One Week To Go: Premier League Betting Returns With A Huge Weekend Of Football

The wait is nearly over. After an unusually long international break, Premier League betting returns next Saturday, 10 October, and the fixture list has delivered exactly the sort of weekend punters will have been waiting for. There are big favourites to consider, awkward looking matches for some of the leading sides and, right at the centre of it all, Liverpool against Manchester City at Anfield.

The Premier League has been out of action since September because of the expanded international window, but there will be little time for clubs to ease themselves back into domestic football. The action starts with Arsenal hosting Leeds at 12.30pm on Saturday and runs all the way through to Coventry against Newcastle on Monday night.

Liverpool v Manchester City Is The Big One

There isn't much debate over the headline fixture. Liverpool host Manchester City at Anfield at 4.30pm on Sunday in a game which could provide an early indication of how the title race is shaping up.

City went into the international break with five wins from five in the Premier League, while defending champions Arsenal are among the sides attempting to stay with them. Liverpool are also unbeaten, which gives Sunday's meeting even more significance despite the season still being relatively young.

From a betting perspective, this is also the sort of fixture where the traditional match result market is only the beginning. Goals, both teams to score, player shots, goalscorers, cards and Bet Builders should all attract plenty of interest once the markets are fully formed. Anfield can change the complexion of any game involving Liverpool, while City's start means they arrive as one of the obvious teams for bettors to watch.

There is another factor worth remembering after such a long international window: team news. Players have travelled all over the world and several Premier League squads are dealing with fitness concerns, so blindly backing teams on reputation a week in advance carries considerably more risk than waiting to see who actually returns available.

Manchester United v Tottenham Adds To Saturday's Card

Saturday's late game isn't bad either. Manchester United welcome Tottenham to Old Trafford at 5.30pm, immediately giving bettors another major fixture after the afternoon matches.

It is an intriguing match because Tottenham went into the break still looking for their first league victory of the campaign. That puts extra attention on their trip to Old Trafford and creates an interesting contrast between the names involved and what the early season results have actually shown.

Before that, Arsenal get the Premier League back underway against Leeds at the Emirates. Arsenal will inevitably attract attention in the weekend accumulators, while Chelsea are also at home to Bournemouth. Aston Villa face Brentford, Ipswich host Fulham and Sunderland take on Brighton in the other Saturday afternoon matches.

Sunday then brings Crystal Palace against Nottingham Forest and Hull against Everton before Liverpool and City take over, while Coventry against Newcastle provides the Monday night finish.

Barcelona And Real Madrid Headline A Big La Liga Saturday

The Premier League isn't the only major European league returning with an attractive card.

Spain offers a particularly strong Saturday for anyone building bets across Europe's major leagues. Barcelona host Getafe before Real Madrid welcome Villarreal later in the evening, while Atlético Madrid travel to Alavés.

Barcelona are one of the standout teams to watch. Their performances have already put them among the sides attracting attention across Europe this season, and a home fixture against Getafe gives bettors another obvious game to investigate rather than simply concentrating on the Premier League.

Real Madrid against Villarreal looks potentially more complicated. Madrid at the Bernabéu will naturally command support, but Villarreal are capable of making this considerably more interesting than a routine home banker. For bettors who prefer the major televised games and bigger clubs, Saturday evening could therefore move almost seamlessly from the Premier League into Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Bayern, Dortmund And Leverkusen Are Back In Germany

Germany gets started even earlier, with Borussia Dortmund hosting Werder Bremen on Friday night. Bayern Munich then travel to Augsburg on Saturday, while Bayer Leverkusen visit Mainz and RB Leipzig face Eintracht Frankfurt.

Bayern will inevitably be one of the first teams considered when punters start putting together European accumulators. The important question is whether the straight win offers enough value or whether alternative markets, handicaps, team goals or player markets, provide a better route.

Dortmund at home to Bremen also gives bettors an opportunity before the Premier League has even restarted, while Leipzig against Frankfurt looks one of the more competitive Bundesliga fixtures of the weekend.

Inter, Napoli, Milan And Juventus All In Action

Italy provides plenty of big names as well. Inter host Parma and Napoli welcome Frosinone on Saturday, giving two of Serie A's major sides home fixtures. Sunday brings Roma's trip to Como, AC Milan away at Sassuolo and Juventus travelling to Cagliari.

Inter and Napoli immediately stand out from an accumulator perspective because of those home assignments, although price will obviously dictate whether either is worth including. Milan and Juventus face different challenges away from home, and those matches could be more interesting for bettors looking beyond short priced favourites.

The broader point is that this is not simply a Premier League weekend. There are enough leading European clubs in action to create an enormous selection of match result, goals and player markets across Saturday and Sunday.

PSG Another Team Bettors Will Have Their Eye On

Paris Saint Germain are at home to Le Mans on Saturday night, while Monaco host Toulouse. Marseille have an away assignment at Troyes on Sunday, and the French weekend actually begins with Lens against Lyon on Friday night.

PSG against Le Mans will inevitably stand out on paper, particularly for anyone looking for another leading European side to combine with favourites elsewhere. As always with extremely short priced favourites, however, the question isn't necessarily whether they can win but whether the available price makes backing them worthwhile.

That should be a recurring theme next weekend. Barcelona, Bayern, Arsenal, PSG, Inter and Napoli could all attract substantial support, but putting six famous names into an accumulator doesn't automatically make it a good bet.

And Then The Champions League Arrives

The return of domestic football is only the beginning.

Almost immediately after the weekend, the Champions League returns on Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 October. That creates a fascinating period for bettors because managers will be balancing domestic games with major European assignments just a few days later.

It also makes team selection particularly important. A club that looks like an obvious weekend favourite may have one eye on Europe, while players returning from international duty could be managed carefully with another major fixture approaching.

For anyone betting next weekend, checking the latest injuries, expected line ups and European schedules could therefore be every bit as important as studying recent results.

Club Football Is Nearly Back

After weeks dominated by international football, this is the weekend many bettors have been waiting for.

Arsenal against Leeds gets the Premier League moving again, Manchester United against Tottenham provides Saturday's first heavyweight clash and Liverpool against Manchester City is the obvious centrepiece on Sunday. Add Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Inter, Napoli, AC Milan, Juventus and PSG to the mix and there is quality spread right across Europe.

One week to go. Then the coupons, accumulators, Bet Builders, goalscorer bets and Saturday afternoon rituals are properly back.