It’s that time of year where we put our necks on the
chopping block.
The Soccer Betting News team have put our heads together in
an effort to predict the conclusion of the biggest league in the world.
We didn’t do too bad last season, predicting Chelsea,
Manchester City and Arsenal to finish in the top three in that order while also
tipping Hull and Burnley to suffer the drop down to the Championship.
Manchester United finished in the top four last season
upsetting our top four predictions but that did not deter us from making
another big call in this season’s predicted top four battle.
Chelsea (15/10 To Win)
Transfers In
Nathan (Atletico Paranaense), Radamel Falcao (AS Monaco),
Asmir Begovic (Stoke City)
Out
Christian Atsu (AFC Bournemouth on loan), Didier Drogba
(released), Gael Kakuta (Sevilla), Petr Cech (Arsenal), Mario Pasalic (AS
Monaco on loan), Josh McEachran (Brentford), Izzy Brown (Vitesse Arnhem on
loan), Lewis Baker (Vitesse Arnhem on loan), Marco van Ginkel (Stoke City on
loan), Tomas Kalas (Middlesbrough on loan), Patrick Bamford (Crystal Palaceon
loan), Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid)
What happened last
season: Dominated the league from the start and never looked back, using
motivation of previous years to secure the title.
What will happen this
season: The best team in the league has the most settled squad and room to
improve – plus a fully fit Radamel Falcao. They also boast one of the greatest managers
football has ever known.
SBN prediction:
1st
Arsenal (5/1 To Win)
Transfers In
Petr Cech (Chelsea)
Out
Ryo Miyaichi (St Pauli), Semi Ajayi (Cardiff City), Abou
Diaby (Marseille), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Ipswich Town on loan), Lukas
Podolski (Galatasaray), Carl Jenkinson (West Ham United on loan), Wojciech
Szczesny (AS Roma on loan), George Dobson (Arsenal)
What happened last
season: Fuelled by Alexis Sanchez, the Gunners enjoyed their best season
for some time, easing pressure on Arsene Wenger. Finished only four points shy
of second-placed Manchester City.
What will happen this
season: Haven’t strengthened squad enough to challenge the two big-spenders
and also lack a world class striker capable of pushing them to the title. As
per normal the Gunners will clinch a UEFA Champions League spot but they should
once again fall short of claiming the title.
SBN prediction:
2nd
Manchester United
(5/1 To Win)
Transfers In
Memphis Depay (PSV Eindhoven), Matteo Darmian (Torino),
Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton),
Sergio Romero (Sampdoria)
Out
Tom Cleverley (Everton), Ben Amos (Bolton Wanderers), Tom
Thorpe (released), Saidy Janko (Celtic), Nani (Fenerbahce), Will Keane (Preston
North End on loan), Robin van Persie (Fenerbahce)
What happened last
season: It wasn’t as bad as David Moyes’ sole season in charge but Louis
van Gaal’s transition into the Old Trafford dugout was far from smooth. Most
importantly they managed to claim the coveted fourth spot.
What will happen this
season: Serious cash has been spent on a string of stars, namely Memphis
Depay, Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger. However, Wayne Rooney is
the only established recognised striker and United could find themselves falling
short of challenging for the title if Rooney suffers an injury.
SBN Prediction:
3rd
Liverpool (20/1 To Win
and 5/2 To Finish In The Top Four)
Transfers In
James Milner (Manchester City), Danny Ings (Burnley),
Roberto Firmino (Hoffenheim), Nathaniel Clyne (Southampton), Christian Benteke
(Aston Villa), Adam Bogdan (Bolton Wanderers), Joe Gomez (Charlton Athletic),
Rickie Lambert (West Brom)
Out
Steven Gerrard (Los Angeles Galaxy), Glen Johnson
(released), Brad Jones (released), Sebastian Coates (Sunderland), Raheem
Sterling (Manchester City), Andre Wisdom (Norwich City on loan)
What happened last
season: The halo was removed from Brendan Rogers’ head – and many fans
ended the season calling for his head. Getting to sixth scraped a pass mark.
What will happen this
season: Losing Steven Gerrard and Raheem Sterling is a blow but the
distraction has to be a clear relief for the latter. Nathanial Clyne, James
Milner, Benteke and Roberto Firmino are strong investments and the Reds could
break into fourth place.
