Premier League 2021/22 Season Preview

The new Premier League season is here. Manchester City come in looking to defend their title, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United will all want to do a better job of chasing them this season. Then we have the likes of Leicester and West Ham, who will want to try and replicate their strong performances last year, while Arsenal and Tottenham fans will want to see improvements.

Down at the bottom, Brentford are the interesting newcomers, while Norwich and Watford are aiming to stop being yo-yo clubs and solidify themselves as genuine Premier League teams.

In terms of betting, Manchester City are odds on to win the title, offering little value, so it is best to look elsewhere. Thankfully, the Premier League has some great betting markets to use for outright punters, here are our best bets from those ahead of the new season.

League Winner Forecast

Rather than just picking Manchester City as league winners, a forecast offers the chance to really up the odds and add value. We do think City will win the league, and the team to chase them home will be Manchester United.

The signing of Raphael Varane gives Harry Maguire a top quality defensive partner and shores up any weakness at the back. Moving forward, United are already strong and Jadon Sancho gives them another exciting youngster to throw on the field. He didn’t get much of an opportunity with England, but he showed great talent when playing in Germany, and United will be hoping to see more of that.

• 1st Manchester City 2nd Manchester United – 9/2 with bet365

Top 6 Finish

If there is one team who look set to improve their league position this season and move up the table it could well be Arsenal. The Gunners have recruited well with Ben White coming on board, and many of their attacking talents are young and still learning, so expect more from them this campaign.

With Spurs potentially losing Harry Kane, they may struggle and of those two, Arsenal look set to have a much stronger chance of pushing their way towards the top four. That may not quite happen this season, though certainly can’t be ruled out, but a top six finish is something they can claim, as they start to move in the right direction.

• Arsenal top 6 finish – 11/8 with bet365

To Finish in the Top Half

This is a fascinating market, because there are quite a few teams that are expected to be in the bottom half that may not be separated by too many points. A couple of wins here and there could be the difference between sneaking into the top half and being involved in a relegation battle.

At a big price, newcomers Brentford appeal, as they aim to transition to the Premier League in the same fashion that Leeds did in 20/21. They have been building their model for many years, turning over players for profit and it has finally paid dividends for them.

Kristoffer Ajer is a good signing in defence and if Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo can find their feet quickly, Brentford should be able to do enough to keep clear of the relegation zone. In most seasons, that wouldn’t put them anywhere near the top half, but this season it could, if a lot of teams are close together in the bottom half.

At a big price, they are certainly worth chancing.

• Brentford to finish in the top half – 8/1 with bet365

To Be Relegated

To round off this preview, the relegation battle is where we head. As mentioned, this looks as though it will be a very big battle, with a few teams involved, and one of those could well be Southampton.

They’ve lost Danny Ings, had bids for James Ward-Prowse and look as though they could easily get dragged into the relegation battle this season. We have teams such as Burnley and Crystal Palace, who are battle hardened when it comes to this type of fight, but Southampton aren’t, and that could cost them.

This team may well lose two or three big names over the course of the summer, and that could put them in trouble. We usually see a group of three or four teams that look set to struggle, this year it could be as many as eight or nine, and there doesn’t look to be too much between them.

At a fair price, Southampton are the ones for us.

• Southampton to be relegated – 10/3 with bet365