The following is a 2023/24 Premier League season preview. Futures betting tips are provided at the bottom. This preview covers every club’s form and stats, key squad changes, positives, negatives, a survey of pundit predictions and futures odds. This article will be updated daily to incorporate the latest news as we approach the start of the season on August 11 (August 12 AEST).

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Shortcuts

• Arsenal
• Aston Villa
• Bournemouth
• Brentford
• Brighton
• Burnley
• Chelsea
• Crystal Palace
• Everton
• Fulham
• Liverpool
• Luton Town
• Manchester City
• Manchester United
• Newcastle
• Nottingham Forest
• Sheffield United
• Tottenham
• West Ham
• Wolverhampton

• Futures Betting Tips

Arsenal

• Last eight season finishes: 2, 5, 6, 5, 8, 8, 5, 2
• Squad:
  • Manager: Mikel Arteta. At the helm since 2019 and began his managerial career in 2019.
  • Key arrivals: Declan Rice (West Ham, £105m), Kai Havertz (Chelsea, £65m), Jurrien Timber (Ajax, £38m)
  • Key departures: Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen (£21.4m), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest)
• Positives:
  • Last season’s second place finish was Arsenal’s best result in seven years. They ended the campaign on 84 points, which was the Gunners’ highest points tally since the ‘Invincibles’ won the title with 90 in 2003/04.
  • Have retained the bulk of their youthful squad, whose peaks are still ahead of them. Saka, Saliba and Nelson have signed new contracts.
  • Boasted the best away record in the league last season.
  • Scored 88 goals last season, which was 13 goals clear of the third best offence (Liverpool). Arsenal weren’t heavily reliant on a single player for goals. Odegaard, Martinelli, Saka, Jesus & Nketiah all scored 9+ times.
  • Have signed Declan Rice from West Ham. Last season, Rice won possession more times and made more interceptions than any other Premier League player. Only three players carried the ball further than Rice.
  • Conducted their incoming transfer business early in the window.
  • Won the Community Shield over Man City.
• Negatives:
  • Had only the 5th best record from March onwards.
  • Striker Gabriel Jesus has had minor knee surgery and will miss the start of the season.
  • Opta’s prediction model gives Arsenal only a 4.1% probability of winning the title.
• Pundit table predictions: 2¹, 2², 2³, 2⁴, 3⁵, 2⁶
• Futures odds:
  • Title Winner: 6.00 (bet365)
  • Top Four: 1.50 (bet365)
  • Not Top Four: 2.50 (bet365)
  • Top Six: 1.22 (Unibet)
  • Top Half: 1.02 (Unibet)
  • Bottom Half: 19.00 (bet365)
  • Relegated: 501.00 (bet365)
  • Wooden Spoon: 4501.00 (bet365)

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Aston Villa

• Last eight season finishes: 20, 13 (C), 4 (C), 5 (C), 17, 11, 14, 7
• Squad:
  • Manager: Unai Emery. At the helm since 2022 and began his managerial career in 2004.
  • Key arrivals: Moussa Diaby (Bayer Leverkusen, £51.9), Pau Torres (Villarreal, £35m), Youri Tielemans (Leicester City, free)
  • Key departures: Ashley Young (Everton, free), Marvelous Nakamba (Luton Town, previously out on loan)
• Positives:
  • Had the 3rd best record in the league (13-4-5) from January onward. Villa won 10 of their last 15 games. In October they were only out of the relegation zone on goals scored. Unai Emery then replaced manager Steven Gerard and transformed Villa’s fortunes. After picking up 0.81 points per game under Gerrard , they picked up 1.96 points per game under Emery.
  • New defensive signing Pau Torres has played under Emery before.
  • Manager Unai Emery has prior experience managing both domestic and European commitments.
  • New signing Moussa Diaby will give their attack a shot in the arm. He has already scored twice for Villa in pre-season.
  • Finished tied for the 4th best defensive record last season.
• Negatives:
  • Have the added burden of the Europa Conference League this season. To illustrate the impact this can have, West Ham finished 7th in 2021/22, but dropped to 14th a year later as they juggled a deep run in that competition with their Premier League schedule.
• Pundit table predictions: 9¹, 7², 9³, 6⁴, 8⁵, 9⁶
• Futures odds:
  • Title Winner: 151.00 (bet365)
  • Top Four: 10.00 (Unibet)
  • Not Top Four: 1.071 (bet365)
  • Top Six: 4.00 (Unibet)
  • Top Half: 1.40 (bet365)
  • Bottom Half: 2.75 (bet365)
  • Relegated: 47.55 (Betfair)
  • Not Relegated: 1.004 (bet365)
  • Wooden Spoon: 101.00 (bet365)

