2015-16 Premier League Betting Preview

It looks like it could be another banner season in Chelsea. (Photo credit: domfell / Foter / CC BY)


The 2015-16 Premier League soccer season kicks off this weekend as all 20 teams will see action.

Chelsea looks to repeat as Premier League champs, while Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United appear to be their biggest challengers.

Let’s take a closer look at the top five contenders in this Premier League betting preview, as provided by Pinnacle Sports.

 

Top 5 Contenders

1. Chelsea

Last season: First

Pinnacle Sports Odds to Win Title: +169

Who’s In: Asmir Begovic, Radamel Falcao

Who’s Out: Petr Cech, Filipe Luis, Didier Drogba

Opening Fixture: Swansea (home)

It took just two seasons for club legend Jose Mourinho to rediscover his Midas touch and deliver Chelsea their first league title since 2010. They now enter this season as overwhelming favourites to be crowned champions again and it’s quite easy to see why.

The Blues wrapped up the league with three games to spare last term, losing just three games all season as well as boasting the best defence in the championship. This solid back four and goalkeeper remain in tact, and will no doubt, again, be the basis in which Mourinho looks to build his success upon.

Very few question marks hang over the champions, but the one prominent one is how the Blues will cope if key forward Diego Costa’s hamstring problems persist. Despite making just 26 EPL appearances for the Londoners’ last term, the Spaniard still managed to grab 20 goals, finishing as the club’s top goalscorer. If these hamstring problems continue, all eyes will be on new signing Falcao, as he looks to adapt to new surroundings and put his miserable debut season in the Premier League behind him.

With the league’s best defence and, arguably, the most talented attacking player in the league, in the shape of Eden Hazard, Chelsea look justified favourites to retain their title. Can they live up to expectation and win Jose Mourinho his fourth Premier League trophy?

2. Manchester City

Last season: Second

Pinnacle Sports Odds to Win Title: +293

Who’s In: Raheem Sterling, Patrick Roberts, Fabian Delph

Who’s Out: James Milner, Stevan Jovetic, Micah Richards

Opening fixture: West Brom (away)

The arrival of Raheem Sterling from league rivals Liverpool aside, this summer has been a largely uneventful one for City fans. It appears the owners are now concentrating on filling domestic quotas, as well as bringing the average age of the squad down  – previously the oldest of the main title challenging sides. Major signings Sterling, Patrick Roberts and Fabian Delph, all under 25 and English, fill both criteria’s as Manuel Pellegrini’s men aim to build for the future.

City’s main weapon in their arsenal is firepower; the Sky Blues out-gunned eventual champions Chelsea by 10 goals last term, 83 to 73, with Sergio Aguero scoring 26 of those on his way to the Golden Boot. Although top scorers last season, they were still someway off the 102 of the league-winning 2013/14 season. The arrival of Sterling could get them closer to this mark again, he should inject even more pace and trickery into the league’s best attacking side

Despite Joe Hart keeping the most clean sheets in the Premier League last season (14), it’s in defence where question marks remain. Big-money arrival Eliaquim Mangala has struggled to adapt to the English game, this, in turn, seems to have affected the usually resilient Vincent Kompany, who ended the season with some very uncharacteristic mistakes. City’s title chances could depend on this partnership developing an understanding from the get-go.

If problems persist, significant arrivals in this area may not come. With it widely believed to be Pellegrini’s last season in Manchester, it could be that the owners are willing to gamble on what they already and save their budget for a future manager. Have the Citizens got the current squad to reclaim the Premier League title?

3. Arsenal

Last season’s league finish: Third

Pinnacle Sports Odds to Win Title: +346

Who’s in: Petr Cech

Who’s out: Lucas Podolski, Abou Diaby

Opening fixture: West Ham United (home)

Two consecutive FA Cups should act as evidence that things are finally starting to head in the right direction for Arsenal. However, it is now 11 years since “The Invincibles” made history and delivered Arsene Wenger his last league title. Capable of beating any side in the division on their day, question marks remain over whether this squad has the mentality to maintain the levels of consistency needed to challenge for the title.

