Playing in the early kick-off gives you the perfect opportunity to put your rivals under more pressure when they’re in action later on in the weekend.
This weekend’s match in the Premier League sees Manchester United take on Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
You can listen to full commentary of Bournemouth vs Manchester United LIVE on talkSPORT – kick-off 12:30pm on Saturday.
After going months without an away win, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have found their mojo and have won three on the road in less than a week.
They ended their wretched run with a win at Partizan Belgrade in the Europa League on October 24 before beating Norwich 3-1 in the Premier League last weekend.
And perhaps most impressive of all, Man United put an end to Chelsea’s seven-game winning streak with a 2-1 triumph at Stamford Bridge in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday – Marcus Rashford scoring both goals, including an incredible ‘Cristiano Ronaldo-esque’ free-kick.
The weekend starts with talkSPORT where SIX games are live across the network
Barnsley vs Bristol City (Friday, 7.45pm) – talkSPORT 2
Bournemouth vs Man United (Saturday, 12.30pm) – talkSPORT
Wigan vs Swansea (Saturday, 12.30pm) – talkSPORT 2
Arsenal vs Wolves (Saturday, 3pm) – talkSPORT 2
Watford vs Chelsea (Saturday, 5.30pm) – talkSPORT
Charlton vs Preston (Sunday, 12pm) – talkSPORT 2
A victory would see the Red Devils rise to fifth in the Premier League table for a couple of hours at least which would be remarkable progress considering they were only two points above the relegation zone less than a month ago.
Another reason Man United may fancy their chances on Saturday lunchtime is because they have a decent record when playing in early kick-offs in the Premier League.
Betting-Directory.com have researched which top-flight sides have the best early kick-off win percentages over the last ten years.
Man United are third in this table with a 52.2 per cent win rate with their local rivals Manchester City way out in front on 70.7 per cent.
Below you can see the best early kick-off win percentages for every current Premier League side over the last ten years.
*No limit on amount of games played
The early kick-off win percentages for every PL side over the last ten years
1. Man City – 70.7%
2. Chelsea – 57.5%
3. Man Utd – 52.2%
4. Brighton – 50%
5= Liverpool – 47.6%
5= Arsenal – 47.6%
7. West Ham – 44%
8. Southampton – 41.7%
9. Tottenham – 39.6%
10. Crystal Palace – 38.5%
11. Newcastle – 31.8%
12. Burnley – 27.3%
13. Leicester – 26.7%
14. Everton – 22.9%
15. Bournemouth – 22.3%
16= Wolves – 15.4%
16= Aston Villa – 15.4%
18. Watford – 14.3%
19= Norwich – 0%
19= Sheffield United – 0%
It’s perhaps no surprise Man City are top of the pile as they have developed into a top team over the last decade.
Brighton are the surprise package in this table but it should be noted that because this is only their third season in the Premier League, it will be easier for them to increase their win percentage.
The same goes for Norwich and Sheffield United, who are joint last. Neither club is regularly in the Premier League so their percentage was either going to be very high or very low.
Saturday is GameDay on talkSPORT as we bring you THREE live Premier League commentaries across our network, including Bournemouth vs Manchester United