Punt on the Potters to finish Top half in 16/17
Best Bets
4pts on Middlesbrough to finish top of the promoted clubs (Evs General)
0.5pts ew on Romelu Lukaku top scorer 12/1 General (1/4 odds top 4 w/Coral):
0.5pts ew on Alexis Sanchez top scorer 25/1 Coral (1/4 odds top 4):
4pts Stoke Top 10 finish 2/1 Bet365/StanJames:
In similar fashion to our NFL season preview, we won’t be detailing each team in full, as not only are there 20 teams to assess, but even with the season 1 week away there is around 3 weeks of the transfer window to go, meaning that a large number of things could see the shape of the season change before it really begins.
The top end of the table is stacked, therefore we have looked into other markets to provide some value and hopefully more sure wins and here are our reasons behind our season long Premier League tips.
4pts on Middlesbrough to finish top of the promoted clubs (Evs General)
The North East will still see a Premier League derby this season with both Sunderland and Middlesbrough trying to keep their place for when they expect Newcastle to return. To help their survival chances, Middlesbrough will want to finish ahead of their fellow promoted Championship sides and seem to have done by far the best recruitment to achieve this. They’ve added solid goalkeeping experience in Brad Guzan and Victor Valdes, secured what should be guaranteed goals in Alvaro Negredo on loan and all while Burnley have lost the experience of Joey Barton, Hull have lost playoff winning goal scorer Diame & both are yet to have visibly improved their squads.
0.5pts ew on Romelu Lukaku top scorer 12/1 General (1/4 odds top 4 w/Coral):
Lukaku can be absolutely unstoppable. He can also appear lazy & stroppy. Either way, he can bang in the goals. Lots of rumours have been going around about Lukaku leaving Everton, with most shouts suggesting he will join Chelsea. If this goes through his odds for top scorer are likely to drop and if he doesn’t leave Goodison Park behind, the new approach of Ronald Koeman is something that could well see a more direct style for the Merseyside club, creating many more opportunities and possibly renewing Lukaku’s interest in playing for the full 90 minutes in every game knowing he always has a chance to grab a goal. Either way this seems a good value bet.
0.5pts ew on Alexis Sanchez top scorer 25/1 Coral (1/4 odds top 4):
Alexis Sanchez has all the abilities to be a superstar in the league. His work ethic is near unmatched and his finishing is among the best. The one issue last year was some injury setbacks, but he isn’t the kind to sit out if he can help it and we expect he will play the majority of league games this year for Arsenal. Since returning from his time out last year, he went on to score 7 goals in 15 league games in the run to the end of the season, with only 11 of those league games not involving his substitution at a time that Wenger was being cautious with him. Expect many appearances, big minutes and hopefully plenty of goals from this little wizard in the 16/17 season.
4pts Stoke Top 10 finish 2/1 Bet365/StanJames:
Stoke had somewhat of a breakout season last year, looking good for around 90% of it. They ran out of steam towards the end and slipped down the league, finishing behind other shock teams like West Ham, but they definitely showed plenty of promise and still achieved a top 10 finish. Expect significant changes throughout the league with many signings and improved performances from 2 of the more notable teams that finished below them, Chelsea & Everton. Though Stoke haven’t had a huge outlay so far, Joe Allen is an upgrade from Glenn Whelan in the middle that could be key. It is important not to forget that they potentially made their biggest signing during last season when they brought in an impressive looking Imbula into the middle of the park, while looking for continued improvements from Bojan, Shaqiri & maybe most importantly their Club player of the year last season, Marco Arnautovic who they’ve tied up long term during pre-season.