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Bournemouth

• Last eight season finishes: 16, 9, 12, 14, 18, 6 (C), 2 (C), 15
• Squad:
  • Manager: Andoni Iraola. At the helm since 2023 and began his managerial career in 2019.
  • Key arrivals: Hamed Traore (Sassuolo, £20m, previously on loan), Justin Kluivert (Roma, £9.5m), Milos Kerkez (AZ Alkmaar, £15.5m), Ionut Radu (Inter Milan, loan), Alex Scott (Bristol City, £25m), Max Aarons (Norwich City, £7m)
  • Key departures: Jefferson Lerma (Crystal Palace, free), Jordan Zemura (Udinese, free), Jack Stacey (Norwich City, free)
• Positives:
  • New manager Andoni Iraola beat both Barcelona and Real Madrid last season, when at the helm of Rayo Vallecano on a limited budget. He also led his side to the last four of the national cup for the first time in 40 years.
• Negatives:
  • Finished with both the worst offensive and worst defensive records of any team to avoid relegation. Bournemouth’s goal difference of -34 was the second worst in the league last season.
  • Have rolled the dice by sacking manager Gary O’Neil. He had guided Bournemouth to safety after they sacked Scott Parker. New manager Andoni Iraola has no prior experience in England.
  • Lost Jefferson Lerma on a free transfer to Crystal Palace. He had missed just one league match last season.
  • Dean Court, with a capacity of 11,307, is tiny by Premier League standards. This negatively impacts Bournemouth’s revenue and in turn their ability to compete with the rest of the league.
  • Bournemouth lost 21 of the 25 games where they fell behind last season.
• Pundit table predictions: 17¹, 15², 17³, 17⁴, 11⁵, 18⁶
• Futures odds:
  • Title Winner: 1501.00 (bet365)
  • Top Four: 151.00 (Unibet)
  • Not Top Four: 1.00 (bet365)
  • Top Six: 51.00 (Unibet)
  • Top Half: 9.00 (Unibet)
  • Bottom Half: 1.071 (bet365)
  • Relegated: 3.95 (Betfair)
  • Not Relegated: 1.36 (bet365)
  • Wooden Spoon: 10.50 (Betfair)

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Brentford

• Last eight season finishes: 9 (C), 10 (C), 9 (C), 11 (C), 3 (C), 3 (C), 13, 9
• Squad:
  • Manager: Thomas Frank. At the helm since 2018 and began his managerial career in 2008.
  • Key arrivals: Nathan Collins (Wolves, £23m), Kevin Schade (Freiburg, £22m, had been on loan since Jan), Mark Flekken (Freiburg, £11m)
  • Key departures: Pontus Jansson (Malmö, free), Saman Ghoddos (free agent)
• Positives:
  • Thomas Frank has proven to be an excellent manager.
  • Completed the double over Treble winners Man City last season.
  • Narrowly missing out on the Europa Conference League is blessing in disguise because they won’t have the dual burden of domestic and European football next season.
  • Have retained all of their key players from last season.
  • Finished tied for the 4th best defensive record last season.
  • Finished last season on a 5-0-1 run.
• Negatives:
  • Striker Ivan Toney is banned from playing until mid-January.
  • Finished winless and last out of six teams in the Premier League summer series.
• Pundit table predictions: 11¹, 10², 11³, 10⁴, 10⁵, 10⁶
• Futures odds:
  • Title Winner: 731.55 (Betfair)
  • Top Four: 41.00 (Unibet)
  • Not Top Four: 1.004 (bet365)
  • Top Six: 13.00 (Unibet)
  • Top Half: 3.25 (Unibet)
  • Bottom Half: 1.33 (bet365)
  • Relegated: 11.93 (Betfair)
  • Not Relegated: 1.071 (bet365)
  • Wooden Spoon: 57.05 (Betfair)

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Brighton

• Last eight season finishes: 3 (C), 2 (C), 15, 17, 15, 16, 9, 6
• Squad:
  • Manager: Roberto De Zerbi. At the helm since 2022 and began his managerial career in 2013.
  • Key arrivals: Joao Pedro (Watford, £30m), Bart Verbruggen (Anderlecht, £16.3m), James Milner (Liverpool, free), Mahmoud Dahoud (Borussia Dortmund, free), Simon Adingra (Union SG, had been out on loan), Igor Julio (Fiorentina, £14.5m)
  • Key departures: Alexis Mac Allister (£35m, Liverpool), Robert Sanchez (Chelsea, £25m)
• Positives:
  • Had the 4th best away record and the 4th best goal scoring record last season.
  • Have retained the services of Lewis Dunk.
  • Are a well managed club under Roberto De Zerbi, who took over seamlessly from Graham Potter last season.
  • Enjoyed wins over Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man Utd last season.
• Negatives:
  • Have the added burden of the Europa League this season.
  • Alexis Mac Allister has departed and Moises Caicedo has been the subject of significant transfer rumours.
  • Had only the 10th best defensive record last season.
• Pundit table predictions: 8¹, 9², 8³, 8⁴, 9⁵, 7⁶
• Futures odds:
  • Title Winner: 133.05 (Betfair)
  • Top Four: 6.50 (bet365)
  • Not Top Four: 1.11 (bet365)
  • Top Six: 2.75 (Unibet)
  • Top Half: 1.25 (Unibet)
  • Bottom Half: 3.75 (bet365)
  • Relegated: 51.00 (bet365)
  • Not Relegated: 1.002 (bet365)
  • Wooden Spoon: 201.00 (bet365)

