Saturday’s Shots on Target 19/1 Punt

Saturday 14th September 2024 10:18 AM

The Premier League is back with a bang after the international break and has given us a few mouth-watering fixtures for Saturday afternoon.

Shane O’Brien has rolled up his sleeves and plunged into the shots on target markets for an acca from the 3pm kick-offs.

And, since this is a five-fold Acca, we’re covered by Paddy’s Acca-Cracker betting offer, so should one leg let you down, you get your stake back! Oh, and it’s double bubble here too, as the shots on target market is covered by the Super Sub promotion where your bet carries on even if a player is substituted.

Crystal Palace v Leicester – Jamie Vardy to have 1+ shots on target
Brighton v Ipswich – Sam Szmodics to have 1+ shots on target
Manchester City v Brentford – Jack Grealish to have 1+ shots on target
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest – Virgil Van Dijk to have 1+ shots on target
Fulham v West Ham – Jarrod Bowen to have 1+ shots on target

Crystal Palace v Leicester – Jamie Vardy to have 1+ shots on target

Neither Crystal Palace nor Leicester have made particularly encouraging starts to the season, picking up just a point each in their opening three games.

Both sides are hovering close to the relegation zone at this early part of the season and could do with a win on Saturday to kickstart their season.

Leicester, who already look in danger of going straight back to the Championship, could do with a win against a Palace side that has yet to find the form that lit up the Premier League at the tail end of last season.

The Foxes have every chance of causing problems for Palace, with Steve Cooper’s side scoring in their three league games to date and Palace conceding in their three league games.

Jamie Vardy, who secured Leicester’s only point so far by equalising in the opening-day draw against Tottenham, is as likely as any Leicester player to hit the target on Saturday afternoon. Vardy averages just under one shot per game in the league at this early stage and is decent value to land at least one shot on target.

Brighton v Ipswich – Sam Szmodics to have 1+ shots on target

Ipswich are very much underdogs going into this daunting trip to in-form Brighton. Kieran McKenna’s side are winless after a difficult opening three games that saw them take on both Liverpool and Manchester City, but they did manage to nab their first point of the season with a 1-1 draw against Fulham just before the international break.

That result should have given them confidence going into this clash with Brighton, who have taken seven points from their opening three games.

Brighton, however, have faced 12 shots on target in their opening four games and are by no means invincible.

Sammie Szmodics, who scored Ipswich’s first goal of the season on a counterattack against Manchester City, could cause some problems for the Brighton defence. The Ireland international finished as top scorer in the Championship last season and posed some problems for England last weekend.

He will be confident ahead of Saturday’s trip to Brighton and should at least try his luck on several occasions.

Manchester City v Brentford – Jack Grealish to have 1+ shots on target

Jack Grealish was excellent in England’s 2-0 win over Ireland and that goalscoring performance could be just the shot in the arm that the Manchester City winger needs.He endured a difficult season last year and spoke openly about his frustrations of missing out on the English squad for the Euros. Scoring on his return to the England set-up could be exactly what he needed.

He will get chances to open his club account for the season on Saturday when Brentford travel to the Etihad.

City will dominate almost all of the ball and territory on Saturday afternoon and are likely to pepper the Brentford goal with shots. At least one of those shots should come from Grealish.

Liverpool v Nottingham Forest – Virgil Van Dijk to have 1+ shots on target

Liverpool, like Manchester City, will dominate almost all of the ball and the territory when Nottingham Forest travel to Anfield on Saturday.

Forest have travelled to Anfield twice in the Premier League since earning promotion in 2022, conceding a combined total of six goals and 40 shots. There is no reason to believe that Saturday will be any different.

Liverpool won 17 corners across their two previous home games against Forest and have averaged seven corners per game in their three league games under Arne Slot. Logic dictates that Liverpool will win a high number of corners on Saturday, paving the way for Virgil Van Dijk to venture forward and test Matz Sels in the Forest goal.

Van Dijk has averaged around three goals per season since joining Liverpool and is clearly a threat from set pieces. He should get plenty of opportunities to open his account for the 2024/25 season.

Fulham v West Ham – Jarrod Bowen to have 1+ shots on target

It has been a difficult start to the season for West Ham, who have lost both of their home games and won their only away game to date. Saturday’s trip to Fulham is an opportunity to get their season up and running, and Jarrod Bowen represents their best chance of hurting the Fulham defence.

Bowen scored in the 2-0 win at Palace earlier in the season and scored eight goals on the road last season. He thrives on the counterattack and averages exactly one shot per game so far this season. He is by far the most likely and most reliable West Ham player to find the target on Saturday.

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