.
You can also get Mo Salah to score AND assist in the game at 11/1, who has four goals and three assists already in the Premier League this year.
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