Writer, analyst, podcaster, Spurs fan. Three out of four is not bad. If there is a data angle, I will find it.
Research by OLBG breaks down each Premier League side’s record on matchday one since 2000/01 season
Historical data reveals Chelsea and Man United boast scintillating opening-day record, whilst stats show Liverpool and Man City traditionally struggle to impress in Premier League curtain raiser
OLBG have broken down the opening day points record of all 20 Premier League clubs since the 2000/01 season to see how historic form on the first day of a new campaign compares throughout the league.
The data has revealed that Chelsea have one of the best points returns of the Premier League sides, picking up an average of 2.45 points from their 22 opening-day fixtures since 2000.
History suggests that the Blues, who are 4/6 favourites with the bookies to beat Everton on Saturday, have a good chance of extending their impressive opening day record.
Frank Lampard will be hoping to get one over his former employers and start the season with a win, but records suggest otherwise as they have collected an uninspiring 1.27 points per game from 22 outings - the eighth worst record in the division.
Top four hopefuls Man United carry a similarly impressive record, having won 17 of their 22 opening-day matches whilst maintaining an average points per game record of 2.41 points per game.
Fierce rivals Liverpool, who are second favourites to win the Premier League at 5/2, have the less impressive sixth-best opening-day record, picking up an average of 2.05 points per game.
History suggests that newly-promoted Fulham, who are the longest-priced team to win at the weekend at 9/1, face a daunting task against the Reds as they have the 13th best opening day record in the division - averaging just 1.27 points per game.
Man City, who are odds-on 8/13 to win the Premier League title according to OLBG, have the seventh best opening day record- averaging 2.00 points per game. They face West Ham, who sit mid division in terms of average points gained in opening day fixtures.
Despite being 9/2 underdogs against Newcastle this weekend, Nottingham Forest have recorded four wins from five Premier League clashes on the opening day of the season, which puts them amongst the highest in the division with a return of 2.41 points per game.
The stats, however, don’t bode well for newly-promoted AFC Bournemouth, who head into their curtain-raiser against Aston Villa having only won once in five Premier League opening-day matches - the second worst average return in the division with an average of 0.80 points per game.
Hopefully this info is useful for those of you interesting in betting on football this weekend.
Every Premier League team’s opening day record since 2000/01
| Team | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Points | Points per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brentford | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Chelsea | 22 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 54 | 2.45 |
| Manchester United | 22 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 53 | 2.41 |
| Nottingham Forest | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 2.4 |
| Liverpool FC | 22 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 45 | 2.05 |
| Manchester City | 21 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 42 | 2 |
| Arsenal | 22 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 40 | 1.82 |
| Leeds United | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 1.67 |
| Tottenham | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 35 | 1.59 |
| Wolves | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 1.38 |
| Everton | 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 28 | 1.27 |
| Fulham | 15 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 19 | 1.27 |
| West Ham | 19 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 24 | 1.26 |
| Aston Villa | 19 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 23 | 1.21 |
| Brighton | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 1.2 |
| Leicester City | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 1.18 |
| Crystal Palace | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 1.1 |
| Newcastle | 20 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 21 | 1.05 |
| Bournemouth | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0.8 |
| Southampton | 15 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 0.67 |
