EPL Soccer Picks, Predictions, Best Bets: Arsenal open as +110 favourites to defend title
The Premier League is finally back. Catch Arsenal make their triumphant return, along with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City and company, all seeking the perfect start to the 2026-2027 season.
Arsenal have the pleasure of kicking off the new season on Friday faternoon against the newly promoted Coventry, followed by a classic matchup between Liverpool and Newcastle on Sunday. Erling Haaland will want to begin this season with goals galore after having an incredible goalscoring run throughout the World Cup.
Don’t miss the opening match of the season with Arsenal at home against Coventry; kickoff is set for Friday at 3 p.m. ET.
Make sure to check out Sports Interaction’s complete list of EPL match odds and EPL futures.
EPL Arsenal vs. Coventry best bet: Arsenal -1.5 (-186)
The reigning champions return to the pitch with the hopes of a repeat trophy season. Arsenal (-488) are heavy favourites in this fresh matchup against a newer opponent, and with some new additions including Bruno Guimaraes, Christos Tzolis, Ezri Konza and Piero Hincapie, they showcase a wider variety of options than before. However, Leandro Trossard will certainly be missed, as he heads over to Besiktas in the Süper Lig. The Gunners come into this one after winning the FA Community Shield Final 3-0 against City with goals from Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard and allowing fewer than one goal per game last season. With much of the same personnel, their defence is likely to shine once again this season.
Their opponents, Coventry, dominated their way to the top of the Championship last season to finish with the most wins (28) and goals-for (97). Including friendlies, they haven’t lost a game since a 2-1 result to Southampton last season, 12 matches ago. It will certainly be interesting to see how they fare against last year’s champions in their EPL debut, but they’ll have to make do without last year’s top goalscorer Haji Wright (17 goals) as he sits this one out on injury.
Coventry have nine years of experience in the Premier League (1992-2001), but it will take some time to shake the rust off their gears, and with another trophy added to Arsenal’s closet, new signings and an at-home advantage, they’ll surely lead the table with three points after securing at least a two-goal margin win here.
EPL Liverpool vs. Newcastle best bet: Liverpool ML (-104)
Liverpool are now granted the opportunity to right their wrongs from last season. With Andoni Iraola now managing the team since Arne Slott’s departure, the Reds should be able to inhale some fresh air, especially with various new signings including Jeremy Jacquet, Victory Munoz, Samuel Martinez and Barcelona’s Ronald Araújo on loan for the season. While not a huge indicator, Liverpool did win three of their five club friendlies, and a huge step for them would be a shutout victory considering last season they allowed 53 total goals – which was highly uncharacteristic compared to their trophy-winning seasons. While the team cycled in some fresh defenders, Ibrahima Konate and Andrew Robertson are no longer with the team, and Liverpool legend Mohammed Salah will certainly be missed.
Newcastle’s goal this year will be to finish at least in the top 10 after their 12th-place finish last season, and a Champions League spot would be even sweeter. The team only saw two victories in their seven friendlies but were likely testing out new formats and players, such as Bazoumana Toure, Amar Dedic, Aladji Bamaba and Lukas Hornicek, while adjusting to losing three of their top players, Tonal, Guimaraes and Gordon.
It will take a while for the Magpies to recalibrate and find their identity, and while the same goes for Liverpool, the Reds have made some mighty fine additions, especially defensively, while maintaining a lot of their core midfield. For this reason, expect the Reds to pull off a moneyline victory in this one.
EPL best player prop bet: Erling Haaland anytime goalscorer (-180) in Man City vs. Bournemouth
With the beloved Norwegian striker returning from his incredible quarterfinal run in the World Cup, scoring a whopping seven total goals in five games, Erling Haaland is already gearing up for a second Golden Boot trophy in a row, fourth overall. Expect him to score at least one in this match against an inferior opponent.