Liverpool won both head-to-head meetings between the sides last season to nil as they were one of the few sides to crack Bournemouth’s high pressing structure. This didn’t limit the number of chances that the Cherries had (19 shots), but it did completely dismantle their rest defence and allowed Liverpool constant access to the Cherries’ backline, which has been further depleted this season with the departure of Kerkez, Huijsen, and Zabaryni. 

Liverpool had 19 shots in this fixture last season, with 13 of these efforts finding the target, resulting in an xG of 2.06. Liverpool went with a similar approach in the reverse fixture, coming away 2-0 winners thanks to a brace from Salah. Liverpool were far from their best in that game but still managed to restrict Bournemouth to just three shots on target. 

The last three head-to-head meetings between the sides have seen Liverpool win to nil against Bournemouth, which would suggest that the Reds have figured out the best antidote to counter Bournemouth's aggressive pressing structure which may be slightly less effective now that they’ve lost important members of their backline. 

Meetings between these sides are always entertaining; the last seven head-to-head meetings between the teams have produced at least three goals in a run stretching all the way back to 2022. 

Both sides claimed a win apiece in the clashes last season. Newcastle tore Aston Villa to pieces at St James’ Park in a dominant 3-0 win before Aston Villa did the same to the Magpies at Villa Park, coming away 4-1 winners in the end. There should be an extra layer of angst between these sides seeing as Newcastle marginally pipped Aston Villa to Champions League football last season, and the pair are expected to battle it out again for a European finish this term. 

Aston Villa saw 54 goals across their 19 games at Villa Park last season (2.84 per game), only losing one of these matches, which is a home record that can only be matched by the league champions from last season. Newcastle saw 55 goals across their 19 away games last term (2.89 per game), but Eddie Howe will need to find a way to give his side more control in games, seeing as they scored 28 of these goals but conceded 27. 

Aston Villa have the marginal advantage here with their home record and the noise that has been surrounding Newcastle off the pitch in the build-up to the season, with Alexander Isak’s future still in real doubt.

This selection landed in two of the three head-to-head meetings between these age-old rivals last season, and Fernandes’ pre-season performances would suggest that he can continue to be a thorn in the side of Arsenal, either through catching the eye of the referee or finding the back of the net. Fernandes registered four goal contributions across his three PL Summer Series games as Manchester United won the competition. 

Fernandes was easily Manchester United’s best player last season in registering 18 goal contributions across his 36 appearances for the Red Devils - more than any other player in the United ranks. His role on penalties and free kicks for United give him a real chance of finding the back of the net in this opening clash. Fernandes scored against Arsenal in the 1-1 draw against the Gunners and in the FA Cup clash at the Emirates, where he was also shown a yellow card. 

Fernandes picked up five cards in total during the 24/25 season (3 yellows, 2 reds), this is actually lower than I expected for a player with the attitude and approach of Fernandes but we may see a rise in this metric this season seeing as Fernandes will occasionally be playing in a slightly deeper role - this market covers both possible roles that Fernandes could play in Ruben Amorim’s system making it a solid choice for the blockbuster game of the opening weekend.