Ben Dinnery returns with his latest Final One Standing tips and predictions ahead of matchday two in the 2025/26 Premier League.
Rodrigo Muniz broke our hearts on the opening weekend with a 97th minute equaliser to prevent a full house, which included Nottingham Forest, despite Nuno Espírito Santo admitting his squad was ‘very, very far’ from where he wanted it to be in terms of preparation.
However, a busy week in the transfer market looks to have remedied some of those issues…
Overall, the opening fixtures gave us very few surprises, with newly promoted Sunderland probably the best of the bunch with a comfortable 3-0 victory over West Ham. However, week two appears a lot less clear-cut, and the Final One Standing field is likely to be whittled down significantly.
Manchester City
Once again, I’m going to play it safe with my main pick, opting for the Citizens, who entertain Tottenham following a very efficient display at Molineux. Spurs themselves cruised to three points, but Burnley offered the perfect opponents after a midweek sapping Super Cup loss to Paris Saint-Germain.
Of course, recent history will steer many potential backers away from this game. Tottenham have proven themselves to be a bit of a bogey team, winning 4-0 at The Etihad less than 12 months ago, while City have won only four of their last twelve meetings. However, since that heavy defeat, the fortunes of the sides have changed significantly…
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Pep has overseen a City rebuild, with the likes of Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Aït-Nouri, Rayan Cherki and Omar Marmoush arriving, with Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish and Kyle Walker amongst those departing.
Meanwhile, Tottenham are now under the stewardship of Thomas Frank, and yes, defensively, Spurs should be more defensively robust, but they lack the quality of City. However, the signing of Mohammed Kudus improves attacking options.
Only Arsenal are priced shorter for the win, and City are widely tipped to maintain their winning start to the campaign.
Erling Haaland is the player most likely to score this weekend (60%), while at the opposite end, the odds of a City clean sheet also appeal (35%). If you fancy Tijjani Reijnders to make another goal contribution, the midfielder is around 40 per cent to add to his tally.
Arsenal
Sunderland and Leeds United joined a small group after winning their opening matches, and in doing so, became only the third pairing following promotion to the Premier League. This shows how difficult it is for new teams to establish themselves in the top-flight.
Therefore, I’m not expecting Leeds to replicate their heroics of Monday night, and a trip to The Emirates is likely to bring them back down to earth quickly.
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The Gunners have dominated this fixture, winning six-in-a-row on the back of fourteen unbeaten. And with the possibility of Eberechi Eze being added to the ranks, Leeds will find it difficult to improve upon a dreadful record in the Capital (23 losses in their previous thirty away days).
Arsenal managed to navigate a possible banana skin at Old Trafford, with a steely determination that will stand them in good stead for the rest of the campaign. And Mikel Arteta should be able to call upon the majority of his squad, with Kai Havertz and long-termer Gabriel Jesus the only expected absentees.
Victor Gyokeres (56%) is given a high likelihood of scoring, while Arsenal are tipped as home bankers (60%).
AFC Bournemouth
The Cherries almost pulled off a huge shock at Anfield on Friday night, only for two late Liverpool goals to dent hopes of a well-deserved point.
In spite of several high-profile summer departures, Bournemouth made a good account of themselves, proving doubters wrong and hinting at another exciting season.
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The side was defensively strong and excellent in attack as Antoine Semenyo stunned the home side with two fantastic goals. And for this weekend, Bournemouth are odds-on favourites to secure three points at The Vitality. In fact, it is regarded as the third easiest fixture of this game week (50%).
Adding to this, Wolves have not travelled well under Vitor Pereira, finishing in the bottom half of the table for away games with 12 points from nine matches, conceding 15 goals (1.7 per 90). This is an excellent opportunity to back a team for victory that you may not fancy deeper into the tournament…
Burnley
The Clarets won’t be to everyone’s fancy, but even though we still have 37 games to go, this is arguably a must-win for Burnley, who cannot afford to lose at home to a relegation rival, and Scott Parker knows the importance of three points here.
In the Championship, Burnley finished 24 points ahead of the Black Cats, but they took just one point from their two matches, and they haven’t scored against them since October 2022.
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However, given the amount of change – both sides invested over £85m into their squads – it’s difficult to compare their Championship success, which saw Burnley promoted with a string of record-breaking statistics – Most Championship clean sheets (30), Fewest goals conceded in a Championship season (16), Most Championship clean sheets in a row (12) and the Most minutes in a row without conceding (910).
The Clarets’ backline also included James Trafford, who conceded only 16 goals across his record-equalling 29 shutouts, but his performances prompted former employers Manchester City to invoke a buyback clause. On the flipside, Sunderland surprised everyone by winning the playoffs, having lost their final five domestic fixtures.
After a win over West Ham, plus the Clarets’ capitulation at Spurs, you could be forgiven for thinking Sunderland are firm favourites. Still, at Turf Moor, the projected data gives Burnley the edge and a good chance of getting their first points on the board.
