English Premier League 2024/2025 Preview: Can Arsenal end City’s Reign?
The Premier League 2024/2025 season kicks off this Friday, August 16, and the excitement is palpable with the full fixture list and schedule now released.
The season’s traditional curtain-raiser, the Community Shield, saw Manchester City and Manchester United lock horns, setting the stage for what promises to be another exhilarating campaign full of drama, passion, and unforgettable moments.
Pep Guardiola’s side managed to stave off a fourth consecutive Community Shield defeat with a penalty shootout victory against their city rivals. But could this win foreshadow an ominous season for the Cityzens? Historically, City have won the title each time they’ve lost the Community Shield final, suggesting muted celebrations might be the order at the Etihad.
Nonetheless, the reigning champions are the unanimous favourites among top sports betting sites to win a record-extending fifth consecutive Premier League crown.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, however, will be among the many teams determined to finally dethrone City after two seasons of coming close but falling short.
Meanwhile, Arne Slot’s arrival has added to the count of bald managers in the Premier League, but can he fill Jurgen Klopp’s shoes at Liverpool?
Erik Ten Hag has been given another season at Manchester United and will be under immense pressure to validate his continued stay. Over at Chelsea, the saga continues with yet another new manager at the helm.
Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Ham United, among others, will fiercely contest the battle for European places. As for the newly promoted trio of Leicester City, Ipswich Town, and Southampton, survival will be the immediate priority before aiming higher.
As we stand on the cusp of what promises to be another electrifying campaign, we preview the top contenders and analyse their chances of winning the Premier League 2024/2025 title.
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Triple bonus 200% up to ₦150,000Premier League 2024/2025 Winner Odds
Here are the Premier League 2024/2025 winner odds for all 20 teams (courtesy of Bet9ja, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change):
- Manchester City @ 2.20
- Arsenal @ 2.85
- Liverpool @ 8.00
- Chelsea @ 20.00
- Manchester United @ 23.00
- Tottenham Hotspur @ 26.00
- Newcastle United @ 34.00
- Aston Villa @ 51.00
- Brighton and Hove Albion @ 151.00
- West Ham United @ 201.00
- Crystal Palace @ 251.00
- Bournemouth @ 351.00
- Wolverhampton Wanderers @ 401.00
- Fulham @ 401.00
- Brentford @ 401.00
- Everton @ 501.00
- Nottingham Forest @ 751.00
- Southampton @ 751.00
- Leicester City @ 1001.00
- Ipswich Town @ 1001.00
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Manchester City made history last season by winning their fourth consecutive Premier League title. As the new season begins, they are favourites at 2.20 odds on Bet9ja to win the 2024/2025 title.
City’s transfer activity has been minimal, with 20-year-old Brazilian Savinho being their sole addition. However, they retain the core of their title-winning squad. Betting against them might be foolhardy, especially with a rested Erling Haaland, who has won the EPL Golden Boot in both of his seasons in England, leading their attack.
Despite their apparent invincibility and Guardiola’s tactical expertise, several factors could hinder their quest for a fifth straight title.
The departure of Julian Alvarez, who scored 11 league goals and made nine assists last season, to Atletico Madrid, is a significant loss, particularly given Haaland’s injury history.
Additionally, the ageing of key players like Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, and Bernardo Silva could affect their performance. Promising youngster Oscar Bobb has also sustained a potentially season-ending injury.
Furthermore, the ongoing 115 charges, with a hearing set for mid-September, could lead to severe penalties, including a points deduction which would impact their title bid. The constant media scrutiny could also affect the team’s focus.
Combined with the potential for complacency after sustained success, these factors could create an opening for rivals to challenge City’s reign.
This might be the season Manchester City falter.
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100% Welcome Bonus Up to €100Arsenal: Now or Never for the Gunners to End Their Two-Decade Title Drought
After back-to-back runner-up finishes, Mikel Arteta will have some understanding of why Jurgen Klopp has elected to take time off football after years of competing with Manchester City for the Premier League title.
Indeed, Arteta has acknowledged the immense challenge posed by City, emphasising the need for near-perfection by saying the Gunners will need a maximum of 114 points to win the league. Surprisingly, Arteta has continued to focus on defensive reinforcements, signing Bologna’s Riccardo Calafiori, despite the need for attacking options.
Arsenal had the best defence last season, conceding only 29 goals, but they enter the new campaign with just the unreliable Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, an unnatural striker, as their main forwards. Their title challenges have often faltered when Bukayo Saka appeared fatigued. Finding a reliable goalscorer and backup to keep Saka fresh should be a priority.
Addressing these issues could finally end Arsenal’s title drought. They are priced at 2.85 odds to win the Premier League 2024/2025 title and are the leading option at 1.80 odds to win the title without Manchester City.
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300% First Deposit Bonus up to ₦145600 Liverpool: No Top Four Slot for Arne Slot
Liverpool fans will be delighted with their preseason results which included morale-boosting wins over Arsenal and Manchester United but dreams of a 20th league title will be extremely farfetched. The Reds are priced at 8.00 odds to win the Premier League 2024/2025 title, but this season could be one of transition under new manager Arne Slot.
Four wins and one draw from five preseason games suggest Slot has settled well. However, preseason success doesn’t always translate to league performance, as fellow Dutch manager Louis Van Gaal’s experience with Manchester United in 2014/2015 shows. Van Gaal’s side won six preseason games but had to wait until their fifth league game for his maiden Premier League win.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are the only team yet to make a signing this window, and a top-four finish without reinforcements may be challenging, especially with Champions League commitments.