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Burnley

• Last eight season finishes: 1 (C), 16, 7, 15, 10, 17, 18, 1 (C)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Vincent Kompany. At the helm since 2022 and began his managerial career in 2019.
  • Key arrivals: James Trafford (Man City, £15m), Jordan Beyer (Borussia Mönchengladbach, £12.9m, had been on loan), Dara O’Shea (West Brom, £7m), Lawrence Vigouroux (Leyton Orient, free), Zeki Amdouni (Basel, £16m), Michael Obafemi (Swansea City, £3.5m, had been on loan), Nathan Redmond (Beşiktaş, free), Luca Koleosho (Espanyol, £2.6 million), Jacob Bruun Larsen (Hoffenheim, loan), Sander Berge (Sheffield United, £12m)
  • Key departures: Ashley Barnes (Norwich, free), Nathan Tella (Southampton, had previously been on loan)
• Positives:
  • 7 of the last 9 teams to win the Championship avoided relegation the following season. None of the three promoted teams suffered relegation last season.
  • Won the Championship last season by 10 points. Were ranked 1st for both goals scored and fewest goals conceded. Burnley’s goal difference was 18 goals better than Sheffield United’s and 34 goals better than Luton Town’s.
  • New signing Zeki Amdouni was the top goal scorer in the Europa Conference League last season.
  • Have retained the services of manager Vincent Kompany, who completely turned Burnley’s fortunes around last season.
  • Have retained the services of key midfielder Josh Cullen.
  • Only lost one home game and two away games last season.
• Negatives:
  • Nathan Tella, who scored 17 league goals last season, has returned to parent club Southampton.
  • Finished 15th or lower in three of their last four Premier League campaigns.
  • Vincent Kompany’s success as manager has drawn interest from other clubs.
  • Burnley’s positive style of play may backfire against Premier League clubs. Burnley played two EPL clubs in cup competitions last season and were beaten 6-0 by Man City and 2-0 by Man Utd.
• Pundit table predictions: 18¹, 16², 14³, 16⁴, 13⁵, 15⁶
• Futures odds:
  • Title Winner: 1501.00 (bet365)
  • Top Four: 151.00 (Unibet)
  • Not Top Four: 1.00 (bet365)
  • Top Six: 51.00 (Unibet)
  • Top Half: 7.50 (Unibet)
  • Bottom Half: 1.11 (bet365)
  • Relegated: 5.56 (Betfair)
  • Not Relegated: 1.28 (bet365)
  • Wooden Spoon: 19.05 (Betfair)

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Chelsea

• Last eight season finishes: 10, 1, 5, 3, 4, 4, 3, 12
• Squad:
  • Manager: Mauricio Pochettino. At the helm since 2023 and began his managerial career in 2009.
  • Key arrivals: Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig, £52m), Axel Disasi (AS Monaco, £38.6m), Nicolas Jackson (Villarreal, £32m), Robert Sanchez (Brighton, £25m), Lesley Ugochukwu (Rennes, £23.2m), Angelo Gabriel (Santos, £13m), Diego Moreira (Benfica, free)
  • Key departures: Kai Havertz (Arsenal, £65m), Mason Mount (Man Utd, £55m), Mateo Kovacic (Man City, £25m), N’Golo Kante (Al-Ittihad, free), Kalidou Koulibaly (Al-Hilal, £20m), Edouard Mendy (Al-Ahli, £16m), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan, £20m), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (AC Milan, £15m), Cesar Azpilicueta (Atletico Madrid, free), Tiemoue Bakayoko (free agent), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Marseille, free)
• Positives:
  • Can start a new chapter under new manager Mauricio Pochettino, who had enjoyed strong success in the Premier League with Tottenham. Under Pochettino, Chelsea won the Premier League Summer Series without losing a game.
  • Don’t have the added distraction of European football this season.
  • New signing Nicolas Jackson scored 9 goals in his final 8 league games for Villarreal last season. Fellow new signing Nkunku scored three times in pre-season.
  • Have on paper the easiest opening five fixtures of the season, which could give time for the new-look squad to settle.
• Negatives:
  • Have lacked stability in the managerial position. Pochettino is Chelsea’s sixth permanent manager in five years. He is the fourth manager under new owner Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, who took over the club last July.
  • Finished 12th last year, despite the fact that, since Boehly took over, Chelsea had spent more than £550m on players. The £288m they spent in January was more than the Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1 combined.
  • Chelsea were forced to offload players during the summer to ease Financial Fair Play concerns.
  • Had the worst record (4-8-11) of any team to avoid relegation from January onward. During that stretch, Chelsea went 2-5-5 at home. From February onward Chelsea had the 18th best record.
  • Mason Mount has left for Man Utd. Chelsea had preferred not to lose Mount but they were unable to successfully negotiate a new contract.
  • Centre-back Wesley Fofana is out for several months after undergoing ACL surgery. Fellow defender Benoit Badiashile will also miss the start of the season. New signing Christopher Nkunku injured his knee in pre-season.
  • Centre-back Thiago Silva will turn 39 in September.
• Pundit table predictions: 5¹, 5², 6³, 5⁴, 5⁵, 6⁶
• Futures odds:
  • Title Winner: 19.05 (Betfair)
  • Top Four: 2.63 (Unibet)
  • Not Top Four: 1.57 (bet365)
  • Top Six: 1.53 (bet365)
  • Top Half: 1.07 (Unibet)
  • Bottom Half: 10.00 (bet365)
  • Relegated: 201.00 (bet365)
  • Wooden Spoon: 1001.00 (bet365)

