With the new season just days away, we’ve got an overview for our online betting community on how things might play out. Let’s kick off with the most important part—the title race—where Arsenal are aiming to end their 21-year drought. **Title Contenders** The Premier League title race this season could mirror the last couple of years, with Manchester City and Arsenal leading the charge, and Liverpool potentially getting involved if injuries don't hold them back. The reason for including Manchester City is obvious—they've clinched the title four years straight and six times in the past seven seasons. Though they’ve lost a reliable player in Julian Alvarez, who was unhappy with his playing time, Pep Guardiola still commands one of the strongest squads in football, featuring the best striker in the world Erling Haaland, the best playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, and Rodri, arguably the world’s best midfielder, who might even take home the Ballon d’Or after guiding Spain to victory in Euro 2024. Winning five Premier League titles seems impossible—it’s something no English club has ever done. But winning four in a row seemed impossible too, until City pulled it off just three months ago.
**Arsenal** are under the most pressure to win the title this season. They’ve had strong leads in the race over the past two years, only to stumble near the end. The Gunners have strengthened their squad for the upcoming season, with Riccardo Calafiori joining to boost an already solid defense, and Jurriën Timber returning from injury, almost like a new signing. More additions are expected, with fringe players like Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah set to be offloaded to balance the books. There’s talk of Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad joining, though many believe an attacking addition should be the priority. Regardless, this could finally be the season where Arsenal gets over the line. Third time’s the charm, right?
We think Liverpool will be in the title race too. Last season, they stayed in the hunt for a long time, even holding their own during the AFCON when Mo Salah was absent for a month. This season brings a big change, with Arne Slot stepping in for Jurgen Klopp. It would be surprising for the Dutchman to win the league in his first go, which is why they have the third-best odds at 8.00, but we expect them to hang in there till the last month. [**Check out what we think about Arne Slot and what to expect here**.](https://m.betking.com/blog/betting-tips/easy-slot-in-or-tough-fit-expectations-for-liverpool-ahead-of-the-new-season/)
**Top 4 - 6 Contenders** Last season introduced a new player in the top 4-6 contention list - Aston Villa. They pipped the usual suspects - Manchester United, Spurs, Chelsea and Newcastle - to the 4th spot as they sealed Champions League qualification for the first time in 41 years. With 8 players leaving and 8 new signings, they’re showing no signs of slowing down and have been super active in the market, second only to Chelsea. Players like Moussa Diaby (€60m), Douglas Luiz (€51.50m), and Tim Iroegbunam (€10.70m) have left, while Amadou Onana (€59.35m), Ian Maatsen (€44.50m), Cameron Archer (€16.65m), and Ross Barkley (€5.90m) have joined the squad. Breaking into the top 4 again won’t be easy, especially with their European commitments, but knowing Unai Emery’s drive for success, it’s tough to count them out. Manchester United, Spurs, and Newcastle are teams we also expect to battle for European spots. Last season, both Manchester United ([who we’ve covered here](https://m.betking.com/blog/betting-tips/manchester-dreams-what-will-it-take-for-the-red-devils-to-challenge-this-season/) and **Newcastle** were hit hard by injuries, forcing them to rely on makeshift lineups for long stretches. If they can stay healthy this time around, they should be strong contenders for a top 4 finish. One of our betting tips is that one of these two teams will make the top 4, with the Red Devils our pick.
**Spurs** kicked off the season on fire and were in the title race for the first few months until they ran out of steam just before winter. Ange Postecoglou has a clear vision for how he wants the team to play, and he's sticking to it. With Dominic Solanke coming in and Son Heung-min likely to play more in his preferred role during the build-up phase, we’re expecting them to look sharper than they did last season. **Chelsea**—well, they’re a bit of a mystery right now. With Enzo Maresca taking over as their fourth full-time head coach in the Todd Boehly era, it’s hard to know what to expect. The number of signings they’ve made during this time will make for an excellent last question on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, as their transfer strategy seems all over the place. Yet, you can’t deny there is some serious talent in this squad. Cole Palmer had a standout season last year, and if Christopher Nkunku can stay healthy, he might just be the superstar they hoped for when they paid €60m for his services. The addition of Pedro Neto brings a new edge to their wing play, and Tosin Adarabioyo could be the key to shoring up their defense. There are plenty of uncertainties, especially with Reece James picking up another injury, but Chelsea has a knack for thriving in chaotic situations. **Europa Conference League Contenders** So far, we've covered 8 teams and 6 spots, meaning two of them will likely end up 7th and 8th. But, just like Aston Villa last season and Brighton the year before, we might see a new team break into the European scene. For us, our football prediction is for West Ham to be that team. They’ve brought in the experienced Julen Lopetegui as manager and spent close to €150m on players like Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Füllkrug, Jean-Clair Todibo (loan), and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. On paper, they've made some smart moves, and if everything clicks, they could be a serious contender. **Mid-Table Clubs** Predicting their exact order might be tricky, but the mid-table clubs usually stay consistent, and we don't expect this season to be any different. Crystal Palace, Wolves, Fulham, Bournemouth, Everton, and Brighton all fit into this group, with newly-promoted Leicester City potentially joining them given their experience at this level. As for which of these teams could make it into the top half, our bet is on Everton. The teams around them have lost some key players from last season. Fulham might have added Emile Smith Rowe, Ryan Sessegnon, and Fabio Carvalho, but they’ve lost João Palhinha and Tosin Adarabioyo. **Crystal Palace** were brilliant under Oliver Glasner in the second half of last season, but they’ve lost Michael Olise, with Marc Guéhi rumoured to be the next big departure. Wolves have also let go of Max Kilman and Pedro Neto for a combined fee of over €100m. **Everton** have indeed lost key players like Amadou Onana, Ben Godfrey, and Lewis Dobbin, but they’ve brought in solid replacements, including Jake O'Brien, striker Iliman Ndiaye, and Tim Iroegbunam. Last season, they were just one point away from finishing in the top half of the table, but ended up in 15th due to an 8-point deduction. With that penalty out of the way, one of our top betting tips today is for them to break into the Top 10, and we’ve got the best odds for that on BetKing.
**Relegation Candidates** We expect all three promoted teams—**Leicester City, Ipswich, and Southampton**—to be in the relegation battle this season. While they played some great football in the Championship, that doesn’t always translate to success in the Premier League. Vincent Kompany’s Burnley is proof of that. **Nottingham** Forest has been flirting with relegation since their promotion, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see them in the mix again this year. One team that might struggle this season is **Brentford**. Last season, they dropped to 16th after finishing 9th in 2023. With Ivan Toney likely on his way out, their struggles could end up being very costly. Our bet of the day is that they won’t survive this season.
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