leicester1718The English Premier League 2019/20 season gets underway on 9th August and ahead of the big kick off we look for a long term bet to finish in the top six.

 

 

 

Bookmakers are offering a wide range of outright betting markets which go way beyond winning the title or to be relegated and in this preview our focus is on the betting for teams to secure a top 6 finish. To start with let’s look back at the final standings of last season, focusing on the top half of the table.

 

EPL201819Log

 

My strategy here is to look for a club who can gatecrash the top 6 at the expense of one of the so called elite clubs. That will be no easy task when you consider that the gap between sixth and seventh was all of 9 points in 2018/19 but my gut feel is that there is scope for one of the giants to have a poor campaign.

 

Let’s take a look at the betting from @hollywoodbets

 

EPLTop6Outright

 

Note, prices correct as of 05:00 24th July but are subject to change.

 

Whilst there are next to no offers available about last season’s top 2, Manchester City and Liverpool and in my opinion Spurs will have another solid campaign, I’m open minded about the sort of season that lies ahead for the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

With the transfer window not due to close until 8th August for Premier League clubs a fair degree of crystal ball comes into the reckoning with the financial muscle of the big guns likely to see more high profile moves. However that does not apply to Chelsea where new boss Frank Lampard will likely put his faith in youth in view of their transfer ban which only lifts next January. Chelsea have lost the services of Eden Hazard, Alvaro Morata and Gonzalo Higuain and whilst the young talent is hardly thin on the ground, they might find it tough going over the course of a marathon season.

As it stands I’d be even more sceptical about Manchester United who finished 2018/19 in poor shape whilst Arsenal have yet to demonstrate they have the financial budget to take them forward.

 

 

So Who Could Force Their Way In To The Top 6?

I see three teams capable of finding the necessary improvement. West Ham could threaten if they can find the consistency that was lacking last season and I expect improvement, especially in their home form.

Wolves have to be considered after an excellent showing last season although assuming they qualify for the Europa League they might find resources stretched and right now the recruits have been restricted to making deals permanent for players who were already with the club on loan. Still, they have an excellent coach and they were competitive in most of their matches against top 6 sides so if they cut out dropping points against the lesser lights they should be closer than 2018/19.

However my pick is Leicester City. Brendan Rodgers turned a number of things around after taking over in February and they were playing some very watchable football towards the end of the campaign. As it stands they have held on to prize asset Harry Maguire but if he does leave he will command a huge fee and reports suggest a big chunk of that war chest would be made available for strengthening. Signings include Youri Tielemans who impressed in his loan spell from Monaco last season and Ayoze Perez who bolsters the goal threat.

Leicester would need to improve around 15 points on their overall 2018/19 performance but with Rogers having used last season to assess the squad and put his mark on the playing style, I can see them hitting the ground running this time around.

For those who like to take a multiple outright bet at the start of the season, this is one to consider for inclusion.

 

Top 6 Finish, Leicester City 5/1 @hollywoodbets

 

Look out for more outright football previews for the 2019/20 season.

 

forumRemember you can have your own say on all this week’s matches on our discussion forum