Covid-19 struck the football world hard in 2020, but the English Premier League (EPL) is back. Yes, we’ll still be seeing empty stands and players wearing masks, but there will be no lack of goals and drama on the pitch. Liverpool finally ended its title drought, but will the Reds be able to repeat? So, carry on reading our English Premier League preview for online betting odds and to see who we think will win the title.
Our preview focuses mainly on the top 6 clubs in English football right now. However, do expect Wolves, Leicester City, Everton, and Leeds United to make waves.
Manchester City – English Premier League Favourites
City is coming off a disappointing season with Pep Guardiola taking most of the blame. His glittering side failed to win the EPL and also faltered in European competition. Lionel Messi was linked with a groundbreaking move to Manchester, but that won’t be happening. City will have to “manage” without him.
With a somewhat depleted attack (David Silva has left the club and Leroy Sane has completed his move to Bayern Munich), City will go only as far as Kevin De Bruyne takes them. Nathan Ake and Ferran Torres have been signed to bolster the defence, which simply put, failed to impress last season.
The Bottom Line: Favourites to win the title.
Key Players: Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Eric Laporte.
Betting Tip: Guardiola is on thin ice. A bad start can lead to a big shakeup.
Best winning odds: 1.76 @ 10Cric
Liverpool – Current English Premier League Champions
Can Liverpool repeat in 2021?
Liverpool has a solid squad with Jurgen Klopp pulling the strings. But everybody knows that the big clubs were in limbo last season. Man United was getting used to Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s new tactics and Chelsea was promoting youngsters, while Tottenham and Arsenal both replaced their managers.
Mo Salah has committed to the club and is expected to deliver another 30-goal season. But the growing feeling is that not much has been done to upgrade key positions or create depth in the squad. Covid has hurt Liverpool financially which means they have less spending money. Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana have already moved on, with Xherdan Shaqiri and possibly Wijnaldum also expected to depart soon. As long as Jordan Henderson can stay healthy, Liverpool has a chance of winning the title back-to-back.
The Bottom Line: A repeat is possible, but a Top-3 finish looks more likely
Key Players: Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson, Virgil van Dijk
Betting Tip: This team doesn’t concede too many goals
Best winning odds: 3.00 @ 10Cric
Manchester United
The Red Devils were not really convincing last season, as Solskjær struggled to find his ideal formation and starting lineup. But as the season progressed, Marcus Rashford was returned to his natural position (the left flank) and Anthony Martial established himself as the official Number.9 of the team.
Paul Pogba is now fully committed to the club and is expected to be influential as always. Jadon Sancho is expected to arrive soon from Borussia Dortmund (£100m), but it’s safe to assume that it will take him a few weeks to capture his place in the starting 11. Mason Greenwood will start the season in attack.
The Bottom Line: Anything less than a Top-3 finish will be considered a failure
Key Players: Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, David de Gea
Betting Tip: Expect a lot of goals from this team’s potent attack
Best winning odds: 15.00 @ Fun Bet
Tottenham
Jose Mourinho is the undisputed star of this Spurs team. Yes, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min are still at White Hart Lane. They are expected to shoulder the burden up front and deliver dozens of goals yet again. But there is a lot of speculation around Dele Alli and his worrying dip in form after Covid-19 struck.
Mourinho will try to impress chairman Daniel Levy with a domestic trophy, but will he be able to qualify for next year’s Champions Cup? His signings so far – Pierre-Emile Højbjerg to tighten the middle of the pitch, Matt Doherty to ideally become the regular right-back, and Joe Hart to challenge Hugo Lloris.
The Bottom Line: The Spurs fans will be very happy to finish 4th or 5th
Key Players: Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Dele Alli
Betting Tip: Tottenham can literally win or lose any game
Best winning odds: 51.00 @ Fun Bet
Chelsea
It’s too much to expect another Top-4 finish here. The transfer ban killed all momentum this club had and Frank Lampard is still working with mediocre material. Thiago Silva has come in, but at age 36 he is not expected to show the form that made him a global star. César Azpilicueta is also one year slower.
But Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic won’t be alone in attack this year. Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech are already eager to get started, with Kai Havertz expected to wear the blue shirt and make things even more potent. These players won’t gel instantly but expect a strong finish from Chelsea.
The Bottom Line: Chelsea should finish the season in the Top-4
Key Players: Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner, Azpilicueta
Betting Tip: Many experts feel that this can be Guardiola’s last season
Best winning odds: 11.00 @ 10Cric
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta started his Arsenal managerial career without making too many headlines because expectations weren’t too high. But the Spaniard, who has played for the Gunners in the past, guided the team to an impressive FA Cup and ended last season on a high. So what has changed this year? Not much.
“Lazy and slow” Mesut Özil has probably played his last game at the Emirates. Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba are expected to help the team’s slow defence, which will still be led by David Luiz. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette will feature in attack along with the new addition Willian. But there is a chance Lacazette may leave early on in the season. So, expect Nketiah to receive more responsibility to fill the void.
The Bottom Line: The Gunners will fight for 4th place
Key Players: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Willian, Gabriel, Nketiah
Betting Tip: This team will score a lot, but also concede a lot of goals
Best winning odds: 34.00 @ Fun Bet
All in all, Covid-19 is still with us, but we can at least enjoy our weekends with some quality English football. One thing is for sure. Liverpool is going to face tougher competition this year. You’ve read the Live Casino India Premier League preview. So, let football betting begin.