Betting Tips: Chelsea to continue revival, Arsenal’s goal draught to continue and Shaqiri to open Stoke City account

The second weekend of the season didn’t go quite as smoothly for us as the opening week. Accumulators around the country appeared to struggle as the results of the 3pm games continued to be unpredictable, with Bournemouth winning away at West Ham and many draws ensuring there was little to celebrate for Premier League fans. Rich Laverty picks his five standout bets from this weekend’s actions…

Chelsea to win and BTTS

Chelsea haven’t started off the season in fashion many expected, drawing 2-2 at home to Swansea on the opening day, followed by a 3-0 thumping at new favourites Manchester City. But on the bright side Jose Mourinho finally got over the curse of the letter “P” by beating Tony Pulis’ West Brom 2-3.

With John Terry suspended and no sign of John Stones, Palace’s attack should have a chance against Mourinho’s men but at Stamford Bridge the home side should be strong enough to come away with victory, even if they make hard work of it.

Best Odds: 11/5 (William Hill)

Andre Gray to score anytime

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A risky one given there’s no news on whether Gray will make his Burnley debut this weekend but it appears fate has weaved its magic to ensure Gray’s debut could be against the team he rejected to move to Turf Moor.

A trip to Ashton Gate is a tough encounter for a Burnley side that hasn’t hit the ground running but Gray is good odds to open his account against the side that nearly became his new home.

Best Odds: 11/5 (Betfair)

Celtic to win both halves

Celtic will be keen to put Champions League disappointment behind them when they return to Celtic Park on Saturday afternoon. They’ve had a few issues in their opening five SPL games whilst St. Johnstone has managed just one win so far.

Celtic also hasn’t been short of goals and a few bookies are offering odds on that Ronny Deila’s men bounce back by winning both halves on Saturday.

Best Odds: 6/5 (StanJames)

Newcastle vs Arsenal under 2.5 goals

Two of Arsenal’s last three visits to Newcastle have resulted in 1-0 wins, with last season’s result 2-1 in favour of the Gunners. Goals have dried up since the memorable 4-4 several years ago and given the two teams’ form so far this season, under 2.5 goals appears to be a tempting offer.

Both sides have only managed two goals each in their opening three games whilst Newcastle’s defence appeared significantly improved at Old Trafford last week. Arsenal should have Per Mertesacker back at the very least and another 1-0 win either way wouldn’t be a huge surprise.

Best Odds: 19/17 (UniBet)

Xherdan Shaqiri to score first

The Swiss international made an instant impact after arriving from Inter Milan last week, setting up Stoke’s opener at Norwich on Saturday afternoon.

Shaqiri is now preparing to make his bow at the Britannia Stadium against a side leaking goals more than anyone else in the league right now. If you fancy Shaqiri to strike the first blow on Saturday, the odds are favourable.

Best Odds: 11/2 (SkyBet)

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