Following a blockbuster summer in which England came heartbreakingly close to winning their first major international trophy in 58 years, attention now turns back toward domestic matters and specifically the Premier League. Manchester City have reigned supreme in each of the last four seasons, and they’re the favorites to make it five on the bounce this season. Led by Erling Haaland who is amply supported by playmaker supreme Kevin De Bruyne, the Blues will certainly take a lot of stopping.
But while attention is on the reigning champions, several teams are aiming to upset the applecart. Here are two of them.
Crystal Palace
Ever since Oliver Glasner was appointed manager back in February, Crystal Palace has been a club reborn. They have shed their rigid system implemented by Roy Hodgson and have become one of the most exciting teams to watch in the English top flight. The latest odds from websites allowing one to place football bets currently make the Eagles a 300/1 outsider for the title next term… Leicester City 2.0 anyone?
Of course, at those odds, online football tips providers won’t be tipping the South London club for silverware and to be fair, we don’t blame them. We’re not saying that Palace are going to win the league, but they are set for an impressive campaign, and backing them to finish in the top six at odds of 6/1 is a much more reasonable idea.
Eberechi Eze ? pic.twitter.com/nqZ1r2dx4E
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 24, 2023
England international Eberechi Eze is the club’s orchestrator-in-chief, and the Eagles are set up to get the best out of their attacking midfielder. Add to that the reborn Jean-Philippe Mateta, a throwback striker built more for ‘Prime Barclays’ rather than the modern game, and Palace are certainly a team to be feared next term.
They will however have to handle the departure of Eze’s partner in crime, who has recently departed for the bright lights of the Allianz Arena and Bayern Munich. Investing the £50 million transfer fee received remains a crucial task.
Leicester City
The Foxes romped to the Championship title last season after racking up a mighty 97 points. But despite that, they’re the odds-on favorites for an immediate return to the second tier next season. Leicester won the Premier League just eight years ago in perhaps the biggest sporting upset of all time, before adding the FA Cup to their trophy cabinet in 2021. Admittedly they have fallen off somewhat since then, but pricing them as 25/1 outsiders for a top-half finish is certainly eye-catching.
The Midlands outfit had manager Enzo Maresca poached by Chelsea just a matter of months ago and he has since been replaced with Steve Cooper, a manager who impressed by keeping Nottingham Forest in the Premier League and was somewhat harshly relieved of his duties. If he can get the best out of the likes of Patson Daka, Wilfred Ndidi, and Harry Winks, surely the Foxes have enough about them to remain in the top flight. And who knows where they could go beyond there?
Leicester have become renowned for upsetting the applecart in recent years, be it in the Premier League, the FA Cup, or a run to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals. Making them the overwhelming favourites for a drop back down to the second tier certainly seems a strange decision.