SOCCER

FanDuel Premier League Matches to Target in Matchweek 2

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Liverpool host Crystal Palace, a match that could be loaded with goals. What other matchup for this week's Premier League main slate on FanDuel has a high-scoring history?

There were a few surprises in the opening week of the Premier League. The beginning of the EPL season may be the most unpredictable time of the year, so the matches to target for your FanDuel contests reflect the unforeseeable nature of early season play.

Matchweek 2
Saturday, August 19th
Brighton at Leicester
West Brom at Burnley
West Ham at Southampton
Crystal Palace at Liverpool
Watford at Bournemouth
Arsenal at Stoke City


The six-game slate includes five teams labeled as a favorite, with Liverpool being the biggest on the list. The match at Anfield is the only game with a 3-goal over/under, so let's start there.

Liverpool vs. Crystal Palace

Liverpool is coming off a victory in a Champions League playoff match against Hoffenheim, which came on the heels of a draw in which they scored 3 goals. This is a good start for Liverpool, although the results have come in a sloppy fashion.

It is no surprise that the attack has led Liverpool, especially after thwarting Barcelona's attempts to sign Philippe Coutinho. Coutinho, Roberto Firmino, and Sadio Mane were three of Liverpool's top four scorers in matchweek one on FanDuel. Left back Alberto Moreno sneaked in to the top-3 by 0.6 points.

The other outside back, Trent Alexander-Arnold, has been producing early, to continue the narrative of a pressing, offensive-minded Liverpool.

Crystal Palace have had a horrible start to the year, as they were dominated by Huddersfield Town despite winning the possession battle. Palace was unable to control the flanks, especially down the right side with Joel Ward, with a new formation. Patrick van Aanholt did play a solid game on the opposite side of the field.

It is clear that Palace is still trying to figure out their new formation, but Liverpool have not had the reputation of a defensive team under Jurgen Klopp. This competition has produced a decent amount of scoring, with each of the previous five matches resulting in at least 5 goals. Given the uncertainty of the Palace lineup and Liverpool's emphasis on offense, there should be plenty of goals this weekend at Anfield.

Burnley vs. West Bromwich Albion

This is where the unpredictability comes into play. This match at Turf Moor only has a 2-goal over/under, so most people will be off of the game. However, 4 goals have been scored in each of the last four matches played between these squads.

Burnley were the surprise side of week one, as they beat Chelsea 3-2. Sam Vokes and Steven Defour led the charge against the defending champions. Now they return home, where they won 10 of 19 matches last season, full of confidence.

West Brom have been able to get 2-2 draws in the last two trips to Turf Moor, so they will not be intimidated. They also held a clean sheet last week with a solid defensive effort, while only holding 29% of the possession. Despite the limited possession, West Brom managed 6 shots on target and 16 shots in total. That is a high number of chances relative to their possession.

West Brom will likely rely on their defense to keep Burnley out and hit them on the counter. The game plan will be much like it was against Bournemouth. However, the history says there will be a breakthrough to open up the game with chances coming on both sides.

With the exception of Vokes, who scored 2 last weekend, not many players in this match will be targeted. Finding gems in a potentially high-scoring game can be the difference maker this weekend.