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Crystal Palace

• Last eight season finishes: 15, 14, 11, 12, 14, 14, 12, 11
• Squad:
  • Manager: Roy Hodgson. At the helm since 2023 and began his managerial career in 1976.
  • Key arrivals: Matheus Franca (Flamengo, £26m), Jefferson Lerma (Bournemouth, free), Malcolm Ebiowei (Hull City, had been out on loan)
  • Key departures: Wilfried Zaha (Galatasaray, free), Luka Milivojevic (free agent), James McArthur (free agent)
• Positives:
  • Palace picked up 18 points from 10 games following Roy Hodgson’s return in March. Eberechi Eze in particular flourished under Hodgson, who will stay on as manager this year.
  • Boast a strong academy. Their U23 side reached the final of last year’s Premier League International Cup. They also won the U15 National Floodlit Cup, finished 4th in the U21 Premier League 2 Division 1 and finished 3rd in the U18 Premier League South.
  • Scooped up Jefferson Lerma on a free transfer.
  • Beat out interest from Chelsea and Newcastle to sign Matheus Franca.
• Negatives:
  • Have lost a lot of experience following the departures of Zaha, Milivojevic and McArthur. Palace had wanted to keep Zaha, but he rejected a new contract.
  • Appear to have hit a wall with progress. Palace’s last seven seasons saw them finish between 11th and 14th.
  • Hodgson and the fans have been left frustrated by the lack of summer transfer activity and there is a possibility other key players may depart before the window closes.
  • Michael Olise will miss the start of the season after tearing his hamstring in June.
• Pundit table predictions: 12¹, 12², 12³, 15⁴, 14⁵, 12⁶
• Futures odds:
  • Title Winner: 950.05 (Betfair)
  • Top Four: 51.00 (Unibet)
  • Not Top Four: 1.002 (bet365)
  • Top Six: 17.00 (Unibet)
  • Top Half: 3.50 (Unibet)
  • Bottom Half: 1.33 (bet365)
  • Relegated: 7.65 (Betfair)
  • Not Relegated: 1.10 (bet365)
  • Wooden Spoon: 24.75 (Betfair)

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Everton

• Last eight season finishes: 11, 7, 8, 8, 12, 10, 16, 17
• Squad:
  • Manager: Sean Dyche. At the helm since 2023 and began his managerial career in 2011.
  • Key arrivals: Ashley Young (Aston Villa, free), Arnaut Danjuma (Villarreal, loan)
  • Key departures: Andros Townsend (free agent), Asmir Begović (QPR, free), Tom Davies (free agent), Conor Coady (Leicester City, previously on loan)
• Positives:
  • Manager Sean Dyche looks to be a good fit for Everton. He is well versed in working with tight resources.
  • Have retained the services of their excellent goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford.
• Negatives:
  • Despite spending heavily, Everton have been involved in relegation battles for the past two seasons.
  • The fans have a hostile relationship with the board, who have not attended a home game since January, citing safety concerns.
  • Had the 3rd worst home record last season (6-3-10) and the worst home record of any side to avoid relegation.
  • Scored just 34 goals, which was the 2nd wost offensive record last season. Striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been injury-prone and fellow forward Neal Maupay has scored just once across his last 40 league and cup appearances.
  • Have been quiet in the transfer window thus far, despite needing to bolster the squad.
• Pundit table predictions: 13¹, 17², 15³, 12⁴, 16⁵, 17⁶
• Futures odds:
  • Title Winner: 760.05 (Betfair)
  • Top Four: 51.00 (Unibet)
  • Not Top Four: 1.002 (bet365)
  • Top Six: 21.00 (bet365)
  • Top Half: 4.33 (bet365)
  • Bottom Half: 1.20 (bet365)
  • Relegated: 4.00 (bet365)
  • Not Relegated: 1.22 (bet365)
  • Wooden Spoon: 17.15 (Betfair)

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Fulham

• Last eight season finishes: 20 (C), 6 (C), 3 (C), 19, 4 (C), 18, 1 (C), 10
• Squad:
  • Manager: Marco Silva. At the helm since 2021 and began his managerial career in 2011.
  • Key arrivals: Calvin Bassey (Ajax, £19.3m), Raul Jimenez (Wolves, £5m)
  • Key departures: Manor Solomon (Tottenham, had been on loan from Shakhtar Donetsk)
• Positives:
  • Managed a top-10 finish, despite the 8-game ban handed to key striker Aleksandar Mitrović.
  • Have retained the services of Willian after it initially looked like he was departing.
  • Have retained the services of manager Marco Silva, despite reported interest in Saudi Arabia.
  • Finished with the 6th best away record in the league.
• Negatives:
  • Manor Solomon has departed for Tottenham.
  • Aleksandar Mitrović has voiced his desire to leave Fulham.
  • There has been transfer interest for João Palhinha, who dislocated his shoulder in pre-season.
• Pundit table predictions: 15¹, 13², 13³, 14⁴, 12⁵, 13⁶
• Futures odds:
  • Title Winner: 1001.00 (bet365)
  • Top Four: 67.00 (Unibet)
  • Not Top Four: 1.002 (bet365)
  • Top Six: 21.00 (Unibet)
  • Top Half: 4.33 (bet365)
  • Bottom Half: 1.20 (bet365)
  • Relegated: 4.80 (Betfair)
  • Not Relegated: 1.18 (bet365)
  • Wooden Spoon: 18.58 (Betfair)

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Liverpool

• Last eight season finishes: 8, 4, 4, 2, 1, 3, 2, 5
• Squad:
  • Manager: Jürgen Klopp. At the helm since 2015 and began his managerial career in 2001.
  • Key arrivals: Dominik Szoboszlai (RB Leipzig, £60m), Alexis Mac Allister (£35m, Brighton)
  • Key departures: Fabinho (Al-Ittihad, £40m), Roberto Firmino (Al-Ahli, free), Jordan Henderson (Al-Ettifaq, £12m), James Milner (Brighton, free), Naby Keita (Werder Bremen, free), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (free agent)
• Positives:
  • Had the 2nd best record in the league from February onward. Liverpool ended last season on an 11-game unbeaten run.
  • Mohamed Salah has been remarkably consistent for Liverpool. He has scored 19+ league goals in each of his six seasons with the club. Salah recorded 31, 31 and 30 goals across all competitions in each of his last three seasons with them.
  • Luis Díaz is healthy again following the injury that kept him out from October until mid April.
• Negatives:
  • Conceded 10 goals in 4 pre-season games.
  • Thiago is still recovering from a hip injury.
  • The squad has lost a lot of experience during the summer transfer window.
  • Opta’s prediction model gives Liverpool only a 3.55% probability of winning the title.
  • Have lost five midfielders during the summer and so far have only replaced them with two new signings.
• Pundit table predictions: 3¹, 4², 3³, 3⁴, 2⁵, 3⁶
• Futures odds:
  • Title Winner: 9.00 (bet365)
  • Top Four: 1.58 (Unibet)
  • Not Top Four: 2.37 (bet365)
  • Top Six: 1.22 (Unibet)
  • Top Half: 1.025 (bet365)
  • Bottom Half: 17.00 (bet365)
  • Relegated: 501.00 (bet365)
  • Wooden Spoon: 4501.00 (bet365)

