Plenty of star power will take the pitch as the English Premier League is back with Matchday 1 this weekend.
The pregame narrative: Cole Palmer has lofty expectations in his third season with Chelsea and I expect the Englishman to get off on the right foot. Erling Haaland remains one of the Premier League’s most dangerous attackers as he starts the campaign against Wolverhampton.
Check out my favourite EPL prop picks for the season-opening soccer action.
EPL prop bets
Best bet: Palmer to score (+125)
I have high hopes for Chelsea and Palmer this season.
The 23-year-old actually took a step back last season, with 23 goals/assists compared to a tally of 33 the season before. But he comes into this weekend with a ton of momentum.
The attacking midfielder dominated the knockout stages of the FIFA Club World Cup, capped off by a two-goal, one-assist performance in a huge upset over PSG in the final.
Despite scoring seven fewer goals last year, Palmer had only 0.9 fewer expected goals, showing that his numbers don’t truly reflect the quality of his season.
On Matchday 1, he has a good chance to shine against Crystal Palace, which sat in the middle of the pack with 51 goals conceded in 2024-25.
Palmer is Chelsea’s designated penalty taker, which can certainly work in our favour.
Key stat: Palmer ranked tied for second with Mo Salah for chances created last season (89).
Best Matchday 1 picks
Haaland to score (-143): This is another chalky pick but it’s worth it on opening weekend.
- Haaland had a down year by his standards in 2024-25, scoring 22 goals (his fewest since joining Manchester City).
- But Haaland recorded his most shots on target in an EPL season (55) and led the league in xG per 90 minutes (0.72), according to Fotmob.
In other words, he’s still clinical and one down season — if you want to even call it that — doesn’t change my thoughts on Haaland.
The Wanderers conceded the fourth-most goals per match last season (1.8) and didn’t make big enough moves to make me think that’s going to improve.
Expect Haaland to have his fair share of big chances on Saturday.
EPL prop bets made at 4:02 p.m. on 08/15/25.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.