SBN prediction: 4th
Manchester City (11/4
To Win)
Transfers In
Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Fabian Delph (Aston Villa),
Patrick Roberts (Fulham), David Faupala (Lens), Enes Unal (Bursaspor – sent on
loan to Genk)
Out
Scott Sinclair (Aston Villa), James Milner (Liverpool),
Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Angelino (New York City), Micah Richards (Aston
Villa), Karim Rekik (Marseille)
What happened last season:
Attempts to peg back Chelsea ebbed and flowed but in the end the Londoners
couldn’t be reined in – and back-to-back titles remains an elusive dream.
What will happen this
season: Hard to ignore the addition of Sterling but is he a genuine
title-winning forward? Chelsea’s megastars also seem more team-oriented. Manuel
Pelegrini’s coaching talents, or lack of them could be their downfall for a
consecutive season and with Liverpool’s impressive signings City could miss out
on a top four finish.
SBN prediction: 5th
Stoke City (14/1 To Finish
Top Six)
Transfers In
Jakob Haugaard (Midtylland), Philipp Wollscheid (Bayer
Leverkusen), Joselu (Hannover 96), Marco van Ginkel (Chelsea on loan), Shay
Given (Aston Villa), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Ibrahim Afellay (Barcelona)
Out
Thomas Sorensen (released), Wilson Palacios (released), Andy
Wilkinson (released), Steven Nzonzi (Sevilla), Asmir Begovic (Chelsea)
What happened last
season: The Britannia Stadium remained one of the toughest places to visit
and Stoke won as many matches at home as Tottenham and Liverpool to finish
ninth.
What will happen this
season: Strong squad ensures they’re too good for relegation. Once their
new signings settle into the starting line-up they will once again be a
giant-killing force.
SBN prediction:
6th
Tottenham Hotspur (7/1
To Finish In The Top Four)
Transfers In
Kevin Wimmer (Cologne), Kieran Trippier (Burnley), Toby Alderweireld
(Atletico Madrid)
Out
Jordan Archer (released), Cristian Ceballos (released),
Bongani Khumalo (released), Paulinho (Guangzhou Evergrande), Lewis Holtby
(Hamburg), Etienne Capoue (Watford), Younes Kaboul (Sunderland), Benjamin Stambouli
(Paris Saint Germain)
What happened last
season: Never threatened those above them but didn’t give away much ground to
those below them. Champions League was always just out of reach.
What will happen this
season: Loaded with talent, most of it in the right age bracket, Spurs will
feel bullish about cracking the top four but a Europa League placing is more likely.
SBN prediction: 7th
Crystal Palace (16/1
To Finish In The Top Six & 71/10 To Be Relegated)
Transfers In
Yohan Cabaye (Paris Saint Germain), Patrick Bamford (Chelsea
on loan), Connor Wickham (Sunderland)
Out
Lewis Price (released), Owen Garvan (released), Peter Ramage
(released), Stephen Dobbie (released), Jerome Thomas (released).
What happened last
season: A top-10 finish for the Eagles speaks volumes about their rise as a
club. Competition for places was so tight even Mile Jedinak found himself
squeezed out at times.
What will happen this
season: Yohan Cabaye is a fabulous signing from PSG and loan forward
Patrick Bamford should have an impact. They’ll definitely steer clear of any
trouble and we foresee them as the surprise package of the season.
SBN prediction: 8th
Everton (11/4 To
Finish In The Top Six)
Transfers In
Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Gerard Deulofeu
(Barcelona)
Out
Antolin Alcaraz (released), Sylvain Distin (AFC Bournemouth)
What happened last
season: Horrendous start to the season and while the Toffees eventually
rose to 11th place, the fan base became very restless about the regression.
What will happen this
season: The pressure is firmly on Roberto Martinez to get away to a good
start. Tom Cleverley and Gerard Deulofeu are good additions but will John
Stones stay? Either way Everton have enough quality in their team to finish in
the top 10.
SBN prediction: 9th
Southampton (5/2 To
Finish In The Top Six)
Transfers In
Juanmi (Malaga), Cedric Soares (Sporting CP), Maarten
Stekelenburg (Fulham), Cuco Martina (FC Twente), Jordy Clasie (Feyenoord),
Steven Caulker (Queens Park Rangers)
Out
Artur Boruc (AFC Bournemouth), Jos Hooiveld (released), Cody
Cropper (released), Omar Rowe (released), Jake Sinclair (released), Nathaniel
Clyne (Liverpool), Dani Osvaldo (released), Morgan Schneiderlin (Manchester
United), Sam Gallagher (Milton Keynes Dons)
What happened last
season: Enjoyed another superb season and wound up finishing seventh,
qualifying for the Europa League – then sold more players they’ve developed
into stars.
