The English Premier League is back on the 16th of August, with the opening match seeing Manchester United take on Fulham at Old Trafford. Below we are going to take a look at who we think will go on and win the title and the teams that will be battling it out for a spot in Europe and to avoid the dreaded drop into the Championship.
2024/25 Premier League Winners
Our outright winner prediction for the 2024/25 season is for Manchester City to claim their fifth Premier League title in a row. Some of the other teams in the league have managed to close the gap on the champions, but City should still be too good for the rest of the competition as they have pedigree all over the pitch.
Arsenal should not be discounted though. Mikel Arteta’s men finished in second place last season and have the quality and depth to go on another title push. However, we can see them finishing just short once again as they lack a cutting edge up front, relying too heavily on Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus. They will not struggle defensively though thanks to the signings of David Raya and Riccardo Calafiori.
Who Will Finish in the European Spots?
Aston Villa, who finished fourth last season, have strengthened their squad this summer by signing no fewer than eight players, with a few more expected to come through the door. With the quality that they have at their disposal, they will be expecting to have another top season, but we think they might struggle due to the toll of competing in the Champions League. We all saw what happened to Newcastle last season when they played in the UCL for the first time.
Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are two teams that are never easy to predict. Everyone thought Erik Ten Haag would not be the Man United coach this season, but he is still in charge and there is no way to guess how their season might unfold. They have already been impacted by injuries and an over-reliance on the likes of Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire is not going to go down well. However, even with their problems, we expect them to do better than they did last season.
The 2024/25 campaign is a big season for Ange Postecoglou as Spurs fans are looking for silverware. However, they need to improve big time before they can get their hands on a title. They have cut some dead weight from their team and brought in some fantastic young talent in the form of Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall. We do not think they will win any silverware, but we would not be surprised if they broke back into the top four come May.
We think Villa will finish in sixth place, United in fifth, and Tottenham in fourth. This means that Liverpool and Arsenal will be fighting it out for second and third place, and we believe that Liverpool will finish as runners-up. They have been quiet in the transfer window and no longer have Klopp in charge, but we have faith in Arne Slot filling his big shoes.
So, our top six come May is:
- Manchester City
- Liverpool
- Arsenal
- Tottenham Hotspur
- Manchester United
- Aston Villa
These are our tips for the top six, but you can head over to mybettingsite.uk football insights to see whether they agree with our predictions. They offer regular weekly betting tips for all of the biggest football leagues.
Who Will be Relegated?
Looking at the bottom of the table, there are a number of teams who will be fearing relegation. Southampton and Ipswich are heavy favourites to finish at the foot of the table, while Leicester has lost many of their best players in the shape of Dewsbury-Hall, Praet, Ihenacho, and Albrighton. They did bring in some top young talent from Italy and Portugal, but we do not see those signings as being enough to keep them in the division.
Apart from the three newly promoted sides, Fulham could struggle as they have lost many important players this summer. For instance, Palhinha has joined Bayern Munich, while Ream, Adarabioyo, and De Cordova-Reid have also left for new pastures. They did pick up a decent signing in the shape of Emile Smith Rowe, but they need more signings urgently. Wolves, Everton, and Forest could also be in the relegation battle, but we think that, just like last season, the three promoted teams will swiftly be demoted.
Our bottom three come May:
- Leicester
- Southampton
- Ipswich
Who Will Win the Golden Boot?
Erling Haaland is the favourite to win the Golden Boot in the 2024/25 season, having won it the previous two seasons in a row. He plays for the best team in the league and is an absolute beast in front of the goal, hoovering up the majority of chances that come his way. He can be completely anonymous in a game before popping up with the all-important goal. Furthermore, he takes their penalties, which helps boost his goal tally.
Which Managers Could be Sacked?
In today’s football, nobody is safe, but some are less safe than others. Eddie Howe is the favourite to leave his job first, but that is mostly due to him possibly becoming the next England manager. Also, with the reputation that Chelsea has for firing their managers, Enzo Maresca will be looking over his shoulder all season.
Other coaches who will not be heading this season with a lot of optimism regarding their position include Steve Cooper, Sean Dyche, Russell Martin, Nuno Espirito Santo, and Erik Ten Hag.
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