Born in the south east of Ireland, Simon put his life-long love of football to good use when he started a successful independent blog in 2010. That opened up an alternative route to a career in journalism, and having had work published across a number of sites and publications, Simon joined the staff at Spotlight Sports Group in 2018.
Analysing the Premier League has never been more of a numbers game, and an understanding of statistics, figures and numerical patterns is a valuable asset to be armed with when approaching any betting market.
With those numbers and statistics in mind, we’ve compiled a list of useful pieces of information that we think are worth noting ahead of the latest round of 2020/21 Premier League fixtures.
We will update our list each week with fresh, relevant data before each new round of matches, so make sure to bookmark this page.
For more detailed analysis of each of the weekend’s top flight games, we recommend you check out our Premier League predictions page for the latest match previews.
Friday, Oct 23
Aston Villa vs Leeds
Aston Villa put their perfect start on the line against Marcelo Bielsa’s impressive Leeds team at Villa Park. Can the enigmatic Argentinean mastermind a second Premier League away win of the campaign for last year’s Championship title winners?
- Leeds scored in the second half in four of their five Premier League fixtures so far this season.
- Four of Leeds’ last six Premier League goals were plundered after the half-time interval.
- Leeds scored in the second period in seven of their final eight Championship matches last term.
Betting tip: Leeds to score in the second half @ 4/5
Saturday, Oct 24
Manchester United vs Chelsea
Familiar foes Manchester United and Chelsea lock horns for the first time this season at Old Trafford on Saturday. Can United build on their mid-week Champions League win at Paris St. Germain?
- Man Utd have already been awarded seven penalties in all competitions this season.
- Three penalties were awarded in the four meetings between Man Utd and Chelsea in 2019/20.
- Man Utd were awarded more penalties (14) than any other Premier League club last term.
Betting tip: A penalty in the match @ 11/8
Liverpool vs Sheffield United
Sheffield United remain winless ahead of their trip to play champions Liverpool at Anfield. Can the Blades pull off an unexpected result on Merseyside?
- Just two first half goals in total were scored in Sheffield United’s first five Premier League games of the season.
- Sheffield United’s last four league assignments were all 0-0 at the half time interval.
- Under 1.5 goals were scored in the first half of each of Liverpool and Sheffield United’s two Premier League encounters last season.
Betting tip: Under 1.5 first half goals @8/13
Sunday, Oct 25
Southampton vs Everton
Carlo Ancelotti’s table-topping Toffees travel south to take on Southampton at St. Mary’s, hoping to extend their lead at the summit of the standings.
- Danny Ings scored home and away for Southampton against Everton last season.
- Ings has already notched four goals in just five Premier League starts for the Saints this term.
- In total, Ings rattled home 10 goals in his last 12 top-flight appearances for Southampton.
Betting tip: Danny Ings to score anytime @20/21
Arsenal vs Leicester City
Arsenal in fifth, host fourth places Leicester City at the Emirates in an early-season top-four tussle in the capital. The Foxes avoided defeat in each of their last three league meetings with the Gunners.
- 70% of the goals scored in Leicester’s league games this season were notched in the second half of their fixtures.
- Seven of the eight away goals scored by Leicester this season were plundered after the half-time whistle.
- 13 of the 17 goals scored in the last six meetings between Arsenal and Leicester in all competitions were hit in the second half.
Betting tip: Half with most goals – second @1/1
A 5-fold accumulator featuring out Premier League stats selections above is available at 25/1 odds with bet365!
Remember – you can find detailed breakdowns of all the weekend’s club football fixtures with betting tips for each on our Premier League betting tips page.
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Champions League group stage acca and outright winners predictions
FST’s Premier League Team of the Week
Van Dijk injury throws Premier League title race wide open: Who can take advantage?
Europa League predictions: Group winner acca and outright winner betting tips (with 62/1 acca!)
