Expectations of the Premier League 2024/2025 Season
As the Premier League gears up for the 2024/2025 season, the excitement and speculation are reaching fever pitch. With reigning champions Manchester City looking to defend their title for a fifth season in a row, ambitious challengers such as Arsenal looking to topple them, and a host of clubs aiming for European qualification or to avoid the drop. This season promises to be as unpredictable and thrilling as ever. Here at BettingOdds, we will be providing you with expert Premier League insights along with the best EPL predictions throughout the season.
City Favored to win Five in a Row
Last season, Manchester City made history by becoming the first team ever to win the English Premier League in four seasons in a row. They go into this season as the betting favorites with odds of +120 on DraftKings Sportsbook, and it would be hard to go against those odds. They are, without a doubt, the best squad in the league and could even be the best team in Premier League history. Mikel Arteta's Arsenal will likely be the team that challenges them the most, with his squad being filled with creative players. The squad has come in second place for the last two years, and it could be a year of heartbreak for the Gunners for three seasons in a row. City is the better team than Arsenal, with better squad depth. Managed by Arne Slot, Liverpool will also be looking for a title challenge, but it is hard to imagine Pep Guardiola and his side not winning a fifth consecutive title.
Race for the Top Four
The top four race is always a thrilling watch throughout the Premier League season, as a finish in the top four gets the team qualification for the Champions League. Last season Aston Villa surprised some by securing themselves a top four finish and may be able to do the same again this season. Many teams are in genuine contention for a top-four finish this year. Realistically, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool are guaranteed to qualify for the Champions League, which leaves one more spot remaining. Manchester United are the betting favorite for this spot at odds of +145 on FanDuel Sportsbook. However, their performances last season were inferior despite winning the FA Cup, and they would have to improve a lot this season if they wanted to get anywhere near fourth place.
The odds of +145 seem low for a Manchester United side that finished in eighth place last season, which almost led to the sacking of Erik Ten Hag. Although they have been busy in the transfer market this summer, they may have to settle for the Europa League if they want to play European football next season. Other contending sides are Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Aston Villa. Seeing how Chelsea does under new manager Enzo Maresca will be interesting. However, backing Aston Villa to repeat last season's achievement at odds of +300 seems like the best value bet here, but it is a very unpredictable and exciting race where anything can happen!
Expect a Tight Relegation Battle
The battle to stay out of the relegation zone is often the most exciting battle in the Premier League, as multiple teams remain in contention to get relegated right up until the final day of the season. Leicester City have the worst relegation odds with a price of -250 at BetMGM and it is easy to see why. The team lost manager Enzo Maresca, who joined Chelsea after getting Leicester promoted from the Championship last season. The club faces the possibility of a points deduction this season. The two other betting favorites were also promoted from the Championship last season in Ipswich Town who have minimal Premier League experience in their squad and Southampton. However, nothing is guaranteed in the Premier League, and this season's relegation battle could be very close. Everton has been fortunate not to be relegated in the past few seasons, whilst Nottingham Forest will also be involved in this year's scrap for survival. The best value bet to be relegated this season is Ipswich Town at odds of -120 on BetMGM. They have just gone through back-to-back promotions, so they were only in League 2 two years ago. Regardless of how highly rated their manager, Kieran Mckenna, is, they still may not be fully ready for the Premier League.
Three Players to Look Out For This Season
The Premier League is full of world-class players who are some of the best in the world in their positions. Below are three players expected to have a big season this year.
Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland is an absolute goal machine. The Norwegian is in his third season at Manchester City and already has 64 Premier League goals. In his first season in England, he broke the record for most goals scored in a season and followed that up with another fantastic season in his second year. With Manchester City looking to make history this season, they will need Haaland to be on top form, which he is more often than not.
Mohammed Salah
With Jurgen Klopp no longer in charge at Anfield, many Liverpool fans are nervous about how the squad will adapt to Arne Slot, but with a player like Salah on the team, it should be easier. Salah has been electric since he joined Liverpool and has already looked promising this season. Liverpool looked great in pre-season, and in their opening game against Ipswich, Salah looked immense, scoring the winner in a 2-0 win. It may be a tough ask for Liverpool this season due to Klopp's departure, but if Salah can continue to perform, a title challenge may be on the cards.
Bukayo Saka
In the past two seasons, Arsenal has been the only team that has looked to threaten City's run of dominance, and this is largely down to their homegrown talent, Bukayo Saka. He is always involved in goals and assists and actually registered both a goal and an assist in Arsenal's opening game against Wolves. If Arsenal can finally pip City to the title, there is no doubt who their main man is going to be, and that's Bukayo Saka.