Review of Team Statistics & Predictions Ahead of EPL Matchday 3

The English Premier League (EPL) matchday 3 of 38 promises not to disappoint with its lineup of mouth-watering fixtures. And if the first two weeks are anything to go by, we are in for a treat.

• Look out for a harvest of goals when Leeds United visits Bramall Lane, Sheffield;
• Liverpool’s two year-unbeaten record at Anfield might end on matchday 3; 
• Manchester United should be weary of Tariq Lamptey and Neal Maupay;
• One can expect at least five wins from matchday 3 fixtures;
• Similarly, stats show a likelihood of both teams scoring in at least three of matchday 3 fixtures.

Already, we have seen 67 goals in this league, within the first two weeks! Matchday one made for 23 goals; we observed almost double that figure on Day 2 with 44 goals scored. The top performers are the usual suspects, defending champions, Liverpool FC (six goals) and some new faces. Leeds United, for one, made their debut on the new promotion with seven goals; ditto, 2015/2016 EPL champions, Leicester City. 

To keep you informed ahead of a relaxed viewing, DATAPHYTE reviewed team statistics and predicted outcomes from all the EPL matchday three fixtures. 

Saturday 26th 2020 EPL Fixtures

Brighton and Hove Albion VS Manchester United, 12:30 pm 

Brighton and Hove Albion FC popularly known as the seagulls will look to extend their winning run when they host Manchester United. The Seagulls responded to their season opener defeat to Chelsea with a 0-3 win against Newcastle united. 

In opposition, Manchester United may want to redeem their 1-3 home defeat to Crystal Palace last week by winning Brighton.  

Based on the head-to-head analysis, Manchester United have won 4 of the recent 6  meetings with Brighton. The other two meetings were in Brightons favours. However, both teams have shown a lot of defensive frailties from their recent defeats. Thus, the best prediction for this game is both teams to score. The player to watch out for in this fixture is Tariq Lamptey of Brighton and Hove Albion. 

Crystal Palace VS Everton, 3:00 pm  

It has been a high flying start to this season for Crystal Palace and Everton. They have both tally six out of six points in their last two fixtures. Everton, undisputed champions over Tottenham Hotspur (home) went on to trash newly promoted West Brom last weekend- at Goodison Park.

Crystal Palace’s winning streak shocked everyone. They drew 8 games and lost the rest in their last season. So it was to everyone, including Palace loyalists, to see their back-to-back victory start to this season. And even when they narrowly won by one point over Southampton, they capitalised with a 3-1 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford. 

Still, even with Palace’s impressive streak including a victory over Man U, they’re likely to face stern resistance when they host an in-form Everton outfit on Saturday. What’s more, the latter remains undefeated in their last five meetings. 

READALSO

Sports Development: Ballon d’Or and the Burden on Oshoala and Osimhen

September 21, 2023

Qatar 2022: A Quick Data Recap of the World’s Favourite Sports Tournament

December 21, 2022

Hence, the best prediction is that Everton will win this meeting and both teams will score. 

West Brom VS Chelsea, 5:30 pm 

Chelsea will hope to return to winning ways when they visit newly-promoted side, West Bromwich. Chelsea started the season on a good footing with a 1-3 win over Brighton. However, in the second week of the season, they lost 0-2 at home to defending champions, Liverpool. 

For West Brom, it is likely to be a difficult return to the EPL when they host Chelsea. Leicester thrashed them with three points to none; likewise Everton (5-2), both winning West Brom in their first two games of the season. In contrast, Chelsea has won 18 of the 24 previous meetings with West Brom. Hence, expecting a victory by over 1.5 goals for this encounter is well within reason. 

Burnley VS Southampton, 8:00 pm

Burnley and Southampton are yet to register a point in the EPL. This fixture provides an opportunity for one team to secure at least a point. Burnley is unbeaten against Southampton since 2016, winning four and drawing three meetings since then.

Last season Burnley won Southampton  3-0 at home and 1-2 away. Based on these statistics, the prediction for this game is a Burnley win or draw. 

