It’s way too early to start predicting next year’s Premier League title race, there’s not even a full list of runners and riders with the third Championship promotion place still to be settled – but here you go anyway.
Manchester City will still be partying after winning the trophy for an unprecedented fourth season in a row so its little surprise they have been installed as 11/8 favourites with Sky Bet to make it a fistful of victories.
Their squad is easily the best in Europe despite failing to successfully defend their Champions League crown and a couple of additions here and there should be enough to keep them on top of the heap at the end of potentially Pep Guardiola’s last year in charge at the Etihad Stadium.
His contract expires next summer and he has already hinted he may decide to look elsewhere for a fresh challenge. One thing’s for sure and that’s if he does decide to part company, he won’t want to bow out on a low note
Arsenal took the title race down to the wire and will spend the summer ruing Son Heung-min’s missed chance against City at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Six points dropped to former manager Unai Emery and Aston Villa and four taken off them by Fulham tell the true story, however, and if the Gunners sign a decent striker their odds of 3/1 with Ladbrokes and Coral will instantly disappear.
Liverpool are 8/1 with the same two firms and bet365 but it is asking a lot for new manager Arne Gadgets to take them to the title in his first season in charge while Villa, who finished fourth, are a whopping 66/1 with William Hill and Bet Victor. Champions League football may take its toll but they should still be among the best of the rest.
Fifth-placed Tottenham are 33/1 with numerous firms including Betway and if Ange Postecoglou is given the finances to bring in the right recruits they could be among the contenders for most of the season while Chelsea, who finished the season strongly to finish sixth after languishing in the bottom half for most of the campaign, are 20/1 with bet365.
Another classy finisher and more consistency from Nicolas Jackson and Chelsea should also be among the chasing pack. As for Manchester United… no, just no. There’s way too much surgery to be performed to their squad.
• England warm up for the forthcoming T20 World Cup with a series against Pakistan which starts at Headingley on Wednesday. The hosts have won just two of their last five outings in this format and were sent to defeat when they were bowled out with four balls remaining by the West Indies in their last match in on December 21.
They are no bigger than 4/7 to win the opener so instead let’s take Harry Brook to be England’s top run scorer on his home track at 13/2 with Paddy Power. Mark Wood is 10/3 with Betfred to be England’s top bowler while Usman Khan is 9/2 with Paddy Power to score the most runs for Pakistan and Haris Rauf is 16/5 with Betfred to be their best bowler.
• Former British No.1 Heather Watson is 16/5 with William Hill to beat Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic in the deciding set as she bids to qualify for the French Open, which starts on Sunday.
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