It’s a New Year, but so far the same story for the Premier League top teams as Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City march on towards another title. Let’s have a look at the current Premier League betting picks.
Who do Bettors Favor?
Manchester City’s impressive winning streak has come to an end but their dominance of the Premier League has continued as a check of the best sportsbook sites will reveal.
City are unbackable at their current odds unless you’ve got a huge bankroll to throw around, and all bar one of their rivals are now into three-figures. That sole challenger, inevitably, is Liverpool. The Reds are generally available at 7.00 which isn’t particularly generous. You can back Chelsea at 101.00 and Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal at 351.00 and higher.
| EPL Winner |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester City | 1.10 | 1.10 | 1.10 |
| Liverpool | 7.00 | 7.00 | 7.00 |
| Chelsea | 101.00 | 101.00 | 101.00 |
| Arsenal | 501.00 | 351.00 | 351.00 |
| Manchester United | 501.00 | 501.00 | 501.00 |
| Tottenham | 501.00 | 351.00 | 351.00 |
Betting on the Premier League Title
Going into 2022, Manchester City’s rivals were hoping that the reigning champions might show some signs of weakness, to give them something to aim at, but that hasn’t happened. If anything, City have raised their game, although they have suffered their first dropped points since October when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Southampton at the end of January.
Stranger things have happened but it would count as one of the biggest surprises in Premier League history if City folded with the winning line in sight. Such a collapse seems all the more remarkable, given that their two remaining games against their nearest rivals will both be at the Etihad Stadium.
Liverpool have coped well without their AFCON heroes Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, both of whom played in the final of that tournament, but they are still paying the price for their slump over Christmas, and when you are chasing a team that barely drops a point, you have to match those high standards over a prolonged period. Liverpool usually finish strong, but I don’t think it will be enough this time.
Betting on the Premier League Challengers
Given the one-sided nature of the title race, the battle for the Top Four looks more interesting. Chelsea have the resilience and the points cushion to hang on for third at least, which leaves only one place up for grabs and four teams with a realistic chance of claiming it.
West Ham are in the strongest position, but have the smallest squad of the four, and Manchester United, immediately behind them in fifth, are not much better under Ralf Rangnick than they were under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Behind them, the two London clubs, Arsenal and Tottenham both look better bets, particularly as they have games in hand on those above them.
Tottenham did good business in the transfer window, but Arsenal remain the better prospect. Mikel Arteta’s side have improved dramatically since the early weeks of the season and have attained a level of consistency that should be enough to see them snatch the final Top Four spot.
Best Bet for Premier League Relegation
Despite registering six defeats in a row from the start of December, Norwich remained within touching distance of safety and a sudden run of good form has lifted them up to 18th, only one point behind the fast-improving Newcastle, who are making some early repayments on their new owners’ investment.
While that is good news for long-suffering Newcastle fans, it isn’t great news for the three teams below them. At the same time, Leeds, Brentford and Crystal Palace all have a healthy cushion over the bottom five, so the most likely candidate to be sucked into the bottom three is Everton, whose season has been a disaster. Still, the Toffees have enough talent in their squad to find important wins, so at the moment, it looks like the sportsbooks have the relegation betting markets about right.
Premier League Top Scorer Bets
Such has been Mohammed Salah’s form this season that he was able to take a whole month out of the Premier League to play in AFCON 2021 without worrying about losing his lead in the Premier League Golden Boot standings.
The Egyptian striker returns to England with a healthy four-goal lead over his nearest challenger, teammate Diogo Jota, who has held the fort admirably while his more famous teammates were on international duty. Still, short of injury, it is hard to see how Jota will be able to outscore Salah now that the main man is back in the squad.
Behind Jota, there’s another gap back to Jamie Vardy and Son Heung-min. Vardy is one of the most reliable scorers in the Premier League and has won the Golden Boot before, but Leicester are completely out of form, while Son, for all his brilliance, is not the kind of prolific goalscorer who is going to suddenly shoot up the charts. At this point, then, it seems that Salah has the race won, but his odds are as small as you’d expect and he doesn’t appeal as a pick in this market.
Best Online Sportsbooks to Bet on the English Premier League
Check out the best soccer betting by visiting these recommended sites where you can find the latest Premier League odds and the biggest value.
