Will Goals Be Scored This Weekend? Expert Picks for Saturday’s EPL Slate
Written by: BettingThePitch
Published: Sat Oct 10, 2026, 9:00 am ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
EPL
WE ARE BACK!
Club football has finally returned, and we have a full Saturday slate across Europe!
The Nations League treated us well, but that international break felt like it lasted forever. Personally, I couldn't be happier to get back to European club football.
However, this opening weekend could be a little tricky.
Most players have only been back training with their clubs for a few days. As a result, I highly recommend waiting for confirmed lineups before placing your bets.
We need to see how managers handle players returning from international duty and whether everyone is fully fit.
With that said, I've found a couple of spots I really like today.
Let's get into the plays!
Featured Plays
- Aston Villa vs. Brentford Over 2.75 Goals (-110)
- Bournemouth First-Half Team Total Over 0.5 Goals (+115)
Aston Villa vs. Brentford
I honestly don't expect this Saturday slate to be filled with high-scoring matches.
However, this matchup feels like one of the exceptions.
Aston Villa entered the international break in excellent form, winning their final three matches. Additionally, their last five games have all finished with at least three goals.
The biggest concern for Villa has been their defense.
They haven't kept a clean sheet in any of those five matches, which has forced their attack to produce.
Interestingly, Villa have also struggled at home this season.
However, this feels like an opportunity to finally put together a strong performance in front of their supporters.
On the other side, Brentford have been involved in plenty of entertaining matches themselves.
Five of their seven games this season have produced at least three goals. Meanwhile, both of their road matches have ended in draws.
Those two away fixtures featured three goals scored and three conceded by the Bees.
More importantly, Brentford's underlying attacking numbers have been extremely impressive.
They currently rank third in the Premier League in expected goals, trailing only Manchester City and Brighton.
That's pretty impressive company.
Brentford also rank inside the top four in big chances created, with 17 through their opening matches.
This isn't a team simply getting lucky in front of goal. They're consistently creating quality opportunities and putting opposing defenses under pressure.
That could be a problem for Villa.
The hosts haven't looked particularly convincing defensively, and Brentford have the attacking quality to take advantage.
However, I also expect Villa to create plenty of chances themselves.
With a healthy, in-form Manzambi returning to the lineup, Villa should have another important piece available going forward.
Both teams have shown they can score, while neither defense has been particularly reliable.
Ultimately, I think this matchup has everything needed for an entertaining afternoon.
At Over 2.75, we also get a half-win if the match finishes with exactly three goals.
Give me goals at Villa Park.
Play: Aston Villa vs. Brentford Over 2.75 Goals (-110)
Chelsea vs. Bournemouth
Rayan and The Cherries travel to Stamford Bridge after a long International break.
I'm going back to the well with another over in a Chelsea match.
However, this time I'm not targeting the full-game total.
Instead, I'm looking at Bournemouth to find the back of the net before halftime.
When I started digging into this matchup, a few numbers immediately caught my attention.
Bournemouth have scored five of their six goals this season in the first half.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have conceded half of their goals before halftime and the other half after the break.
That tells me Bournemouth's preferred attacking approach could create problems for Chelsea early.
The Cherries have been aggressive from the opening whistle this season.
They've scored first in five of their last seven matches. Additionally, they've gone on to win the first half in all five of those games.
That's exactly the type of trend I want when targeting a first-half team total.
Of course, Chelsea aren't exactly a team that likes to ease into matches either.
We've seen them come flying out of the gates throughout the season, often creating dangerous chances almost immediately.
However, that aggressive approach can leave openings going the other way.
Xabi Alonso has talked about cleaning up Chelsea's defensive mistakes, and that's certainly something this team needs to address.
The problem is that I don't think those issues disappear overnight.
Chelsea still have personnel concerns defensively, and the international break hasn't given Alonso much time to fix everything.
Now, with players only recently returning from international duty, I expect some of those defensive problems to continue.
That's where Bournemouth can take advantage.
The Cherries rank inside the top 10 in big chances created this season. However, their actual goal production has slightly underperformed what those opportunities suggest.
That gives me even more confidence in their ability to create chances against this Chelsea defense.
More importantly, I love the way both teams approach the opening stages of matches.
Chelsea want to attack early, while Bournemouth have shown they're more than comfortable doing the same.
As a result, I expect an aggressive opening half with opportunities on both ends.
We only need Bournemouth to find one goal before halftime.
At +115, I think that's excellent value considering their first-half production and Chelsea's defensive struggles.
I'll gladly take the plus money here.
Play: Bournemouth First-Half Team Total Over 0.5 Goals (+115)
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