Here we go. The English Premier League has officially kicked off and several teams were able to make quite a statement during the opening weekend. At the top of the list had to be Pep Guardiola's men, as Man City tripped to London and took down Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. It was a convincing performance for the powerhouse. Looking at the campaign as a whole, Manchester City is the favorite to win the 2024-25 Premier League title. Will they be able to get the job done?
In stunning fashion, MCFC has won the league four seasons in a row and the other top clubs in England are tired of seeing it happen. However, this team just seems to be getting stronger. In the opening win over Chelsea, Erling Haaland was the one to open up the scoring, putting the ball into the back of the net with a strong finish. Halland continues to look like one of the best forwards on the planet and he's surely in for a big season.
| EPL title odds |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Man City to win | +150 | +150 | +150 |
| Arsenal to win | +175 | +175 | +175 |
| Liverpool to win | +450 | +450 | +450 |
| United to win | +1500 | +1500 | +1500 |
According to the best sports betting sites, which includes the reliable Bovada sportsbook review, Manchester City has +150 Premier League betting odds to win the title again this season. While other teams have high odds per the top soccer betting sites, countless analysts think that Guardiola and Co. are going to get the job done. It will be interesting to see if that happens or not, but we're going in a different direction here.
Proud to have played my 100th game for this amazing club and celebrate it with a win and a goal! 🫶🏻 pic.twitter.com/AvJVr0BT2Z
— Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland) August 18, 2024
Arsenal is our pick to win the Premier League this campaign
Believe it or not, Arsenal is our pick to win the Premier League this campaign. The Gunners have been so close to capturing the glory in recent seasons, but they've 'bottled' things late in the spring. Mikel Arteta is facing a ton of pressure because of it, but something tells us that the London side is going to be able to put things together this year and finally bring home another EPL trophy.
This team is absolutely loaded with talent, with their leaders including Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard and others. What's been an issue for Arsenal in recent seasons has been their depth, but they have built things up quite strong this year. The important thing for the Gunners will be to win some close battles against some of the Top 6 clubs. If they can do that, we think they'll be in a good position to get things done.
Back home in N5 with a win ❤️
Check out the highlights of today's 2-0 victory over Wolves 👇 pic.twitter.com/MoiWNQVPF9
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 17, 2024
"What I’ve seen is the willingness," Arteta said after the season-opening win. "Whether we’re gonna do it or not, we’ll have to show it every day in how we play and the results that we take away. In the first game there’s always that uncertainty about how you’re going to react, especially against a difficult opponent. We scored two, kept a clean sheet. Job done."
Per the oddsmakers, Arsenal is right behind Manchester City with +175 soccer betting odds to win the EPL. As we mentioned above, Arsenal has been close, but they've let things slip away of late. Arteta is going to do everything possible to prevent that from happening this season. We think he'll be able to do just that.
Will Manchester United finish in the Top 4?
A big-time question for EPL fans this year is will Manchester United finish in the Top 4? The Red Devils have invested quite a bit in transfers, highlighted by Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee arriving. While Yoro is out for the first three months of the year with a foot injury, Zirkzee announced his arrival in a big way, scoring the game-winner in the season-opening match against Fulham.
"We have some great midfielders around him to make up combinations," manager Erik Ten Hag said after beating Fulham. "First game, but it is good to strengthen the belief. I have seen many spaces where we have to improve but that is normal. Subs are always important and it was good to see in the first game that you bring a sub on and he scores the winner."
For the rest of the year, there's going to be pressure on him, Rasmus Hojlund, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and others to deliver. Of all the players, Rashford is the one with the most eyes on him, as he's coming off a brutal 2023-24 campaign. It was a down year for Rashford, which led to him being left off the England squad for the 2024 EURO competition. Now, Rashford is motivated to silence his haters and get back to an elite level.
As things stand, United holds +145 odds to make the Top 4, which would punch their ticket for the Champions League next season. Ten Hag needs his guys to step up and make it happen. Luckily for them and MUFC fans, we think United indeed will finish in the Top 4 and be back in the Champions League next fall.
