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After a fortnight, Premier League football is finally back. This Friday, two games kick off simultaneously as Aston Villa take on Southampton while Nottingham Forest face Fulham.
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"As a mark of respect to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, this weekend’s Premier League match round will be postponed." - PremierLeague
Premier League Best Bet #1: Aston Villa vs Southampton (0.5/ +112)
Aston Villa vs. Southampton Match Details
Fixture: Southampton @ Aston Villa
Date & Time: Friday, September 16, 3:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham, England
Aston Villa, led by Steven Gerrard, have struggled so far this season. Major injury layoffs and inability to adapt to the manager's tactical setup has churned out poor results for the side from the Midlands.
Villa have been woeful this season so far. They have garnered four out of a possible 18 points in their first six games of the season. One somewhat positive result thus far has been the 1-1 draw against the defending champions Manchester City in the last gameweek.
Leon Bailey has been flashy but had no end product to his game up until the City game where he scored a belter of a goal to equalize the score. After theirbig-moneyy signing Diego Carlos picked up a season-ending injury, they failed to replace his defensive acumen on the side.
On deadline day, Villa signed Jan Bednarek and Leander Dendoncker to cover for the Brazilian. Villa will need a strong performance to get a result against a well-drilled Southampton side.
Southampton have been playing attacking football this season in the Premier League. They might only be three points ahead of a struggling Aston Villa side, but Southampton's style of play has been impressive.
Even in their losses against Spurs and Manchester United, they looked the better side for the majority of the game. They have been unable to put games to bed so far, which has cost them valuable points. They did beat Chelsea 2-1.
Southampton under Hassenhuttl have been inconsistent over the years, but their overall performances have improved this term in the Premier League.
Betting Odds:
Aston Villa: -0.5
Best Picks:
Villa and Southampton are both attacking-minded teams. It will be a tough match as both teams are looking for early points this season in the Premier League. The best picks would be Leon Bailey of Aston Villa and Che Adams of Southampton. Both forwards are in good touch and could provide the cutting edge for either team.
Premier League Best Bet #2: Nottingham Forest vs Fulham (-1.5/ -116)
Nottingham Forest vs. Fulham Match Details
Fixture: Fulham @ Nottingham Forest
Date & Time: Friday, September 16, 3:00 p.m. ET
Venue: City Ground, West Bridgford, England
Nottingham Forest had a great start to the Premier League season, earning four out of a possible six points in the first two games of the season. However, they have struggled for results since then.
They haven’t been helped by the fixture difficulty early in the season either, as the four games that followed included matchups against Manchester City and Tottenham, both of which they lost.
In their previous game, they played outstandingly well, leading Bournemouth 2-0. But that lead was short-lived as they conceded three goals to lose the game 3-2.
Key players like Jesse Lingard and record signing Morgan Gibbs-White haven’t made that big of a mark yet. It’s been a summer full of roster changes and it will take a long time for these signings to settle in the Premier League.
Fulham have made an incredible return to the Premier League as they sit in 10th place after six games. Marco Silva has done a terrific job with the club.
They have played impressive, fast-paced football, setting up their star marksman Aleksander Mitrovic, who has bagged six goals in as many games. They took points off of Liverpool on the opening day of the season and dominated major portions of the games against Spurs and Arsenal.
"Wishing you the happiest of Birthdays, Mitro!"- Fulham
Betting Odds:
Nottingham Forest: -1.5
Best Picks:
Fulham have been very Mitrovic-centric this season. Although their defensive numbers are great, it might be a bit exaggerated due to the fact that they have played several home games.
Forest tend to play very open and might end up playing into Fulham’s hands if they don’t switch to a more compact system. All said and done, if Forest can nullify Mitrovic, they will have a good chance of getting a positive result in this match.
