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  31 August 2025, Stamford Bridge The west London derby between Chelsea and Fulham represents a rivalry based more on geography than balanced results. The Opta supercomputer gives the home side a 59.4% chance of victory in Saturday's encounter. Chelsea's historical dominance The Premier League record speaks clearly - 22 wins for Chelsea against three for Fulham. Of teams that have played the Cottagers more than six times, only Manchester United (2.30) and Arsenal (2.22) have a better points-per-match average than Chelsea (2.14). However, Fulham can draw confidence from last season's rare 2-1 triumph at Stamford Bridge, which ended a 21-game winless streak against Chelsea in all competitions. They have never won consecutive matches at Stamford Bridge, though. Current team form Chelsea started the season similarly to last year - failing to score in a home match (1-1 with Crystal Palace) but then netting five goals away (5-0 West Ham). João Pedro shines with four goals ...

31 August 2025, Elland Road Newcastle United arrive in Leeds as favorites according to the Opta supercomputer with a 44.7% chance of victory. Both teams face significant personnel problems ahead of Saturday's encounter. Newcastle seeking stability Eddie Howe's team started the season with a 0-0 draw against Aston Villa and a dramatic 3-2 defeat at Liverpool. The Magpies have lost three of their last four league matches, which is more than in the previous 11 fixtures combined. The positive is a series of eight consecutive wins against promoted teams, scoring at least three goals in seven of them. Harvey Barnes will want to continue his impressive record against Leeds - he has scored five goals in six league matches against this opponent. Leeds after a difficult week Daniel Farke's team began with a 1-0 win over Everton but followed with a 0-5 thrashing by Arsenal and penalty elimination by Sheffield Wednesday's reserves in the League Cup. Nevertheless, Leeds rema...

30 August 2025, Old Trafford After the shocking defeat to Grimsby Town in the League Cup, Ruben Amorim will desperately seek his first win of the season when Manchester United host Burnley at Old Trafford. The Opta supercomputer gives the home side a 67.9% chance of victory. Manchester United's crisis The Portuguese manager has endured one of the worst results of his career - elimination by fourth-tier Grimsby Town on penalties after a 2-2 draw. This debacle means Amorim has won only 35.6% of his 45 competitive matches in charge of United - the lowest success rate of any manager since Alex Ferguson's departure. In the Premier League, United lost 1-0 to Arsenal in the opening round and drew 1-1 with Fulham, with Bruno Fernandes missing a penalty. Since the start of April, United have earned the fewest points of all ever-present top-flight teams - just six points (1 win, 3 draws, 7 losses). Home troubles Particularly concerning is United's form at Old Trafford, where t...

  24 August 2025, Emirates Stadium Mikel Arteta hopes for a second Premier League victory in Saturday's clash against Leeds United. The Opta supercomputer gives Arsenal a dominant 70.4% chance of victory. Arsenal close to historic record The Gunners are unbeaten in their last 42 Premier League home games against promoted sides (37 wins, 5 draws). Their last such defeat came in November 2010 against Newcastle United. If Arsenal manage to avoid a surprise defeat, they will equal the competition record for the longest run without losing at home against promoted teams - 43 matches, held by Chelsea between 2001-2015. Arteta dominates against Leeds The Arsenal manager has faced Leeds more often without losing than any other team as Gunners boss in all competitions (8 games, 7 wins, 1 draw), winning all five encounters at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal enter their first home game of the 2025-26 season after a narrow 1-0 win at Old Trafford against Manchester United thanks to Riccar...

  The Community Shield is the traditional curtain-raiser to England's top-flight football season, but is it a good indicator of who will eventually win the Premier League title? This Year's Edition The 2025 FA Community Shield takes place this weekend (Sunday, August 10) between defending champions Liverpool and FA Cup winners Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium. Considered the traditional season opener, the tournament was first played in 1908, with this year's edition being the 103rd in the competition's history. Success Statistics Out of 33 Community Shield matches in the Premier League era (since 1992-93), only eight teams managed to win both the Community Shield and subsequently the Premier League in the same season - that's less than a quarter (24%). None of the last five Community Shield winners have gone on to win the Premier League in the same season. Only one of the last 14 winners achieved this feat - Manchester City in the 2018-19 season. The Pa...