The Premier League Is Back! – Who Are The Favorites?

Football is back for the new season and so is England with the Premier League!

Liverpool won their first league title after 30 years, to win their 19th championship, now just be one behind their archrivals from Old Trafford, Manchester United. As the world’s most exciting league has kicked off, this season will be exciting for football betting fans tuning in because teams have become stronger and added to their already talented squads.

Let us have a look at which teams are likely to challenge for this year’s coveted title.

1. Liverpool FC

This is a real no-brainer. Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool come into this new season as the defending champions. They steamrolled the league last season as they bagged 99 points in the 38 games that they played, finishing 18 points ahead of second-placed Manchester City and 33 points ahead of third-placed Manchester United and fourth-placed, Chelsea! They are an extraordinarily strong outfit with a lot of depth. They have one of the world’s best goalkeepers in Alisson and three of the back four players who made the Premier League team of the year last season in current Ballon D’Or holder, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson, and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Liverpool is led by a competent captain, Jordan Henderson but what makes the Merseyside team lethal is their attack as they have two of Africa’s finest in Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, playing at either flank. They also have the very competent Brazilian, Roberto Firmino upfront that makes Liverpool’s attack one of the best in Europe.

The story does not end here for Liverpool, however. They managed to acquire Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich and Diogo Jota from Wolverhampton to add to their midfield prowess in central midfield. The Kop has a look to look forward to and given their balance all around the pitch, it will be extremely hard to beat the champions. Given last season’s performance, they must be tipped to retain their title.

2. Manchester City FC

“The Noisy Neighbours” of Manchester United can now never be left out of the conversation when it comes to favourites to win the Premier League. Manchester City missed out on winning the Premier League title for a third consecutive time, last season. Pep Guardiola’s men will be determined to set the record straight in their quest for their 7th Premier League title as they look to also achieve their dream of winning the ever-eluding UEFA Champions League title.

 

City has been backed to win the PL title as the biggest favourites simply because of the big names they have in their squad. They have been the biggest spenders in the transfer market over the last decade. The team has the current Golden Glove winner, Ederson, as their goalkeeper. They acquired Dutch centre-back Nathan Ake from Bournemouth this summer to add to their defence. City lost one of their best players in David Silva this season as the Spaniard decided to move back to Spain and represent Real Sociedad. They have brought in a young and dynamic Spanish central attacking midfielder, Ferran Torres as Silva’s replacement from Valencia CF.

The team from the city of Manchester has one of the world’s best players in Kevin de Bruyne and the incredible Englishman, Raheem Sterling. They also have Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez who had a terrific season and is expected to kick on. With the young Gabriel Jesus and the experienced, Sergio Aguero, City are going to find the back of the net many times once again, this season.

Manchester City has an upcoming star in Phil Foden who broke into the scene towards the end of last season with fantastic performances. They also have stars like Ilkay Gudogan, Aymeric Laporte, Bernardo Silva, Rodrigo, and Kyle Walker. With such a star-studded line-up, it is championship or bust every year for the City Football Group. Expect them to put on a show again this time out.

3. Chelsea FC

Frank Lampard’s Chelsea finished tied on points with Manchester United last season but lost out on goal difference to settle for 4th place and secure the last UEFA Champions League spot that was available. It was a season of ups and downs for the London team. They may have finished 4th but it was far from impressive as they ended up with only 66 points.

Chelsea sold their best player, Eden Hazard to Real Madrid but brought in Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund. The American had an injury-hit season but when fit, he was the difference-maker and had an immediate impact to quickly become a fan-favourite of the Stamford Bridge faithful. Chelsea had some defensive woes last season including their goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga, which they have addressed by bringing in Thiago Silva and Malang Sarr on free transfers from PSG and Nice, respectively. The biggest defensive buy for Chelsea, however, was Ben Chilwell from Leicester City for around 50 million pounds.

Chelsea were the biggest spenders in this transfer market and added to their attacking power as they let go of Willian who transferred to Arsenal for free. They signed Hakim Ziyech, the right-winger from Ajax, Timo Werner from RB Leipzig who is Germany’s ace striker, and Kai Havertz, also from Germany. Kai Havertz became Germany’s most expensive player with this transfer from Bayer Leverkusen.

With the firepower in attack, Chelsea will be expected to challenge for the title. There seem to be no excuses for Frank Lampard now and finishing below 2nd in this year’s Premier League and not challenging for the UEFA Champions League will be considered a failure for the Blues this season.

4. Everton FC

This may come as a surprise pick to many but the blue side from Merseyside has looked well and truly destructive early in the season. Everton was extremely poor before the arrival of the manager, Carlo Ancelotti. The attacking mastermind changed the entire system and the Toffees made a late run in the league last season, but it was not enough to help them get European football.

This could be a blessing in disguise for the Evertonians because it means that they can focus on pushing for a legitimate UEFA Champions League spot as they will not have the burden of extra fixtures in midweek. Everton is playing attack-minded football. They have a team that has a settled backline, which means that the attackers can focus on scoring goals.

Everton added to their midfield by bringing in the Colombian star, James Rodriguez and Frenchman, Abdoulaye Doucure. Both have had an immediate impact on the side. Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are constant goal threats and fit perfectly into Ancelotti’s free-flowing football. Everton could be dark horses this season to make the top 4 although a premier league crown seems to be something that they are still far from.

5. Manchester United FC

It is almost impossible to leave out the biggest club in England and one of the biggest in the world, from any conversation. Manchester United made an incredible push towards the end of last season, securing 32 points out of 42 to finish 3rd in the Premier League last season.

They went unbeaten from January till the end of the season in the Premier League, which is no small feat and credit must be given to the man they brought in, in the January transfer window – Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese playmaker was the best player in the league after he joined the club.

Manchester United may have been thrilling to watch but there are lots of question marks on the squad depth and whether they have enough talent to be able to challenge. The club has only managed to bring in Ajax’s Donny van de Beek so far and with the odds of Jadon Sancho becoming a Manchester United player this transfer window looking slim, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will have his work cut out to get the Old Trafford club to finish in the top 4 once again this season or even challenge for Europe’s coveted UEFA Champions League crown.

6. Tottenham Hotspur FC

Arsenal fans will not like this list whatsoever. Jose Mourinho’s Spurs finished 6th last season but had the 4th best record in the league after Mourinho took over. The North London side have added to their squad depth by signing Sergio Reguilon, the young Spanish left-back and bringing back Gareth Bale on a season-long loan from Real Madrid. The Welsh star will be keen on having an impact at his old club once again.

Spurs also signed Irishman, Matt Doherty from Wolves after he was stellar last season. Tottenham has a very solid defensive line with France captain, Hugo Lloris in goal and Toby Alderweireld leading the back four. The team also has a couple of Premier League stars in Son Heung-Min and England Captain, Harry Kane.

When Tottenham play quick, attacking football, not too many teams can keep up with them. They always look a threat on the counter and will be tough to beat as Jose Mourinho is known to set up teams that do not concede goals.

The Spurs can make a push for the Europa League title this season and also try to finish in the top 4 that is up for grabs.

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