EPL Betting: Manchester City a Sure Thing for the English Premier League Title, According to Bookies

Posted on: August 9, 2018, 01:00h. 

Last updated on: August 9, 2018, 12:38h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.

The English Premier League is back. Yes, after a summer of World Cup soccer, it’s time for lots more soccer. On Thursday, the transfer window closed with no dramatic last-minute deals.

EPL
Manchester is blue! Pep Guardiola’s Man City will begin the new EPL season as a huge favorite, despite having more players returning from the World Cup than most. (Image: City Watch)

On Friday, Man United will be aiming to do the business on the pitch against shock 2016 winner Leicester City.

Leicester was 5,000/1 to win the EPL that year and its victory shocked the world and made bookies look very stupid. If you think the Foxes can do it again, you can have it 300/1. Be warned, though, they’re far more likely to be relegated, according to bookmakers. But then they were in the 2015/16 season too, so who knows.

The truth is, in terms of an outright winner this season, it’s hard to look past Man City, a team that won 32 of the 38 games it played last season — an EPL record. Other records included most points accumulated, most goals scored, highest goal difference, and the highest ever consecutive winning run, of 18.

Can Arsenal Upset City?

City is the biggest favorite there has ever been for Premier League title, with odds of 4/6. The bookies favor Liverpool for second, followed by Man Utd, Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal.

Which bring us to the standout game of the weekend, with Arsenal taking on Man City at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Much has been made of the impact that the World Cup will have on the top teams, and with City having more World Cup players returning late than most, could there be a chance for Arsenal to pull off an upset here?

The Gunners are beginning a new chapter without Arsene Wenger, the team’s devoted manager of 22 years, and new-guy Unai Emery has brought in players to shore up the notoriously leaky defense, including the Uruguayan defensive midfielder Lucas Torreira.

Kane Edges Salah for Top Scorer

Arsenal looked like a potent attacking force pre-season, but the old defensive frailties were still evident. City’s World Cup stars may not all be fully match fit, having only recently returned from an extended break, but the bookies believe they will be too much for Emery’s men.

Arsenal is still work in progress, and it’s an EPL baptism of fire for the new coach, with City evens for the away win and Arsenal 3/1 against pulling off the upset.

Bookmakers may believe the league winner is a foregone conclusion but for those of you who like a season-long bet, there are a host of other propositions. How about top scorer? Harry Kane is the current favorite, at 5/2, with Mo Salah breathing down his neck at 5/1.

You can also bet on relegation, of course, and newcomer Cardiff City has the dubious honor of being the bookies’ clear favorite, at 4/6.