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Luton Town

• Last eight season finishes: 11 (L2), 4 (L2), 2 (L2), 1 (L1), 19 (C), 12 (C), 6 (C), 3 (C)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Rob Edwards. At the helm since 2022 and began his managerial career in 2016.
  • Key arrivals: Tahith Chong (Birmingham City, £4m), Mads Andersen (Barnsley, £3m), Chiedozie Ogbene (Rotherham United, free), Marvelous Nakamba (Aston Villa, previously on loan), Thomas Kaminski (Blackburn, £2.5m), Issa Kaboré (Man City, loan), Ryan Giles (Wolves, £5m), Ross Barkley (Nice, free)
  • Key departures: Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest, had been on loan), Sonny Bradley (Derby, free), Fred Onyedinma (Rotherham, loan)
• Positives:
  • Finished in a higher position to the season before for the last seven straight seasons.
  • None of the last four Premier League debutants went straight back down. None of the three promoted teams suffered relegation last season.
  • Have retained the services of striker Carlton Morris, who scored 20 league goals last season.
• Negatives:
  • 5 of the last 9 teams to be promoted to the Premier League via the playoffs were relegated the following season.
  • Finished 21 points behind Championship winners Burnley last season. Luton’s goal difference was 16 goals worse than Sheffield United’s and 34 goals worse than Burnley’s.
  • Had only the 8th best offensive record in the Championship last season.
  • Kenilworth Road, with a capacity of 10,356, is the smallest ground in Premier League history. This will negatively impact Luton Town’s revenue and in turn their ability to compete with the rest of the league. The stadium is currently not compliant with the league’s broadcasting requirements, so the club has had to invest £10m on compliance work and reschedule their opening home game.
  • Last season’s first-choice goalkeeper Ethan Horvath has returned to Nottingham Forest following his loan spell.
• Pundit table predictions: 20¹, 20², 20³, 20⁴, 20⁵, 20⁶
• Futures odds:
  • Title Winner: 3001.00 (bet365)
  • Top Four: 501.00 (Unibet)
  • Not Top Four: 1.00 (bet365)
  • Top Six: 201.00 (Unibet)
  • Top Half: 21.00 (Unibet)
  • Bottom Half: 1.015 (bet365)
  • Relegated: 1.37 (Betfair)
  • Not Relegated: 3.25 (bet365)
  • Wooden Spoon: 2.41 (Betfair)

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Manchester City

• Last eight season finishes: 4, 3, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1
• Squad:
  • Manager: Pep Guardiola. At the helm since 2016 and began his managerial career in 2007.
  • Key arrivals: Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig, £77m), Mateo Kovacic (Chelsea, £30m)
  • Key departures: Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona, free), Riyad Mahrez (Al-Ahli, £30m), Benjamin Mendy (Lorient, free), James Trafford (Burnley, £15m)
• Positives:
  • Have won the league in five of the last six seasons and finished no worse than 2nd during that stretch. City have got the monkey off their back by finally winning the UEFA Champions League last season. They may now be tempted to focus on achieving a fourth consecutive first division title – a feat that has never been achieved in England.
  • City boasted both the most goals scored and fewest goals conceded last season. Man City scored six more goals than the next highest scoring side and conceded ten fewer goals than the next best defensive side. City’s goal difference of +61 was 16 goals better than the next best side.
  • Were incredibly strong at home last season. Went 17-1-1 with a +43 goal difference.
  • Have brought in one of the world’s most highly rated young defenders in Josko Gvardiol.
  • Key striker Erling Haaland is only 23! He scored 36 league goals last season. Haaland scored as many hat-tricks in all competitions (six) as all the other Premier League players combined.
  • Opta’s predictor model give City a 90.2% chance of winning the title.
• Negatives:
  • Since the inception of the English football league in 1888, no side has ever won the league four consecutive times.
  • Are currently fighting the Premier League over 100 charges for breaching financial rules between 2009 and 2018. A possible punishment if found guilty is a points deduction.
  • Have the extra burden of the Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup this season.
  • Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez have departed.
• Pundit table predictions: 1¹, TBA², 1³, 1⁴, 1⁵, 1⁶
• Futures odds:
  • Title Winner: 1.836 (Betfair)
  • Top Four: 1.07 (Unibet)
  • Not Top Four: 11.00 (bet365)
  • Top Six: 1.01 (Unibet)
  • Top Half: 1.002 (bet365)
  • Bottom Half: 51.00 (bet365)
  • Relegated: 501.00 (bet365)
  • Wooden Spoon: 4501.00 (bet365)

