I couldn’t have had a worse start to the campaign with my weekend tips last weekend. Just wretched. It started off with Leeds silencing the City Ground with a 1-0 win, nowhere near the over 2.5 goals I had anticipated. Then Brentford completely dismantled Tottenham in the evening game on Saturday. There was no respite on Sunday as Liverpool laboured to a 2-2 draw at Newcastle. Early season games are tough to predict, so I’m eyeing up some value this weekend in a bid to get back on track.
Odds provided by Stake.com.
Tottenham v Newcastle
Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK, 6.30pm CET, Saturday 29th August
Prices: 2.30 Tottenham, 3.70 Draw, 2.90 Newcastle
I can’t believe I’m going back to this fixture after last week’s bloodbath, but I did say I’d be keeping a close eye on Newcastle in the early stages of the season, and to be fair to them, they’ve looked pretty sharp under the new manager. There’s a bit more structure about them, they’re pressing with purpose again, and twice taking the lead against Liverpool wasn’t a fluke. There’s clearly something building there.
Tottenham, meanwhile, are still a work in progress. Yes, they hammered Charlton in midweek and Savio looked lively on debut, and the arrival of Omar Marmoush should give their attack another dimension, but it’s going to take time for all of that to click. They were miles off it against Brentford, and while I don’t think they’ll be that poor again, they’re still in that awkward bedding‑in phase where flashes of quality don’t necessarily translate into full control of a match.
Sandro Tonali facing his former club adds a bit of spice, and Spurs absolutely have the talent to win this, but Newcastle look organised enough to avoid defeat and Tottenham don’t quite look ready to put teams away yet. With both sides having reasons to be optimistic but also clear areas still to iron out, the draw feels the sensible play.
Tip: Draw @ 3.70. 1 unit.
Sevilla v Atletico Madrid
La Liga, Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, Seville, Spain, 9.30pm CET, Saturday 29th August
Prices: 3.50 Sevilla, 3.35 Draw, 2.14 Atletico Madrid
After a couple of bleak seasons, Sevilla have made a strong start to the 2025/26 season with two wins from two, while Atletico are dealing with the long-running Julian Alvarez transfer saga that feels like it’s threatening to derail the start to the campaign. The home side came from behind with ten men to overcome Rayo Vallecano in their season opener, and then beat Athletic Club away in an impressive win, albeit coming against ten men themselves that time.
You get the sense they face Diego Simeone’s side at the right time, with the Alvarez situation worsening this week, that could cause a distraction, and with value the order of the day, I’m siding with the in-form Andalucians to make it three out of three to start their La Liga season.
Tip: Sevilla Draw No Bet @ 2.46. 1 unit.
Aberdeen v Rangers
Scottish Premier League, Pittodrie, Aberdeen, UK, 1pm CET, Sunday 30th August
Prices: 4.10 Aberdeen, 3.70 Draw, 1.77 Rangers
It’s a rare trip to Scotland for me but it’s not to have noticed the putrid start made to the season by Rangers and things don’t get any easier as they travel to Pittodrie for a traditionally tough assignment against Aberdeen. The Dons have made a solid start to the season, defeating Hearts in their season opener with a dramatic turnaround, before heading to Dundee for a 2-0 defeat. They got revenge against those opponents in the Scottish League Cup though, winning 3-0 at home.
It’s the home form that catches my attention here, as well as Rangers’ awful form that sees them without a win and out of Europe completely already. They’re wounded, and look particularly unconvincing on the road, so even money about the home side not losing looks like good value to me.
Tip: Aberdeen or Draw @ 2.00. 1 unit.
Check out Tommy the Punter’s tipping record here.