EPL Predictions Matchday 3 – Premier League Betting Preview For August 25-27

EPL Betting Preview Including Predictions and Picks

WagerTalk Premier League handicapper Kevin Dolan presents his EPL predictions today heading into Matchday 3. He gives betting previews for key matches including Chelsea vs Luton and Newcastle vs Liverpool. Which teams is he looking to pick up points and which will have goals being scored? Read his betting preview now!

Chelsea vs Luton | Friday August 25 | 3:00pm ET

Chelsea -475 | Luton +1200 | Draw +580

Luton travels across town to Chelsea on Friday evening looking to rebound from an opening day 4-1 defeat at the hands of Brighton, with Chelsea having similar rebound concerns on their mind ahead of this one as well.

The Blues currently sit in 15th spot in the table after generating just one point across their opening two games of the season.

That’s not to say they’ve been playing sub-par however, with Chelsea having purple patches in both of their recent games against Liverpool and West Ham respectively, with the Blues arguably getting unfortunate not to have received more reward for those two efforts.

That said, with a missed penalty against West Ham, plus one given away, and numerous missed opportunities against Liverpool also, Chelsea let both games slip away from them, something manager Mauricio Pochettino will be eager not to see happen a third straight time at Stamford Bridge this weekend.

Luton Town had a week off last week due to ongoing construction at their ground in order to make it Premier League-ready, and will likely need that extra break after getting hosed by 4 goals, 3.68 xG, and 27 goal attempts against Brighton back on Matchday 1.

Chelsea’s Senegalese international Nicolas Jackson has looked extremely lively upfront for Chelsea over his opening two games of the season so far, and despite netting no goals in the league to date, could change that here on Friday against an over-matched Luton defense at home in West London.

Overall, despite Luton’s added preparation ahead of this game and Chelsea’s struggles to open their campaign so far as well, we expect the Blues to put a bit of a mauling on minnows Luton at home on Friday night and come out clear winners by a multiple goal margin in this one.

Prediction: Chelsea -1.75 (-120)

Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest | Saturday August 26 | 10:00am ET

Manchester United -330 | Nottingham Forest +800 | Draw +500

Many people’s pick for an automatic top-four spot this season, Manchester United, have got their 2023/24 EPL campaign off to a less than stellar start.

They got extremely fortunate to come out with a win at home against Wolves back in Matchday 1 with what appeared to be a clear penalty late on in that game for the West Midlands club, and then getting summarily dispatched 2-0 against Tottenham down in London last week as well.

Manchester United did have their spells against Tottenham in that game but will know they’ll need to be far sharper over the next few weeks with games against Arsenal and Brighton on deck for them after Nottingham Forest.

Nottingham Forest meanwhile have opened the season a lot brighter than what many people expected.

The Tricky Trees gave last season’s runners-up Arsenal all kinds of problems in their Matchday 1 clash down in London, before then beating Sheffield United 2-1 at the City Ground last week with well-taken goals from Taiwo Awoniyi and Chris Wood to clinch the win.

Forest have shown from players such as Serge Aurier, Neco Williams, and Brennan Johnson that their quick pace down the flanks can cause problems for pretty much any team in the league, and we believe they can do so once again against a struggling Manchester United team on Saturday.

With ongoing distractions surrounding Manchester United’s handling of the Mason Greenwood saga, along with their poor start to the campaign also, this could be a perfect opportunity for Steve Cooper’s men to get a result in the north-west on Saturday and give United a real test in this one.

Prediction: Nottingham Forest +1.5 (-105)

Newcastle vs Liverpool | Sunday August 27 | 11:30am ET

Newcastle +195 | Liverpool +115 | Draw +290