Wolves, Everton, Leicester and West Ham aim for top 10
Aston Villa look good outsiders for top half
Crystal Palace, Southampton, Newcastle and Watford likely for bottom half
The English Premier League prides itself on being the most competitive in the world.
The point is proven by the emergence this season of a new pack of mid-level clubs who are seen as serious challengers for some of the leading places.
EPL 2019-20 Top Half Finish Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Tottenham Hotspur | -20000 |
| Arsenal | -10000 |
| Chelsea | -10000 |
| Manchester Utd | -10000 |
| Everton | -260 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | -260 |
| Leicester City | -195 |
| West Ham Utd | +100 |
| Crystal Palace | +275 |
| Newcastle Utd | +275 |
| Southampton | +275 |
| Watford | +275 |
| Bournemouth | +350 |
| Aston Villa | +450 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | +650 |
| Burnley | +700 |
| Norwich City | +1000 |
| Sheffield Utd | +1200 |
*Odds taken at 2019/08/07
Leicester City, Wolves, Everton and West Ham United are all fancied as potential threats to the EPL’s regular elite group.
All four teams are strongly-rated as the best value bets in books’ assessment of which teams will finish in the top half of the table – with title favorites Manchester City and second-ranked Liverpool excluded from the market.
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Certainly, they offer more promising returns than the remainder of the familiar leading pack of Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.
Bold Coach Pellegrini
Shrewd-spending West Ham, with their bold, attacking manager Manuel Pellegrini, are particularly attractive at +100.
For a promising outside bet, newly-promoted Aston Villa are interesting at +450 after highly-rated coach Dean Smith spent more than $225 million on 12 new signings.
Along with the biggest teams who regularly occupy the leading positions, the analysts are offering odds on which sides will be in the top 10 and which in the bottom 10.
Arsenal have broken their transfer record to increase their attacking potency by capturing winger Nicolas Pepe from Lille for $117 million.
Leicester City finished ninth in May after impressive manager Brendan Rodgers arrived mid-season from Celtic.
They also offer some value at -195 after signing striker Ayoze Perez from Newcastle for $50 million and permanently signing Monaco midfielder Yuri Tielemans for $65 million after his loan spell last season.
West Ham’s price of -140 for the bottom 10 is intriguing. Although they are fancied for the top half, they can be unpredictable and have been prone to under-achievement throughout their history.
The best value for the bottom half lies among those clubs who are the narrowest outsiders to make the top 10.
That places Crystal Palace, Newcastle, Southampton and Watford at -375 to finish in the bottom half.
Palace – 12th last season – may look the best opportunity here if they lose star player Wilfried Zaha, with European transfer windows open longer than the EPL’s.
Bruce’s Troubled Arrival
Newcastle’s supporters have not taken kindly to the appointment of Steve Bruce as manager and it could be a troublesome campaign if they do not make a good start.
Few feel Bruce can improve on the 13th place attained by the popular Rafael Benitez in May.
Southampton have spent £40 million on strikers Danny Ings and Che Adams but do not look strong enough for the top 10 after finishing 16th last season.
Picks: Top Half – Aston Villa (+450); Bottom Half – West Ham Utd (-150)