Premier League Matchday 2 Odds & Picks: Leeds vs Everton, Southampton vs Man U & More

• It is the EPL’s Matchday 2 this weekend, starting with Liverpool vs Burnley
• Among the other games this weekend is a London derby between Arsenal and Chelsea
• We list the odds for all ten games and preview three, offering our best picks

Premier League Matchday 2 kicks off on Saturday, April 3, KO 7:30 am EST, with Liverpool vs Burnley, with five more games taking place later on Saturday, three on Sunday, and one on Monday.

Manchester United are the early pacesetters after their emphatic 5-1 win over Leeds United on opening day but with wins also for Liverpool and Chelsea, the usual suspects are expected to lead the pack. The big surprise last weekend was Manchester City’s 1-0 defeat at Tottenham.

Read on to see the odds and our best bets for the weekend’s action below.

EPL Matchday 2 Odds

All odds as of Aug 20 at DraftKings

Leeds vs Everton Prediction

Leeds’ new season did not start as they had planned and, despite making a decent start to the game at Old Trafford, they were eventually dominated by a buoyant Manchester United, who went on to win 5-1. As a result, the Yorkshire side will be doubly determined to get some points on the board when Everton arrives at Elland Road on Saturday.

🎙️ "We'll go back, look at what happened and get right for the next game" Luke on today's season opener pic.twitter.com/6DsJyRiOH0

— Leeds United (@LUFC) August 14, 2021

Marcelo Bielsa’s men will, of course, need to improve defensively but the attacking flair they showed in those early stages at Old Trafford will be more likely to bear fruit against an Everton. They also could be welcoming back England star Kalvin Phillips, who enjoyed an outstanding Euro 2020 at the heart of the England midfield, while defender Spanish Diego Llorente also has a chance after recovering from injury.

Setting sights on #LEEEVE 🔜 pic.twitter.com/0fJdsDywn6

— Everton (@Everton) August 19, 2021

Everton’s opening day went rather better than Leeds’, after coming from behind against Southampton to win 3-1. At halftime, things did not look too rosy for the Toffees, after they had fallen behind to an Adam Armstrong goal on his Saints debut, but second-half goals from Richarlisonn, Abdoulaye Doucoure, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin sealed the three points on Rafa Benitez’  Merseyside return.

Much will depend on how Leeds reacts to their defeat by Manchester United but, for me, the value here is with the away win, with Everton looking capable of getting off to the kind of flyer they did last season.

Pick: Everton to win (+205)

Aston Villa vs Newcastle United Prediction

Villa’s summer spending has been well documented, as has the big ambitions of their wealthy owners, so their opening day defeat at the hands of newly-promoted Watford will have upped the pressure on manager Dean Smith. A win here for Newcastle and the questions will already start to be asked.

Squad. pic.twitter.com/u6OJzmf0Rq

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 17, 2021

Villa will clearly miss the inspiration of Jack Grealish, who is now a Man City player, but will look to their expensive summer signings, like Emi Buendia and Danny Ings, to help fill that void. The sooner the Villans get their first win of the season under their belts the better and they will see Newcastle as ideal opponents.

SB on opening day defeat:

"First-half I thought it was a smashing game of football. Unfortunately in the second-half we got caught and what we can't do is chase the game the way we tried to. We left ourselves open & vulnerable so we've got to make sure that can't happen again." pic.twitter.com/Aj6SEW7yih

— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) August 20, 2021

Steve Bruce’s Magpies also had a tricky start to the campaign, courtesy of a disappointing 4-2 home defeat by West Ham and, as with Dean Smith, the position of the Newcastle boss is already coming under scrutiny. Another concern is his team’s poor record on the road, and it is for this reason that even at -120, there is value here in the home win.

Pick: Aston Villa to win (-125)

Southampton vs Manchester United Prediction

Southampton’s defeat on Merseyside and the meek way they surrendered to second-half pressure from Everton will have been a cause for concern for Saints’ manager Ralf Hassenhuttl.

Battling 💪 pic.twitter.com/ZVElVIddb4

— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) August 17, 2021

In general, it has been a difficult summer for the south coast team after losing top scorer Danny Ings to Aston Villa and Jannik Vestergaard and Ryan Bertrand to Leicester City, and to suffer defeat against the Toffees in such disappointing fashion will have been an early blow they could have done without. The one bright spot for Saints was the goalscoring debut of their summer signing from Blackburn, Adam Armstrong.

Today's #FridayFeeling energy comes from Rapha! 😎#MUFC | @RaphaelVarane pic.twitter.com/rsjBVFUwNo

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 20, 2021

For United, the win over Leeds was the perfect start and they will see a trip to Southampton as a perfect chance to make it two wins from two. United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has an embarrassment of riches to pick from which now includes summer signings Jadon Sancho – who came off the bench against Leeds – and French international center-back Raphael Varane.

It is hard to see United slipping up here but there is no value in the away win at -165. A correct score bet may be the way to go and the 3-1 to United on offer at 12/1 looks great value for those who love a long shot.

Picks: Manchester United to win 3-1 (+1200)