Well, here we go again! The Premier League is going to be back with a bang this weekend with a mouthwatering array of fixtures and new arrivals to keep a beady eye on!
Last season saw Liverpool ease to a first league title in 30 years under the magnificent leadership of Jurgen Klopp. Without any obvious faults, the Reds became champions with a yawning 18-point gap back to second placed Manchester City.
Will they have it all their own way this time around though? Their main challengers have been busy in the transfer market with some intriguing players lined up to play in the Premier League for the very first time.
Sadly, there are also those teams who will be battling for survival in the Premier League this season. The race to avoid the relegation trapdoor went down to the final day last term and Watford, Bournemouth and Norwich all dropped into the Championship.
Withouth further ado, let us take a look at our predicted top four, who could get into Europe, our three tips for relegation and some of the best betting odds for the 2020/21 Premier League season!
The Top 4
Champions – Manchester City
We think City are going to regain the title they lost emphatically to Liverpool last season. Yes, 18 points is a lot to turn around but if anyone can do it, Pep Guardiola’s side can. There is no doubt about their attacking prowess with the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Raheem Sterling to call upon. Sergio Aguero will also be back in action after knee surgery. Defensively is where City have been weak but the signing of Nathan Ake will be vital.
The pain of losing their Premier League title, as well as being defeated by Lyon in the Champions League, will hurt and they will be fighting back like a wounded animal. We do think that this could be a truly classic season with a not a lot to choose between the top 4. However, at 10/13, City look primed to lift the trophy again.
2nd place – Liverpool
Of course, you would be silly to write off Liverpool. Klopp’s men were truly remarkable last term and they could turn up and dominate again. In Virgil Van Dijk, they have without doubt the best centre-half in the division and they have a front three who could fit into any team in Europe.
However, the Reds have been quiet in the transfer market whilst their rivals have been very active. Klopp is obviously confident his side can do the business again but if injuries strike, the squad isn’t as strong as City’s. If you do fancy Liverpool to win another Premier League title, they are a generous 2/1. Maintaining that stunning excellence from their devastating title win last season will no doubt be the hardest thing to achieve again.
3rd place – Chelsea
After a season of transition last time. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has put his money where his mouth is and backed manager Frank Lampard in the transfer market.
The signings look, on paper, very exciting. Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Ben Chilwell and Kai Havertz have all joined the Blues, meaning that in attack they look potent and could well be the highest scoring team in the Premier League. However, the defence last season was brittle and despite Chilwell’s arrival at left-back, the centre of defence is where the main problem lies. They will get close to the top two but conceding goals will still be an issue.
4th place – Manchester United
Like Chelsea, they have a young manager in charge who was a club legend as a player and you have to applaud Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for turning it around at Old Trafford.
Like Chelsea, although on a smaller scale, they have made some excellent signings such as Donny van de Beek and, along with Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes, they make up arguably the best midfield trio in the league. They have a quick and lethal front three who will get goals. However, they lack a real world-class finisher. If they sign Jadon Sancho, they could finish higher and they look a good tip to be the winner minus Liverpool and City.
Who will finish 5th and 6th?
Spurs, Arsenal, Leicester, Everton and Wolves will surely be challenging for those places below the top four that would see them quality for the Europa League.
There is no doubt it will be mightily close. All those sides have strengthened throughout the close season and in Everton’s case, they have landed a major coup in bringing James Rodriguez to Goodison Park. However, they still lack quality in certain areas and despite having a top-class manager in Carlo Ancelotti, the top six will probably beyond them this term.
Leicester were brilliant last campaign under Brendan Rodgers but ran out of steam towards the end of the season and missed out on the top four. They were reliant on the goals of Jamie Vardy but produced some magic moments. Yet again though, their challengers have bolstered their squad whilst the Foxes have barely made any impact signings.
Wolves were also magnificent in the 2019/20 season. They were in it for the long haul having started competitively in July 2019. Nuno Santo’s side play with a real swagger but losing Matt Doherty to Spurs will be a blow. Wolves have invested in new players but they have come from abroad and may take a while to bed in.
That leaves Spurs and Arsenal to finish in those European spots. Tottenham have made a couple of decent signings in Doherty and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. These two are established Premier League stars and will boost Spurs’ squad. If Harry Kane can stay fit, he looks a good pick to be the Premier League’s top scorer.
Arsenal had a terrific end to last season, winning the FA Cup. They have carried it on into this term, winning the Community Shield by beating Liverpool on penalties. Mikel Arteta has added steel to the Gunners and a European spot looks up for grabs. The signings of Willian and William Saliba will give them more quality and like Kane, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be a tasty bet to be top scorer.
The Bottom Three
18th – Sheffield United
Last season, the Blades were the Premier League’s surprise package after coming up from the Championship. They were on the cusp of European football and Chris WIlder worked wonders to keep United in the hunt for the top six all season. They just fell short but they won many admirers.
However, teams that normally do well in their first campaign after promotion normally struggle the season after and, sadly, we predict that United will go down.
They don’t have the money to compete with the big boys and their biggest loss could be Dean Henderson. He was sensational last term when on loan from Man Utd, and his departure has left a huge hole to fill. It could be a bridge too far and at 7/2, they look a very good bet to take the plunge.
19th – Brighton and Hove Albion
Like his counterpart Wilder, Graham Potter did a fantastic job at Brighton last season. With limited resources, he kept the Seagulls up comfortably. This time around will be tougher, though.
The teams that have got promoted look stronger than the teams that got relegated from the Premier League in 2019/20 and goals could be quite hard to come by for Brighton.
They have punched well above their weight for a long period of time in the Premier League but they could be destined for the Championship. At 7/2. the odds look generous but unless they make a couple of stellar signings before the end of the month, it could be a long season.
20th – Fulham
Fulham bounced back in style, winning the Championship play-off final by beating Brentford 2-1. Former England international Scott Parker was the man who guided the Cottagers up and he will relish a crack at the Premier League.
Sadly, we tip it to be a brief stay in the top flight. They do have Premier League experience in their squad with the likes of Alex Mitrovic and Tom Cairney to call upon but they can’t compete in terms of finances with the teams around them.
They play quite a careful style of football and a lack of goals looks likely to be their downfall. Back them at 4/1 to be the lowest scorers in the Premier League and 1/1 to get relegated.
For more football odds, visit our dedicated NetBet Football Betting page.