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Manchester United

• Last eight season finishes: 5, 6, 2, 6, 3, 2, 6, 3
• Squad:
  • Manager: Erik ten Hag. At the helm since 2022 and began his managerial career in 2012.
  • Key arrivals: Rasmus Hojlund (Atalanta, £72m), Mason Mount (Chelsea, £55m), Andre Onana (Inter Milan, £47.2m), Jonny Evans (Leicester City, free)
  • Key departures: David de Gea (free agent), Anthony Elanga (Nottingham Forest, £15m), Fred (Fenerbahce, £12.9m)
• Positives:
  • Have bolstered the midfield with the acquisition of Mason Mount after he refused to sign a new contract with Chelsea.
  • New goalkeeper Andre Onana has previously worked under ten Hag and will likely better suit the manager’s desire to play out from the back than the departing de Gea. Onana kept more Champions League clean sheets (8 from 13) than any other goalkeeper last season.
  • Boasted the second best home record in the league last season. United only lost one home game in the last campaign.
  • Marcus Rashford has signed a new deal to stay at Manchester United until 2028. He scored a career-high 30 goals across all competitions last season.
  • Have agreed a 10-year extension to their partnership with Adidas worth a minimum of £900m. This is thought to be the largest kit deal in Premier League history, based on revenue per season.
• Negatives:
  • Uncertainty remains over the future ownership of the club.
  • United have debts in excess of £950m in total.
  • Had only the 7th best offensive record and 6th best goal difference last season.
  • Big-money signing Rasmus Hojlund will miss the start of the season due to injury.
• Pundit table predictions: 4¹, TBA², 4³, 4⁴, 4⁵, 4⁶
• Futures odds:
  • Title Winner: 12 (bet365)
  • Top Four: 1.73 (Unibet)
  • Not Top Four: 2.00 (bet365)
  • Top Six: 1.28 (bet365)
  • Top Half: 1.062 (bet365)
  • Bottom Half: 17.00 (bet365)
  • Relegated: 501.00 (bet365)
  • Wooden Spoon: 4501.00 (bet365)

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Newcastle

• Last eight season finishes: 18, 1 (C), 10, 13, 13, 12, 11, 4
• Squad:
  • Manager: Eddie Howe. At the helm since 2021 and began his managerial career in 2008.
  • Key arrivals: Sandro Tonali (AC Milan, £55m), Tino Livramento (Southampton, £40m), Harvey Barnes (Leicester City, £39m)
  • Key departures: Allan Saint-Maximin (Al-Ahli, £30m), Karl Darlow (Leeds, £0.4m), Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest, £15m, loan signing made permanent)
• Positives:
  • Newcastle matched Man City in conceding just 33 goals last season, which was a whopping 10 fewer than any other side.
  • Were a tough team to beat last campaign. Newcastle lost only two home games and three away games.
• Negatives:
  • Have the added burden of the Champions League this season.
  • Had to sell Allan Saint-Maximin to help comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.
• Pundit table predictions: 6¹, 6², 5³, 7⁴, 6⁵, 5⁶
• Futures odds:
  • Title Winner: 27.6 (Betfair)
  • Top Four: 2.50 (Unibet)
  • Not Top Four: 1.50 (bet365)
  • Top Six: 1.53 (bet365)
  • Top Half: 1.062 (bet365)
  • Bottom Half: 10.00 (bet365)
  • Relegated: 201.00 (bet365)
  • Wooden Spoon: 1501.00 (bet365)

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Nottingham Forest

• Last eight season finishes: 16 (C), 21 (C), 17 (C), 9 (C), 7 (C), 17 (C), 4 (C), 16
• Squad:
  • Manager: Steve Cooper. At the helm since 2021 and began his managerial career in 2019.
  • Key arrivals: Anthony Elanga (Man Utd, £15m), Chris Wood (Newcastle, £15m,loan signing made permanent), Ola Aina (Torino, free), Matt Turner (Arsenal), Ethan Horvath (Luton Town, had been out on loan)
  • Key departures: Jesse Lingard (free agent), Keylor Navas (PSG, loan expired), Dean Henderson (Man Utd, loan expired), and Renan Lodi (Marseille, loan expired), Andre Ayew (free agent), Jack Colback (QPR, free)
• Positives:
  • Buoyed by their boisterous home support, Forest had the 10th best home record last season.
  • Will have a much more settled squad this year after bringing in 30 new players over the previous two transfer windows.
  • Striker Taiwo Awoniyi finished last season with 6 goals in 4 games.
• Negatives:
  • Had the worst away record in the league (1-5-13) last season.
  • Attempts to bring in Willian fell through.
• Pundit table predictions: 16¹, 14², 18³, 13⁴, 17⁵, 16⁶
• Futures odds:
  • Title Winner: 1001.00 (bet365)
  • Top Four: 101.00 (Unibet)
  • Not Top Four: 1.001 (bet365)
  • Top Six: 26.00 (Unibet)
  • Top Half: 6.00 (Unibet)
  • Bottom Half: 1.16 (bet365)
  • Relegated: 3.50 (bet365)
  • Not Relegated: 1.28 (bet365)
  • Wooden Spoon: 13.35 (Betfair)

