Premier League Betting Tips – Taking Value Now Before It’s Gone!

The Premier League season is getting to that crunch point now where the dust settles a little bit, and we start to get a clearer picture of which direction the twenty teams are heading in.

Okay, so there is still plenty of uncertainty – what exactly can Leicester City achieve this term, for example – but all in all punters can start to make certain assumptions. So how are these reflected in the various markets?

Premier League Winner

  • Manchester City (11/8)
  • Arsenal (6/4)
  • Leicester City (14/1)
  • Tottenham (20/1)
  • Manchester United (25/1)

There is little to choose between Arsenal, on 43 points, and Manchester on 40 points as far as the bookmakers are concerned. Both teams have an agreeable(ish) run of fixtures coming up – the Gunners face Stoke (a), Chelsea (h) and Southampton (h) next, while City encounter Crystal Palace (h), West Ham (a) and Sunderland (a) – and so these prices shouldn’t change too much.

A word has to go to Leicester City, who are level on points with Arsenal. This is a team that’s only got two players remember, and their bubble is set to burst….or so the armchair experts will have you believe. If their defensive renaissance continues at pace (one goal conceded in four outings) they have every chance.

But when push comes to shove, and when the pressure is on, we’ll be backing Man City – with their big time experience of late season scrutiny – to stand up tall.

Premier League Top Four Finish

  • Tottenham (5/6)
  • Leicester City (10/11)
  • Manchester United (6/4)
  • West Ham (16/1)

There is little in the way of value here as far as the prices are concerned, but the most outstanding punt appears to be Leicester City at a shade under even money. They are eight points clear of West Ham who are in fifth, and with fixtures against Aston Villa (a), Stoke (h) and Liverpool (h) it’s quite possible that that margin will increase or at least stay the same.

Premier League Top Ten Finish

  • Everton (8/13)
  • Crystal Palace (8/11)
  • Stoke City (13/10)
  • Southampton (11/8)
  • Watford (2/1)

If we assume that the current top six in the table will finish in the top half come May, that leaves four spots up for grabs. Liverpool (1/25) and Chelsea (2/7) are unbackable at their prices, so perhaps we are looking for two from the list above.

Of them it is Everton who stand out. They have the goal-power of Romelu Lukaku to call upon, as well as the creative talents of the likes of Ross Barkley and Gerard Deulofeu. The metronomic midfield pair of Gareth Barry and James McCarthy is as good as any in the division.

Crystal Palace are on shaky ground – they seem to lose silly games, as witnessed against Aston Villa and Sunderland in recent times – and so they can’t be backed with confidence. Instead, take Stoke in a double with Everton. They are hardly the measure of consistency themselves, but with a front three of Arnautovic, Bojan and Shaqiri they will never be short of goals.

Premier League Relegation

  • Aston Villa (1/12)
  • Sunderland (2/5)
  • Newcastle (17/20)
  • Swansea (2/1)
  • Norwich City (4/1)

Was Aston Villa’s win over Crystal Palace the start of a revival, or a mere dawn of false hope? It’s too early to tell, but given their performances so far this term only the most optimistic of Villains supporters will be assuming it’s the former.

Swansea look the smart value here at 2/1. They were blown away by Sunderland on Wednesday night – albeit thanks to some shocking refereeing decisions – and it could be the case that Alan Curtis is the first caretaker manager ever to be sacked. The loss of Jonjo Shelvey, a reliable midfield performer, to relegation rivals Newcastle could be a huge blow.

Premier League Top Goalscorer

  • Romelu Lukaku (9/4)
  • Harry Kane (6/1)
  • Jamie Vardy (6/1)
  • Odion Ighalo (8/1)
  • Sergio Aguero (9/1)
  • Olivier Giroud (20/1)

Romelu Lukaku and Jamie Vardy are level pegging on 15 goals at the minute, and the former’s dominance of the betting market is surprising given that the latter plays in a Leicester City side celebrated for their attacking football. They are also the second leading scorers in the Premier League, and this could be a factor.

Harry Kane is four back and will need the kind of scoring streak he enjoyed in 2014/15 if he is to triumph in this market. Sergio Aguero is a two-time winner of this award, but he is a full seven goals back from Lukaku and Vardy, and with such a chequered injury history he has to be discounted. Odion Ighalo, an interesting proposition at Watford and just two goals behind, may be handicapped if the Hornets’ early season buzz proves to be short lived.

Fans of value will note the much-maligned Olivier Giroud at 20/1. The Frenchman may not be pretty to watch at times, but he’s just three goals back and in an Arsenal side containing an excess of creative talent.