However, despite not being as busy as most in the transfer window, they look to have solved their long running goalkeeper issue with the inclusion of the experienced Petr Cech from London rivals Chelsea. The Czech International has been the Gunner’s only major signing so far this summer and the Arsenal manager has previously mentioned that Arsenal are only in the market for ‘world-class players’.

It appears then that the Frenchman is pinning his Premier League hopes on squad solidarity and team togetherness. With financial constraints seemingly behind them, the Gunner’s have gone another summer without losing a key player to a major rival – Robin van Persie to Manchester United being the last in 2012.

With key player’s heading towards the peak years of their career and defensive issues seemingly solved, will the Emirates Stadium witness its first Premier League title in May or will old habits die hard?

4. Manchester United

Last season: Fourth

Pinnacle Sports Odds to Win Title: +505

Who’s In: Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Memphis Depay, Matteo Darmian

Who’s Out: Robin van Persie, Nani, Tom Cleverley

Opening fixture: Tottenham Hotspur (home)

Success in the 2015/16 campaign is imperative for Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United side. After a slow start, things have rapidly improved at Old Trafford for the eccentric Dutchman, and he will be keen for his new arrivals to kick things on even faster.

The arrival of centre midfield duo Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger give the Red Devils physical presence and depth, in what was previously a problem area. Further up the pitch, injury-prone Robin van Persie has been replaced by fellow countryman Memphis Depay, Eredivisie Golden Boot winner. The former PSV forward comes with a huge reputation, as well as price tag, and the United faithful will be hoping he can emulate former fan favourite Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Premier League exploits – van Nistelrooy also arrived from PSV in a big money move.

Last season may have been an improvement on 2013/14’s effort, but there are still a few problems that need ironing out. None more so than away form, United won just six matches on the road last term and finished with a -1 goal difference. Rumours concerning David De Gea’s Real Madrid move persist, if the Spaniard does get his move replacing a figure of his talent may also hit them hard.

Overall, Louis van Gaal looks to have a system in place for the season ahead, and fans and pundits alike seem enthused following a successful pre-season. If the Red Devils can keep De Gea and maintain levels of consistency that weren’t there last season, a tilt at the title may not be out of the question.

5. Liverpool

Last season: Sixth

Pinnacle Sports Odds to Win Title: +2200

Who’s in: Christian Benteke, James Milner, Danny Ings, Roberto Firmino, Nathaniel Clyne

Who’s out: Raheem Sterling, Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson, Rickie Lambert

Opening fixture: Stoke City (away)

After going so close to finally winning the Premier League two seasons ago, the loss of key player Luis Suarez saw Liverpool struggle to replicate a title challenge in 2014/15, eventually finishing in a disappointing sixth position.

With a lot of question marks hanging over his head, Brendan Rodgers has been quick to bring in reinforcements this summer, as he looks to replace Steven Gerrard and Raheem Sterling, as well as improving the squad as a whole. The Reds have been amongst the biggest spenders in the league, two notable signings being Christian Benteke (£32.5 million) and Roberto Firmino (£29 million).

The arrival of Belgian frontman Benteke brings with it much needed Premier League nous, along with a guarantee of goals – he was responsible for scoring 49% of Aston Villa’s Premier League goals last season. Add Daniel Sturridge, Danny Ings, Roberto Firmino, Mario Balotelli and Divock Origi into the equation and it’s quite clear that things look healthy, in final third options, at Anfield.

If a title challenge is on the cards then improvement must be made at the back, the Reds conceded 48 league goals last term. Brendan Rodgers chopped and changed his backline significantly throughout the season in an attempt for defensive improvement. The addition of Nathaniel Clyne should go some way to making a difference in terms of stability, but is that enough? The odds would suggest no.

 

Opening Weekend Betting Odds

(as of Tuesday afternoon at Pinnacle Sports)

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