Sunday 27th 2020 EPL Fixtures 

Sheffield United VS Leeds, 12:00 pm

Sheffield’s start to this season has us holding our breath for a turnaround. They have lost twice in their first two encounters. In truth, it is likely that Sheffield United might not replicate the form that led them to finish 9th on the table last season.  An early exit from the Carabao Cup has not made the start of the season any easier for them. However, Sheffield United can still draw some confidence from their good home record in the 2019/2020 season. 

Conversely, newly promoted side Leeds United are showing early signs of being the most exciting team to watch this season. They boast of a tactical approach that allows them to create a lot of openings in their opponents’ team. 

However,  the joint top-scoring team at the moment, their statistics of the second team with the highest number of goals conceded calls for concern. Based on the free-scoring nature of Leeds United and their lacklustre defence, the prediction for this game is both teams to score or over 2.5 goals. 

Tottenham Hotspur VS Newcastle United, 2:00 pm

Tottenham has had an unconvincing start to the season across all competition. One may attribute this to being involved in a lot of fixtures. Their encounter with New Castle follows a 3,000-mile round trip to Macedonia for a Europa League qualification game against Shkendija on Thursday. Tottenham’s meeting with Newcastle will be their fourth game in 10 days. 

Everton defeated Tottenham 1-0 at home on the opening weekend. Thereafter, the Spurs triumphed  5-2 over Southampton in impressive fashion last weekend. Still, critics wonder if this is enough to face  Newcastle which won four of their last six visits against Tottenham. 

Going by these statistics, the prediction for this game is both teams to score. 

Manchester City VS Leicester City, 4:30 pm

Leicester City travels to Manchester as the Premier League’s early leaders following successive wins over West Brom (3-0) and Burnley (4-2). Likewise Manchester City, who started their season campaign with an impressive and emphatic 3-1 win over Wolves. Also, Manchester City won 10 and drew one of their last 11 Premier League home games. Both teams scored over 2.5 goals, registering four of the last five meetings between Manchester City and Leicester City at the Etihad Stadium.

So, while the consensus is a Manchester City victory, we surmise a 2.5 goal distribution; or for both teams to score. 

Westham VS Wolves, 7 pm

Westham and Wolves are yet to get a point since starting this campaign. Still, Wolves have better statistics with zero points in one game; Westham has zilch in two games.  

Based on previous records, the difficult start to Westham’s season is likely to continue when they host Wolves. More so, Wolves have beaten West ham in each of the clubs’ last four meetings without conceding a goal in four of the meetings. Therefore, we surmise a win from Wolves. 

Monday 28th 2020 EPL Fixtures

Fulham vs Aston Villa, 5:45 pm

Fulham will look to make good on their debut with a win (their first for the season) over Aston Villa on Monday. They have experienced successive defeats to Arsenal (0-3) and Leeds (4-3). Perhaps this may be their opportunity for getting on track given their unimpressive performance so far. 

Concerning Aston Villa, they did tally three points out of three in their recent encounters. Yet, their performance so far does not scream “avoid relegation.” And given the last EPL encounter between both teams was in 2014, this game is quite a difficult one to predict. However, based on available statistical review, an Aston Villa win or draw will be a good bet. 

Liverpool vs Arsenal, 8:00 pm

Arsenal and Liverpool go head-to-head in Anfield. And the prospects have everyone on the edge of their seats. Both teams are in top form so far this season and have recently beaten each other in different competitions.

In the EPL, Liverpool has won two of their last 5 meetings with Arsenal; they drew two and lost one. However, under the new manager Mikel Arteta, Arsenal has been the better team in the meetings with Liverpool across all competitions. Liverpool’s most recent encounter with Arsenal ended in a 4-5 penalty shootout defeat to Arsenal in the community shield. 

Yet despite Arsenal impressive performance in recent meetings, it might be difficult to win in this meeting. Records have it that the last time Liverpool lost at home was on April 23, 2017. As such, the best prediction for this game is for both teams to score over 2.5 goals. 

Predictions for EPL Matchday 3

Charles Mba