This article surveys the latest English Premier League futures markets in light of the fascinating start to the 2013/14 season.
Premier League 2013/14 Winner
We’re just seven games into the season, but already fans are abandoning Manchester United in the English Premier league betting, as they currently sit in 9th place, six points off leaders Arsenal. United have now hit the 7.00 mark with most bookmakers to win the title as they struggle to adjust under new manager David Moyes.
Despite Arsenal’s and Liverpool’s strong starts, which see them at top the table on 16 points, they are currently the third and fifth favourite, respectively, to take out the title. With Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea in a state of flux after managerial changes in the off-season, there appears to be reasonable value in backing Arsenal and Liverpool. If they can maintain their momentum their odds will shorten, which will offer a chance to hedge your bets at a later point. Arsenal in particular have cause for optimism after the acquisition of German midfielder Mesut Ozil, who has been a revelation for them.
Even though they’ve enjoyed a fantastic start, which sees them sit 4th on the table, Southampton are friendless in the futures market, with bookmakers listing them at 1000.00 odds. This is understandable as they have only played one team in the top half of the table so far this year (even if it was an away win over Liverpool!).
While they currently sit 6th on the table, I’m not convinced by Tottenham yet. They’ve only scored six goals in seven games this season, compared to seventeen goals for Manchester City, who are on equal points with them. Tottenham are certainly a team on the up, and I wouldn’t rule them out of future title success, but I don’t fancy them for the title this season.
Premier League 2013/14 Relegation
Crystal Palace are virtually assured to go down. They were promoted via the Championship Playoffs last season, which meant their Premier League status wasn’t confirmed until the 27th of May. This delay in knowing what league they would be playing certainly hampered their preparations. At this stage they have a strong Championship calibre squad, but not one that can survive in the Premier League. Palace have been in administration before and their new owners will be wary of spending beyond their means, so I don’t anticipate them making big moves in the January transfer window.
Sunderland have had a shocking start to the season as they remain the only side without a win this campaign. Despite recent results not going their way, their form has picked up since the sacking of manager Paolo Di Canio, so I’m not prepared to put a line through them just yet.