The Premier League returns on Friday 13th August and if the betting odds are anything to go by, then reigning champions Manchester City are expected to win it at a canter.
Jack Grealish has been added to an already formidable squad after his £100m arrival from Aston Villa, and further additions could still be in the offing in the attacking department as the Cityzens look to replace Sergio Aguero, who left for Barcelona.
Harry Kane has been heavily linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium, and online bookmakers have the transfer priced at 8/11, while he is 10/11 to stay at Tottenham Hotspur.
If Kane does complete a switch to City, then we might see the 4/6 price currently being offered by a range of football betting sites become even shorter. Incidentally, City are second-favourites for the Champions League at 7/2, with Paris Saint-Germain at 3/1.
Last season’s Champions League winners, Chelsea, are tipped to be City’s closest challengers domestically this term. With Romelu Lukaku on his way back to Stamford Bridge in a club record, Thomas Tuchel now has a prolific goalscorer leading his line.
The West Londoners are priced at 5/1 to lift the Premier League for the first time since 2017, and they clearly have the squad to challenge on all fronts in 2021-22.
Meanwhile, the 2019-20 champions, Liverpool, have fallen under the radar after a disappointing defence of their title and a relatively quiet transfer window to date.
But with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, and Joel Matip all back from injury, plus Ibrahima Konate – whose release clause at RB Leipzig was triggered in May – entering the fray, the Reds will surely be a tough nut to crack this season.
Georginio Wijnaldum will be a big miss, but if the talented forward line can recapture the form that has led Liverpool to numerous honours under Jurgen Klopp, then their odds of 11/2 shouldn’t be sniffed at.
Manchester United will also fancy their chances to close the gap on their city rivals, especially with Jadon Sancho’s signing confirmed and Raphael Varane set to follow suit.
The Red Devils made good progress under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last year – so much so that the Norwegian has been rewarded with a new contract. 8/1 is probably about right considering United haven’t truly been in a title race for a long time, but their improvements must be respected and if Sancho hits the ground running, exciting times beckon.
There is then a huge dropoff to Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City, and Arsenal, all of whom are in the 50/1-66/1 range depending on which betting site you use.
Those three clubs are generally 4/1 or greater to finish in the top four, which has remained unchanged in terms of its occupants for the past two seasons.
In the top goalscorer market, it is a close battle between the potentially City-bound Kane and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah at 3/1 and 4/1 respectively.
Raheem Sterling is at 16/1, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Gabriel Jesus, and Timo Werner slightly bigger with most bookmakers. Of course, when Chelsea officially complete the signing of Lukaku, you can expect him to slot in alongside the favourites.