What will happen this
season: Losing Clyne and Morgan Schneiderlin hurts but the squad has enough
depth now to fight for a top-10 position next season.
SBN prediction:
10th
Swansea City (14/1 To
Finish In The Top Six)
Transfers In
Andre Ayew (Marseille), Franck Tabanou (St Etienne),
Kristoffer Nordfeldt (Heerenveen), Eder (Braga)
Out
Alan Tate (released), Gerhard Tremmel (released), David
Cornell (released), Jazz Richards (Fulham)
What happened last
season: Proved their merit once again as one of the best pound-for-pound
teams in England by finishing in the top 10, despite a change of manager and
selling their best player.
What will happen this
season: One of the league’s more cosmopolitan squads shouldn’t have too
many headaches staying out of trouble if Lukasz Fabianski remains solid in
goal.
SBN prediction:
11th
Newcastle United (5/1
To Be Relegated)
Transfers In
Georginio Wijnaldum (PSV Eindhoven), Aleksandar Mitrovic
(Anderlecht)
Out
Jonas Gutierrez (released), Ryan Taylor (released), Adam
Campbell (released), Remie Streete (released), Sammy Ameobi (Cardiff City),
Adam Armstrong (Coventry City), Freddie Woodman (Crawley Town)
What happened last
season: Survived the last-season shenanigans despite conceding 63 goals,
the second-worst tally in the league. The firepower of Papiss Cisse and Ayoze
Perez got them through.
What will happen this
season: They won’t go far up the table but should have the players to stay
up when May rolls around. New boys Georginio Wijnaldum and Aleksandar Mitrovic
may prove critical.
SBN prediction: 12th
Norwich City (11/10
To Be Relegated)
Transfers In
Graham Dorrans (West Bromwich Albion), Youssouf Mulumbu
(West Bromwich Albion), Robbie Brady (Hull City), Andre Wisdom (Liverpool)
Out
Cameron McGeehan (Luton Town), Mark Bunn (Aston Villa)
What happened last
season: Alex Neil’s largely unremarkable collection missed automatic
promotion by a whisker but then held their nerve to see off Ipswich and Middlesbrough
in the play-offs.
What will happen this
season: The Canaries have an experienced nucleus to the side, with
Sebastian Bassong, John Ruddy, Bradley Johnson, Mulumbu and Brady all
possessing the knowhow at this level to frustrate more illustrious opponents.
With Cameron Jerome, Nathan Redmond, Gary Hooper and Johnson all registering
strikes with regularity, they’ll avoid the drop and may even surprize
themselves.
SBN prediction:
13th
West Ham United (11/2
To Be Relegated)
Transfers In
Darren Randolph (Birmingham City), Pedro Obiang (Sampdoria),
Dimitri Payet (Marseille), Angelo Ogbonna (Juventus), Carl Jenkinson (Arsenal),
Manuel Lanzini (Al-Jazira)
Out
Dan Potts (Luton Town), Carlton Cole (released), Guy Demel
(released), Jussi Jaaskelainen (released), Nene (released), Stewart Downing
(Middlesbrough)
What happened last
season: Early season optimism gave way to pragmatism and three minutes
after the final whistle, Sam Allardyce was sacked.
What will happen this
season: Europa League duties could prove an unwelcome distraction that
prevent them from climbing into the top half. Midfielder Dimitri Payet is
winning rave reviews, however.
SBN prediction:
14th
West Bromwich Albion (9/2
To Be Relegated)
Transfers In
James McClean (Wigan Athletic), James Chester (Hull City),
Rickie Lambert (Liverpool)
Out
Graham Dorrans (West Bromwich Albion), Alex Jones
(Birmingham City), Kemar Roofe (Oxford City), Youssouf Mulumbu (released),
Chris Baird (Derby County), Jason Davidson (released), Alex Palmer
(Kidderminster Harriers)
What happened last
season: The arrival of Tony Pulis in January came at the right time and he
immediately guided his side out of trouble and well clear of the relegation
zone.
What will happen this
season: Their manager is battle-hardened in this league and is a safe bet
to maintain West Brom’s top-flight status for another 12 months.
