Having had a summer jam-packed with high-class sporting action, even if the weather continues to let us down, there has hardly been time for fans to blink since the end of the 2020/21 Premier League season, but the new season is now just days away. It is time to do it all over again.
Here Just Bookies highlights two betting tips for the new 2021/22 Premier League season, that should keep us interested to the very end.
After capturing Aston Villa’s talismanic captain, Jack Grealish, champions Man City will be looking to extend their reign over the top level of English football and at skinny odds of 4/6, the market has them as hot favourites to do just that.
Thomas Tuchel will be hoping his Europe-conquering Chelsea team can have a say in the title race, especially after bolstering his striking options by signing Romelu Lukaku, who arrives back in England after a prolific spell with Italian giants Internazionale.
Both Liverpool and Manchester United have been active in the transfer market with big-money moves, so they too will be looking to topple Pep Guardiola’s men, though if the outright betting is anything to go by, their chances are slimmer than they would both like.
Having delved into the outright markets ahead of the new season, below are two ante-post bets that stand out at the prices.
Winner Without Big Six: Leeds @ 6/1
It was a bit of a rollercoaster first season for Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa. The enigmatic Argentine presided over a campaign of ups and downs at Elland Road, while initially, his team alternated from dazzling crowds with downright brilliance offensively to embarrassing themselves defensively.
During the first half of the campaign, much was made about the easiness with which teams could penetrate the Leeds defence, but as the season wore on, they improved in that respect, while there was never any doubt about their ability to cut teams open by playing fast, free-flowing and attack-minded football. Even the best teams in the league found it tough to contain Bielsa’s men, who finished the campaign as the sixth-highest scorers in the division. Moreover, they produced more expected goals for than all but four teams last term, beating the likes of Leicester, Tottenham, West Ham and Arsenal, all of whom eventually finished ahead of the ninth-placed Yorkshire club.
What’s interesting is that Leeds have kept their squad together, apart from the sale of Ezgjan Alioski. It is unlikely that many would disagree that new signing Junior Firpo, who during his spell at Real Betis was arguably the most exciting full back in the Spanish top-flight, is an upgrade in that position.
With a season in the EPL behind them, Leeds, with their high intensity approach, can impress once again this season, and at the current odds, look a great bet to lead the way without the big six at 6/1 with William Hill or BetVictor and that is the first of our two betting tips.
Relegation: Burnley @ 5/2
The fact that Burnley have stayed in the Premier League on what is a shoestring budget compared to most, especially those that usually finish inside the top half, is a credit to them as a club and to Sean Dyche as a manager. The question is how long can they continue to swim against the tide?
After defying the odds to reach the Europa League qualifying stages thanks to a seventh-place finish in 2018, The Clarets have flirted with the drop on more than one occasion, finishing 15th in 2019, while they ended the campaign in 17th last term.
The relegation market this season is an interesting one. As is often the case, the newly promoted teams are favourites to exit via the trapdoor at the first time of asking, but Watford and Brentford both have lots of quality in their ranks, which means that those who have been in the league for a while could find themselves enthralled in a battle for survival.
Burnley were poor last season, as poor as they have been since they returned to the Premier League back in 2016, so it’s not exactly positive that they’ve not really strengthened over the summer, with Nathan Collins, who spent last season with Stoke City in the Championship, being their highest profile signing.
Where they really needed to strengthen is offensively, as they were the third lowest scorers during the 20/21 campaign, while they had the worst expected goal difference out of everyone. They struggled to create, and they found it equally tough to stop teams from carving out scoring opportunities against them. It is on that basis that they look at the current odds at least, a better relegation bet than some of the more fancied sides.
Best Odds for Recommended Bets
To summarise, our Premier League betting tips at best odds are:
- Leeds “without the big six” @ 6/1 with William Hill or BetVictor.
- Burnley to be relegated @ 5/2 with Bet365.
Bradley Gibbs is an experienced football writer. He is an expert analyst on Premier League, and all global football leagues & tournaments, for Just Bookies. Bradley has been published by many respected outlets, including USA Betting and the Racing & Football Outlook. He has also written betting strategy guides.