Dave1962 Football Tips

Last season, Hearts made a very poor start to the season, whilst Aberdeen, for a while, kept pace with Celtic at the top of the Premiership before falling away. Hearts got a new manager and improved as the season went on and won the last three games of the Premiership season, whilst Aberdeen lost all three. Hearts have been playing well in the League Cup, and if they bring that form into the start of the Premiership season, then there's every chance they can start with a win.

Premier League champions Liverpool get the new season underway against Bournemouth, who finished last season in ninth. Last season, Liverpool won both games, scoring five goals and conceding none. Having beaten Bournemouth the last five times they have met, there is every chance Liverpool will get all three points in their quest to defend their title.

Aston Villa should be fired up for this game as last season they finished level on points with Newcastle, but due to a worse goal difference, they missed out on a Champions League place. Last season, both meetings between these two clubs were won by the home side. Newcastle's away form fell away at the end of that season as they only took one point from their last three away games. Aston Villa finished the season strong at home, having won their last five Premier League home games. Added to that, they also won two Champions League and an FA Cup home game to round off the season with eight consecutive home wins.

Sunderland are back in the Premiership following their play-off final win against Sheffield United. Last season West Ham finished fourteenth in the Premiership which was higher than both Tottenham and Manchester United. Away from home, West Ham finished last season with two consecutive wins which were against Ipswich and Manchester United. Providing they start this season as they finished the last, West Ham may well be too strong for newly promoted Sunderland who lost their last three home Championship games and each time failed to find the back of the net.

Last season, Tottenham had a poor Premiership campaign, finishing just one place above the relegation zone. It was a different story in the Europa League as they won, which means that this season they will be in the Champions League. However, shortly after the season finished, they sacked their manager and brought in Thomas Frank following seven good years at Brentford. Burnley finished second in the Championship, level with Leeds on one hundred points, which saw them promoted to the Premiership. Tottenham's last three home Premiership games all finished in defeat. Based on last season's results, there still appears to be a big difference between teams currently playing in the Premiership and newly promoted teams. With a new manager who has had plenty of time to bond with his players, it will be disappointing if Tottenham cannot start with a home win against newly promoted Burnley.

Last season, Fulham lost four of their final six away games, including a defeat at Brighton. Brighton took eight points from their final four Premier League fixtures. At the end of the season, Brighton finished three places higher than Fulham. If they continue to play well at home, then there's every chance they can start with all three points.

Manchester City had a very indifferent season last time and yet still managed to finish third. They did the double over Wolves, who finished down in sixteenth position. They played well in the FIFA Club World Cup with a notable win against Juventus before being surprisingly knocked out by Al-Hilal. However, they showed enough in that competition to suggest that they will start the new season strongly. If that is the case, then they can continue their winning run against Wolves.

Following their success in the FIFA Club World Cup where they beat PSG in the final, Chelsea start their Premiership campaign by welcoming Crystal Palace. Last season, the two meetings between these two clubs finished in a draw with each team scoring one goal. Last season, Crystal Palace won the FA Cup by beating Manchester City and finished the season down in twelfth, eight places and sixteen points behind Chelsea. Providing Chelsea bring their form from the FIFA Club World Cup into this game, then every chance they can start with all three points.

Brentford start the new season with a new manager following Thomas Frank's move to Tottenham. Brentford have appointed from within, and Keith Andrews has his first chance at being a Premier League manager. No such problem for Forest with Nuno Espirito Santo remaining in charge, having guided his team to seventh. They were so close to Champions League football but faded in the latter half of the season. With the same manager in charge, there is every chance they can continue to build on what they achieved last season. If Forest start the season as they did last time, then there's every chance they will start with a win.

This may be the first game of the season, but it's an important fixture for both teams. Arsenal aims to get a winning start for another tilt at Premier League glory, and for United to show that the disappointing performances of last season are behind them. Last season, Arsenal only lost one of their last ten away games, which was a Champions League game at PSG. Their away wins included victories at Real Madrid and PSV, and a good away point at Liverpool. Only time will tell whether United have improved, so at the start of the new season, I'm happy to go for an Arsenal win, as they were the much stronger team last season.