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Sheffield United

• Last eight season finishes: 11 (L1), 1 (L1), 10 (C), 2 (C), 9, 20, 5 (C), 2 (C)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Paul Heckingbottom. At the helm since 2021 and began his managerial career in 2015.
  • Key arrivals: Anis Slimane (Brondby, £1.2m), Auston Trusty (Arsenal, £5m), Benie Traore (BK Hacken, £4m), Yasser Larouci (Troyes, loan)
  • Key departures: Iliman Ndiaye (Marseille, £20m), Billy Sharp (free agent), Enda Stevens (Stoke City, free), Sander Berge (Burnley, £12m), James McAtee (Man City, loan ended), Tommy Doyle (Man City, loan ended)
• Positives:
  • None of the three promoted teams suffered relegation last season.
• Negatives:
  • 5 of the last 9 teams that finished 2nd in the Championship were relegated the following season.
  • Finished 10 points behind Championship winners Burnley last season. Burnley’s goal difference was 18 goals better than Sheffield United.
  • Have had financial troubles in recent years so they don’t have the same capacity to spend as most other clubs.
  • Iliman Ndiaye’s departure is a blow. The midfielder contributed 14 goals and 6 assists last season. Sheffield have also sold Sander Berge to relegation-rivals Burnley.
  • James McAtee and Tommy Doyle have returned to their parent club Man City following successful loan spells last season.
• Pundit table predictions: 19¹, 19², 19³, 19⁴, 19⁵, 19⁶
• Futures odds:
  • Title Winner: 2501.00 (bet365)
  • Top Four: 251.00 (Unibet)
  • Not Top Four: 1.00 (bet365)
  • Top Six: 101.00 (Unibet)
  • Top Half: 17.00 (Unibet)
  • Bottom Half: 1.025 (bet365)
  • Relegated: 1.62 (Betfair)
  • Not Relegated: 2.20 (bet365)
  • Wooden Spoon: 5.00 (bet365)

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Tottenham

• Last eight season finishes: 3, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 4, 8
• Squad:
  • Manager: Ange Postecoglou. At the helm since 2023 and began his managerial career in 1996.
  • Key arrivals: James Maddison (Leicester City, £40m), Guglielmo Vicario (Empoli, £17.2m), Manor Solomon (Shakhtar Donetsk, free), Micky van de Ven (Wolfsburg, £34m), Alejo Veliz (Rosario Central, £13m), Ashley Phillips (Blackburn, £2m), Dejan Kulusevski (Juventus, £25m, previously on loan), Pedro Porro (Sporting CP, £39.7m, previously on loan)
  • Key departures: Harry Winks (Leicester City, £10m), Lucas Moura (São Paulo, free)
• Positives:
  • Won’t have the additional burden of European football this season.
  • Ange Postecoglou has a track record of successful rebuilding jobs that lead to league titles. He won back to back titles with Brisbane Roar, won the Asian Cup with Australia, won the J League with Yokohama F Marinos and achieved the Scottish treble with Celtic.
  • Have brought in some handy players during the transfer window.
• Negatives:
  • Harry Kane’s future at the club has yet to be resolved amidst an accepted offer from Bayern Munich. Kane scored 43% of Tottenham’s league goals last season.
  • Conceded an eye-watering 60 goals last season, which was only the 15th best defensive record.
• Pundit table predictions: 7¹, 8², 7³, 9⁴, 7⁵, 8⁶
• Futures odds:
  • Title Winner: 51.00 (Unibet)
  • Top Four: 4.50 (Unibet)
  • Not Top Four: 1.20 (bet365)
  • Top Six: 2.10 (Unibet)
  • Top Half: 1.20 (Unibet)
  • Bottom Half: 4.33 (bet365)
  • Relegated: 101.00 (bet365)
  • Not Relegated: 1.001 (bet365)
  • Wooden Spoon: 501.00 (bet365)

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West Ham

• Last eight season finishes: 7, 11, 13, 10, 16, 6, 7, 14
• Squad:
  • Manager: David Moyes. At the helm since 2019 and began his managerial career in 1998.
  • Key arrivals: Edson Alvarez (Ajax, £35m), Harry Maguire (Man Utd, £30m), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton, £30m), Sean Moore (Cliftonville, £0.125m)
  • Key departures: Declan Rice (Arsenal, £105m), Manuel Lanzini (River Plate, free), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta, £21.5)
• Positives:
  • Received an excellent transfer fee (£105m) for Declan Rice.
  • James Ward-Prowse is an excellent acquisition.
• Negatives:
  • Star player Declan Rice has departed and West Ham have struggled this transfer window to do business. Every club knows that West Ham are flush with cash, which has resulted in deals falling through due to price disagreements.
  • It remains to be seen whether West Ham have the squad depth to juggle their European commitments again, without compromising league form.
  • Had a shorter off-season due to their involvement in the Europa Conference League final in June.
  • Had the 4th worst away record (3-3-13) in the league last season.
• Pundit table predictions: 10¹, TBA², 10³, 11⁴, 15⁵, 11⁶
• Futures odds:
  • Title Winner: 712.55 (Betfair)
  • Top Four: 26.00 (bet365)
  • Not Top Four: 1.01 (bet365)
  • Top Six: 8.00 (Unibet)
  • Top Half: 2.10 (bet365)
  • Bottom Half: 1.66 (bet365)
  • Relegated: 13.00 (bet365)
  • Not Relegated: 1.03 (bet365)
  • Wooden Spoon: 51.00 (bet365)

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Wolverhampton

• Last eight season finishes: 14 (C), 15 (C), 1 (C) , 7, 7, 13, 10, 13
• Squad:
  • Manager: Gary O’Neil. At the helm since 2023 and began his managerial career in 2023.
  • Key arrivals: Matt Doherty (Atletico Madrid, free), Fabio Silva (PSV, had been out on loan)
  • Key departures: Ruben Neves (Al Hilal, £47m), Nathan Collins (Brentford, £23m), Raul Jimenez (Fulham, £5m), Joao Moutinho (free agent), Diego Costa (free agent), Adama Traore (free agent)
• Positives:
  • Manager Julen Lopetegui guided Wolves to 13th. They were 20th when he took over in November. Had the season started when Lopetegui took over, Wolves would have finished 11th.
  • Striker Sasa Kalajdzic is edging closer to a return after tearing his ACL on debut in September.
  • Have retained the services of Mario Lemina, who gave the club a lift upon his arrival in January.
• Negatives:
  • A number of previous big-money signings have had a limited impact on the club’s fortunes. To comply with financial fair play rules, Wolves have had to offload players before they can bolster their squad. So far the departures have included captain Ruben Neves.