While a team boasting Virgil Van Dijk, Mo Salah, and Darwin Nunez, can’t be discounted, even Klopp managed only a third-place finish last season. A top-six finish might be more realistic for the Reds in the Premier League 2024/2025 season.
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100% Welcome Bonus Up to ₦50.000Chelsea: Top Four A Tall Order for the Blues
New season, new Chelsea manager but somehow, bookmakers believe the Blues are fourth-favourites at 20.00 odds to win the Premier League 2024/2025 title.
The Blues did well to recover from a torrid start to finish sixth last season, 19 points better off than they managed in 2022/2023. However, Mauricio Pochettino was surprisingly let go at the end of the season with Enzo Maresca taking over.
Maresca, who won the Championship with Leicester, has had a rocky start with Chelsea, managing just one win from six preseason matches. Chelsea’s extensive transfer activity, with nine new signings, has not helped Maresca’s task of implementing his ideas any easier.
There is little evidence to suggest Maresca will get this Chelsea side to winning ways anytime soon, and Blues fans might have to buckle up for another season of pain. In fact, a managerial change before the turn of the year and a finish outside the top six are very distinct possibilities.
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Erik Ten Hag remains Manchester United manager despite their worst-ever Premier League finish last season.
The Old Trafford hierarchy probably views last season’s eighth-place finish as an aberration preferring to judge the former Ajax man on his debut season successes.
A return to the Champions League will be the expectation at the conclusion of the Premier League 2024/2025 season and the Red Devils at 3.00 odds on Bet9ja should have enough to finish in the top four.
After conceding more shots than any team bar the relegated Sheffield United last season, United have moved swiftly to shore up their defence with the addition of the talented Leny Yoro and Bayern Munich pair Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.
Additionally, Joshua Zirkee has come in to bolster their attack and the club remains in the market for a midfielder with PSG’s Manuel Ugarte likely to come in.
Ten Hag’s coaching staff has also seen changes with former Go Ahead Eagles manager René Hake and legendary United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy joining as assistant coaches. Jelle ten Rouwelaar is the new goalkeeping coach while Andreas Georgson left his position as manager of Norwegian side Lillestrom to become United’s new set piece coach.
United are unlikely to suffer as many injuries as last season and should perform better with their new-look coaching set-up. Additionally, they have good form for bouncing back from disappointing campaigns. On each of the previous four occasions they finished sixth or lower in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, they finished in the top four the following campaign.
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Give a boost to your next sports betOther Contenders for European Places
Aston Villa, impressive in finishing fourth last season, are priced at 3.95 odds to finish in the Premier League 2024/2025 top four again. However, their Champions League commitments might affect their league form, potentially putting even a top-six finish out of reach.
Newcastle, meanwhile, have no continental football to worry about, but it does appear manager Eddie Howe has taken the Magpies as far as he can. Howe is under consideration to replace Gareth Southgate for the vacant England manager position which might see his focus affected as a result. Still, the Magpies are good value at 1.77 odds to finish in the top six.
Ange Postecoglou’s bid to finish in the Champions League places in his debut season fell just short as Tottenham finished fifth, just two points short of fourth place. Nevertheless, Spurs at 3.00 odds should be good value to qualify for the Champions League, especially with Chelsea and Liverpool unlikely to finish in the top four. The addition of Dominic Solanke, Crysencio Summerville, and Archie Gray should position Spurs well for a top-four finish.
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200% Welcome Bonus Up to ₦100.000Surprise Packages: Can West Ham Make a Surprise Top Four Bid?
Crystal Palace ended last season strongly after Oliver Glasner replaced Roy Hodgson. Only Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea picked up more points than they did in the final 10 league games of the season. However, the Eagles might struggle in the Premier League 2024/2025 season with key players likely to leave. The Eagles have already sold talented winger Michael Olise, and bids for centre-backs Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen could further deplete the squad.
Meanwhile, West Ham, under new boss Julen Lopetegui, have strengthened their squad with Jean-Clair Todibo, Aaron Wan Bissaka, and Brazilian teenager Luis Guilherme. With a spine including the likes of Luis Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen, and Mohamed Kudus, West Ham fans can dream of a return to Europe. They are priced at 16.00 odds to finish in the top four and 5.25 odds for a top-six finish.
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Promoted sides Sheffield United, Burnley, and Luton Town were all relegated last season, and bookmakers expect a similar fate for the newly promoted teams in 2024/2025.
Leicester City’s Premier League 2013/2014 title triumph might be the greatest story in football history, but the Premier League could hit the Foxes with a points deduction after charging them with alleged breaches of Profitability and Sustainability rules. Bet9ja has the Foxes as 2.75 odds favourites to finish last and 1.39 odds to be relegated.
Meanwhile, Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town have enjoyed a swift ascent to the topflight with back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League in two years. But they’ll discover the topflight is a different proposition altogether. The Tractor Boys are priced at 1.73 odds to return to the Championship.
Southampton made the jump to the Premier League through the playoffs but will face an uphill task to maintain their topflight status. They are priced at 2.05 odds to be relegated. However, of the three promoted sides, the Saints are most likely to stay up but will need a miracle to stave off relegation.
Brighton might have finished in eleventh last season but fell off badly towards the end winning just one of their last 10 league matches. They enter the Premier League 2024/2025 season priced at 18.00 odds to drop to the Championship. Without Roberto De Zerbi, now at Marseille, Brighton might suffer a season of turmoil.
Brentford (5.75 odds) are also likely to be in trouble, especially, if as expected, talisman Ivan Toney departs the club this summer.
Nottingham Forest’s 32 points ast season is the lowest any team has stayed up with in Premier League history. A similar total this term will likely seal their relegation fate.
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