SBN prediction:
15th
Aston Villa (11/4 To
Be Relegated)
Transfers In
Scott Sinclair (Manchester City), Micah Richards (Manchester
City), Mark Bunn (Norwich City), Idrissa Gueye (Lille), Jordan Amavi (Nice),
Jordan Ayew (Lorient), Jose Angel Crespo (Cordoba)
Out
Darren Bent (Derby County), Enda Stevens (Portsmouth),
Andreas Weimann (Derby County), Matt Lowton (Burnley), Yacouba Sylla (Rennes),
Antonio Luna (SD Eibar), Shay Given (Stoke City), Fabian Delph (Manchester
City), Christian Benteke (Liverpool)
What happened last
season: They stayed up despite being only one of two teams to lose 20 or
more games. Christian Benteke found form at the right time to secure vital
points.
What will happen this
season: Benteke’s sale to Liverpool is a huge blow and simply avoiding the
drop would be a sensible goal. Villa’s squad now looks ill-equipped to do
anything more than scrap their way towards the bottom of the Premier League.
SBN prediction:
16th
Bournemouth (13/10 To
Be Relegated)
Transfers In
Artur Boruc (Southampton), Adam Federici (Reading), Joshua
King (Blackburn Rovers), Christian Atsu (Chelsea), Tyrone Mings (Ipswich Town),
Sylvain Distin (Everton), Max Gradel (Leeds United)
Out
Ian Harte (released), Josh McQuoid (released), Darryl
Flavahan (released), Mohamed Coulibaly (released), Joe Partington (released),
Miles Addison (released), Ryan Fraser (Ipswich Town), Brett Pitman (Ipswich
Town), Jayden Stockley (Portsmouth)
What happened last
season: Shocked many by winning the Championship and securing promotion to
the English Premier League for the first time in their history.
What will happen this
season: They’ll pick up some surprise wins both home and away and should
scrape survival by the skin of their teeth.
SBN prediction:
17th
Leicester City (3/1
To Be Relegated)
Transfers In
Christian Fuchs (Schalke), Robert Huth (Stoke City), Shinji
Okazaki (Mainz)
Out
Chris Wood (Leeds United), Esteban Cambiasso
What happened last
season: The miracle late-season revival took Leicester from the drop zone
all the way up to 14th, a remarkable effort in their first season back in the
top flight.
What will happen this
season: For starters they’ve lost the indefatigable Esteban Cambiasso, who
turned down the club’s offer of another year. Five clean sheets in their last
seven helped keep them up, but the 31 games before that saw them leak 51 goals.
More of the same would make for another uncomfortable ride and this time they
might not be so lucky.
SBN prediction:
18th
Sunderland (2/1 To Be
Relegated)
Transfers In
Sebastian Coates (Liverpool), Adam Matthews (Celtic),
Jeremain Lens (Dynamo Kyiv), Younes Kaboul (Tottenham Hotspur)
Out
El-Hadji Ba (Charlton), Santiago Vergini (Getafe CF), Conor
Wickham (Crystal Palace)
What happened last
season: Drew their way to safety, with 17 stalemates generating almost half
of their overall points tally.
What will happen this
season: Sunderland avoided the drop by a mere three points last season and
another relegation dog fight. The Black Cats have been cutting it close for the
past few seasons and their failure to bring in attacking quality while also
losing the services on Conor Wickham should see them go down.
SBN prediction: 19th
Watford (7/10 To Be
Relegated & 5/2 To Finish Bottom)
Transfers In
Sebastian Prodl (Werder Bremen), Giedrius Arlauskis (Steaua
Bucharest), Jose Holebas (AS Roma), Matej Vydra (Udinese), Etienne Capoue (Tottenham
Hotspur), Valon Behrami (Hamburg), Allan Nyom (Granada), Miguel Britos
(Napoli), Jose Manuel Jurado (Spartak Moscow), Steven Berghuis (AZ Alkmaar)
Out
Jonathan Bond (Reading), Lewis McGugan (Sheffield
Wednesday), Diego Fabbrini (Middlesbrough)
What happened last
season: Fired by Troy Deeney’s goals last season, the Hornets raced into
second place in the championship to secure automatic promotion.
What will happen this
season: Have made a raft of new signings from around the world in the hope
it will keep them competitive but the quality of their opponents should be too
much for them to survive relegation this season.
SBN prediction: 20th