  Manager Julen Lopetegui left the club just days before the season start.

  • Scored just 31 goals last season, which was the fewest in the league.
  • Have lost a lot of experience in the squad during the summer.
  • Had the third worst away record (2-5-12) in the league last season.
• Pundit table predictions: 14¹, TBA², 16³, 18⁴, 18⁵, 14⁶
• Futures odds:
  • Title Winner: 950.05 (Betfair)
  • Top Four: 51.00 (Unibet)
  • Not Top Four: 1.002 (bet365)
  • Top Six: 21.00 (bet365)
  • Top Half: 4.50 (bet365)
  • Bottom Half: 1.20 (bet365)
  • Relegated: 4.50 (bet365)
  • Not Relegated: 1.18 (bet365)
  • Wooden Spoon: 13.35 (Betfair)

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Futures Betting

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Compare EPL futures odds

Best Place for Futures Betting

Betfair is easily the best place for futures betting because you can hedge prior back bets by placing lay wagers.

bet365 is arguably the second best option because they offer more competitive cash out offers than other bookmakers.

Early Season Trading Opportunities

Opta has published difficulty ratings for the opening five fixtures for each team. Futures markets can be highly sensitive to initial results, so keeping these ratings in mind can be useful.

Newcastle have by far the toughest opening schedule, followed by Bournemouth and Wolverhampton. Those looking to back Newcastle to finish in the top 10 or top 6 may prefer to wait for them to ride out those fixtures and then look for value odds after Gameweek 5.

At the other end of the spectrum, Chelsea have by far the easiest opening five fixtures on paper. This could present an opportunity to back them to finish in the top six or top four with a look to lay those selections with Betfair in September.

Futures Betting Tips

Arsenal to finish in the top six at 1.22 (Unibet)

This bet immediately jumps off the page because the lay odds for this selection at Betfair are 1.16 at the time of writing. Arsenal finished 23 points ahead of the 7th placed Aston Villa last season.

Aston Villa to finish in the top half of the table at 1.40 (bet365)

Aston Villa had the third best record in the league from January onward and they have strengthened their squad during the off-season. My only concern is their Europa Conference League participation. A deep run in that competition could see a deterioration in their league form like it did for West Ham last season. Nevertheless, I would back Aston Villa to finish in the top half of the table.

Crystal Palace to finish in the bottom half of the table at 1.33 (bet365)

Much has been made of Palace’s haul of 18 points from Roy Hodgson’s ten games in charge at the end of last season, but he enjoyed an easy fixture schedule during that run. Palace have failed to crack the top ten in their last eight seasons. They have been quiet during this summer’s transfer window and they have incurred a net loss of experience, with talisman Wilfried Zaha and ex-captain Luka Milivojevic among the departures. Michael Olise’s torn hamstring doesn’t help matters. There are also rumours that key players such as Olise, Guehi and Eze could be lured away before the end of the window.

Everton to be relegated at 4.00 (bet365)

Everton have been involved in the relegation battle in the last two seasons and they have been quiet in the summer transfer window. Their spending abilities have been handicapped by the new stadium development and there is a toxic relationship between the board and the fans. Opta give Everton a 34.4% chance of being relegated, which equates to fair odds of 2.91.

Relegated teams: Everton, Luton & Sheffield Utd at 19.00 (bet365)

Along with Everton, I am the most pessimistic about Sheffield United and Luton Town. There isn’t much value on them to be relegated individually, so you could link them with another club in bet365’s relegated teams market. Another option for this market is Bournemouth, Sheffield United and Luton Town at 10.00, in case the Cherries’ new manager Andoni Iraola doesn’t work out. Statistically, Bournemouth were the 2nd worst club in the EPL last season and Opta rank Bournemouth as the third most likely side to be relegated.

If I had to pick out another relegation candidate, it would be Wolverhampton at 3.75 (Unibet). They are cash-strapped this transfer window and manager Julen Lopetegui has departed during the week. Note that the 3.75 odds at Unibet exceed the 3.35 lay odds at Betfair at the time of writing.

A longer-shot option for relegation is Crystal Palace at 8.00 (bet365), especially if Michael Olise’s transfer clause gets triggered in the next few weeks.

Luton to finish bottom at 2.50 (Betfair)

Luton Town finished a fair way behind Sheffield United and Burnley in the Championship last season and they haven’t made any major moves in the transfer market. The departure of loan goalkeeper Ethan Horvath to parent club Nottingham Forest doesn’t help their cause. Luton’s transfer activity would actually set them up well for a promotion push should they get relegated this season. Perhaps that’s what the club owners have in mind. Luton have the toughest opening schedule out of the newly promoted sides, so there could be an opportunity to hedge this bet on Betfair in September.

Sheffield United to finish bottom at 3.95 (Betfair)

Sheffield United’s odds in this market have drifted out to a point where there is now value on them. They have parted ways with a number of their key players from last season, including key loan players. The Blades have had financial fair play troubles in recent years so they don’t have the same capacity to spend as the other promoted clubs.

 

Sources

Opta’s season predictions can be viewed here.

Table prediction sources:

• ¹ – Implied from Unibet’s futures odds
• ² – The Guardian
• ³ – BETSiE
• ⁴ – Michael Owen
• ⁵ – 101GreatGoals
• ⁶ – Opta

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