The Premier League is pushing through the second half of the season with renewed vigour now that it has returned from the World Cup break.
The teams are now motivated to push forward in the second half and hope to accomplish the goals set forth for them by their first-half performances.
Arsenal and Man City continue to be the undisputed favourites to win the Premier League, with Liverpool, Tottenham, and Newcastle possibly forced to compete for a Top Four spot.
The two teams most likely to be relegated at the other end of the table are Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, but a few other teams must exercise caution because they are still in the running.
But since we are talking about who will win the Premier League, let’s just stick to the top!
Contrary to all expectations, Arsenal is in the lead.
Erling Haaland-driven Manchester City continues to look dangerous, and Manchester United and Tottenham are gaining momentum as the season progresses.
In spite of Graham Potter’s best efforts to turn around the fortunes of his new team, Liverpool and Chelsea are far behind the competition!
So, let’s see how all of that has affected the market odds!
Outright Premier League odds
Even though they are 8 points behind the leader at the time of writing (5th January), Manchester City are the absolute favourites @ 1.64!
They are also considered to be a lock to finish in the top four, and some bookmakers aren’t even giving them odds to qualify for the Champions League.
Manchester City are the undisputed favourites to win the title!
That was City, but we think Arsenal is the real deal and a legitimate title contender as well!
They appear to be a very strong, effective, and cohesive team unit, which is something that couldn’t always be said about the Gunners in the past.
Their youthful approach will pay off in the future, but this may be a little too soon for them this season!
Despite having an 8 point lead at the top, Arsenal are the 2nd favourites to win the Premier League @ 2.57!
When United resumed play, they were ready for a surge!
Bruno Fernandes had an outstanding World Cup, while Marcus Rashford is starting to find his form.
Cristiano Ronaldo has left United, and his departure undoubtedly strengthens the team as a whole, Erik ten Hag’s dominance as manager, and Harry Maguire’s position as captain.
All of these positives have led the Market to believe the Reds are the 3rd favourite to win the league @ 24.33!
Beyond City and Arsenal, the race for the top four could shift in any direction. The fact Newcastle sits in third is testament to how disjointed the table looks right now!
Eddie Howe’s men are the 4th favourite to win the league with odds standing @ 41.00.
Despite having a somewhat erratic record, Liverpool had won two straight games against Tottenham and Southampton when the World Cup break started. After beating Leicester and Aston Villa, they had won four straight league games, but Brentford thrashed them to end the run.
The point is that Liverpool is currently sixth in the standings because of their extreme inconsistency throughout the entire season.
Their odds of winning the Premier League stands @ 66.00!
Tottenham and Chelsea, two London-based teams, come after Liverpool!
Both have slim chances of winning the league!
Tottenham’s odds of winning are @ 176.00, while Chelsea’s odds of winning the Premier League are @ 326.00!
To sum it up…
Despite Arsenal having a commanding 8 points lead over Manchester City as of January 5th, the latter team is the heavy favourite to win the championship as per the betting market!
Even though the Gunners have only suffered one defeat through their first 14 Premier League games, the betting market still does not have confidence in them.
United are in fourth place, Newcastle finds themselves 3rd, but neither team is given much of a chance to challenge for the first place!
They, and the teams just below them, will fight for the Champions League places!
