After landing a couple of midweek Champions League winners, Andy Schooler returns to preview this weekend’s Premier League action…
Premier League Best Bets: Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest (Sat, 1500)
Villa won the Europa League last season so clearly got used to the two-games-a-week schedule but they were able to rotate plenty last autumn given the relative weakness of that tournament.
This time around, they are in the Champions League and can’t get away with fielding reserve-strength sides in midweek. And if you look back to the last time they were in this competition – 2024/25 – you find that they won just one of their Premier League games which immediately followed a UCL league-phase tie, losing four.
Given the changes in their squad over the summer, it’s not hard to envisage something similar happening here – I suspect it will take time for Unai Emery to find the right formula to deal with the amount of games his side is going to play.
While they did grab their first win of the season in Bruges on Tuesday night, they only just got over the line, and it should be remembered they are yet to score domestically.
Forest played well in their previous away game at Anfield and while they are still looking for their first win after a goalless draw with Spurs last week, there are signs that Oliver Glasner is shaping the side as he wants.
I think they are capable of getting something here. They are a bit too short in the double-chance market for my liking (1.53) but I am prepared to take a risk on them winning this one at 2.95.
Premier League Best Bets: Crystal Palace v Ipswich (Sat, 1500)
I’m looking at some long shots this week and a player who has caught the eye in the early weeks of the season is Julio Enciso.
He enjoyed a good World Cup with Paraguay and is now back at Ipswich, a club he was at on loan a couple of seasons ago.
He’s already looking a threat and has long been one to follow in the shots markets – the Paraguayan is very much a shoot-on-sight guy and has managed 12 shots already this season.
The layers are beginning to catch up in the shots markets (he’s odds-on for 3+ in this game) but Enciso’s displays so far this season suggest a goal is not far away. For the record, he bagged 12 for Strasbourg last season.
Here, Ipswich come up against as side who have conceded eight goals in three matches and don’t look the most convincing of odds-on favourites.
Ipswich did create some decent opportunities against Liverpool last time out and should do so again here.
At north of 3/1, Enciso looks worth a punt in the anytime scorer market.
Premier League Best Bets: Sunderland v Arsenal (Sat, 2000)
All three of our props picks in this column have won this season with Luka Vuskovic delivering his predicted two shots for Brighton last week.
As with many player props, the Croatian may well be worth backing on a longer-term basis – he’s a similar price for this week’s trip to Coventry and there’s every chance I’ll be backing him personally.
However, I don’t feel I can keep putting up the same bet on these pages so I’m instead moving on to Saturday’s late game at the Stadium of Light.
Martin Odegaard is on fire at the moment and grabbing all the headlines.
I couldn’t put anyone off backing him for an assist (3.56) or a goal (4.2) in this one with Arsenal purring right now.
However, the man I’m going to side with instead is Riccardo Calafiori.
The left-back has been getting forward into some great attacking positions so far this campaign and has already bagged himself two assists in three starts.
Rested in midweek, he’ll likely be getting in and around the box during this contest and at a price of close to 7/1, I can’t resist backing him to set up another goal.
Premier League Best Bets 2026/27: Matchday 4
Forest to beat Villa @ 2.95 with kwiff
Enciso anytime scorer @ 4.1 with kwiff
Calafiori 1+ assist @ 7.83 with kwiff
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