Our writer, Mcebo Mpungose, returns with his first blog of the season – Tipping Point 6-7 August 2022.
Football is back! We’ve been waiting for its return for the last two months, and I couldn’t be more excited.
Teams around Europe have been preparing for the 2022/2023 football seasons, with some doing tours abroad, and many have bolstered their squads with new players and coaching personnel. We look at five fixtures to watch this weekend in Europe.
Saturday 6 August 2022
Fulham 10/1 | Draw 24/5 | Liverpool 27/100 (12:30) – Tipping Point 6-7 August 2022
Fulham’s return to the Premier League couldn’t be harder. They face a reinvigorated Liverpool side that will be out for blood, having missed out on the Premier League and Champions League titles last season.
The west London club sold their most creative player, Fabio Carvalho, to the Reds this summer. The Portuguese notched eight goals and ten assists last season in the Championship.
While Fulham have strengthened their squad by adding João Palhinha, Andreas Pereira, Kevin Mbabu, and Bernd Leno, this will be a game where they’ll get to measure if their business in the transfer market is concluded.
Liverpool themselves have made a few changes, most notably upfront with the arrival of Darwin Nunez, who has shown he has all the skills to lead their attack in this campaign.
Conclusion: This should be an easy win for Liverpool with Over 2.5 Total Goals at 4/6.
QPR 2/1 | Draw 23/10 | Middlesbrough 27/20 (15:00) – Tipping Point 6-7 August 2022
Both these sides would have been disappointed to finish outside the top six last season, denying them a shot at promotional playoffs.
With one game already played, both have begun on the wrong foot, with QPR losing to Blackburn Rovers while Middlesbrough could only settle for a draw against West Brom at home. In their last three clashes, QPR has won two and drawn once.
Conclusion: I’m backing a QPR win on this one at 2/1.
Everton 24/5 | Draw 29/10 | Chelsea 4/7 (17:30) – Tipping Point 6-7 August 2022
The home side hasn’t had the best transfer window, but Frank Lampard has done well to upgrade his defense with the experienced James Tarkowski, while Dwight McNeil has been added in attack, having lost Richarlison to Tottenham Hotspur.
This game will allow Lampard to assess which other areas will need strengthening to avoid being in another relegation fight this season.
Everton have won each of their last four matches against Chelsea at Goodison Park – the last being a 3-1 victory in December 2021.
Conclusion: The visiting side won’t have it easy. I would double chance this; Everton win or draw at 7/5.
Clermont Foot 8/1 | Draw 11/2 | PSG 26/100 (20:00) – Tipping Point 6-7 August 2022
The post-Mauricio Pochettino era begins at PSG, and their new coach couldn’t have asked for a better start. PSG gets their campaign off with a visit to Clermont Foot, who barely survived relegation last season, finishing just four points above the 18th positioned team.
It’s worth mentioning that PSG haven’t had a big summer in terms of players coming in, with Renato Sanchez the only relatively high-profile signing alongside Hugo Ekitike (on loan).
Of course, the big win for PSG was keeping Kylian Mbappe and getting rid of some of the players deemed surplus, like Angel Di Maria, who’s now at Juventus.
Conclusion: Back a PSG win with Over 3.5 Total Goals scored at 13/10.
Sunday 7 August 2022
VFB Stuttgart 16/5 | Draw 14/5 | RB Leipzig 3/4 (14:30) – Tipping Point 6-7 August 2022
The home side will be keen to improve this season, having finished level on points with relegated side Hertha, but remained in the Bundesliga thanks to a better goal difference.
They come up against a Champions League side in Leipzig and will be happy to get anything out of this game, having only managed to win seven times in 34 games last season while Leipzig won 17.
In eight head-to-head encounters between the two sides, RB Leipzig holds the advantage, with seven wins and one draw.
Conclusion: If Stuttgart doesn’t want to be in a relegation zone, they will need to make a statement in this game, so I will back a double chance: Stuttgart win or Leipzig win at 1/4.
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