The upcoming 2024/25 Premier League season will likely be a thriller, with intriguing battles expected to unfold at both ends of the table.
Manchester City are the favourites in the latest online betting to win the title for the fifth year in a row, but several teams will fancy their chances of knocking them off their perch.
Read on as we offer some early predictions and best bets for next season, starting with a look at the title race.
Reigning champions are impossible to oppose
A superb run of form during the second half of the season helped Man City power to yet another Premier League title success in 2023/24.
Backing against the Cityzens has been an exercise in futility in recent years and odds of 13/10 look great value given the quality of the players at their disposal.
Arsenal are next in the betting at 2/1, but you would be hard pushed to believe they have the capacity to prevent Pep Guardiola’s side from storming to another title.
Their huge outlay on Declan Rice last summer failed to pay dividends, with the former West Ham United midfielder continuing his penchant for going missing in big games.
Liverpool make slightly more appeal at odds of 8/1, although they come with risks attached following the departure of manager Jurgen Klopp.
Improvement expected at Man United
Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool are fancied to fill the top three places again, but predicting which team will claim fourth position is much more difficult.
Aston Villa achieved the feat last season but could find it difficult to stay there given they have the added burden of Champions League football next term.
The most likely candidates to claim a top-four spot are Chelsea (6/4), Tottenham Hotspur (9/4) and Manchester United (9/4), and the latter appeal as the best option in this market.
United struggled badly with injuries last season but should be in the running to secure Champions League qualification if they can avoid a similar fate.
With the club set to revamp Erik ten Hag’s squad this summer, they can force their way back into the top four ahead of Chelsea and Spurs.
Newly promoted teams will struggle to stay afloat
Each of the promoted clubs failed to survive last season, with Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton Town making an immediate return to the Championship.
The bookmakers are predicting a similar outcome this time around, although there are reasons to believe that at least one of Leicester City, Ipswich and Southampton will survive.
With a potential points deduction hanging over them, Leicester’s status as the favourites to be relegated (1/2) is impossible to argue with.
Ipswich (9/10) and Southampton (6/4) have also been tipped to struggle, but the latter appeal as likely candidates to steer clear of the drop zone this season.
Their squad already contains players with Premier League experience, and some shrewd additions this summer would significantly boost their hopes of staying in the top flight.
