Manchester City and Liverpool are big favorites…again

The 2022-23 English Premier League season is upon us.

Arsenal and Crystal Palace start the season on Friday as it kicks off slightly earlier than normal thanks to the Autumn World Cup in Qatar. Squad density and injury luck could be even more important than usual this season thanks to the late World Cup date. And that’s one reason why Manchester City have such a good chance of repeating the league title.

City have only gotten better and deeper this offseason, going into the season at -140 to win the title. Here’s a look at the odds for all 20 Premier League teams at BetMGM, along with relegation odds for 14 of the 20 sides in the league. The top 6 favorites have no chance of staying up at the start of the season.

Manchester City (-140 to league title)

The defending champions now have the best youngster in the world in Erling Haaland and have not lost any key figures. Therefore, City’s chances of winning again are better than even money. It will be fascinating to see how a true No 9 changes the way City play throughout the season, although it’s also not that difficult to see how a league title will be subordinate to the Champions League. Perhaps Haaland is the piece City needs to finally lift the UCL trophy under Pep Guardiola.

Liverpool (+250)

The days of Mane and Salah are over as Sadio Mane is now at Bayern Munich. Liverpool signed Darwin Nunez in the off-season and there are still options with him, Salah, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Roberto Firmino. Barring Manes’ departure, this is essentially the same squad that won the 2020-21 EPL title and odds makers clearly think the continuity is good enough to challenge City for the title again.

Tottenham (+1200)

Tottenham are almost third favorites by default as Chelsea have seen many player transactions and there are no signs of Manchester United’s dysfunction ending anytime soon. Again, Arsenal were not a worthy candidate. Tottenham have added Richarlison up front and Ivan Perisic at full-back, while Clement Lenglet has come over at centre-back. Throw in Tottenham’s form at the end of last season under Antonio Conte and you can see why Tottenham are where they are.

The story goes on

Chelsea (+1600)

There have been many turnovers at Chelsea ahead of the first season after Roman Abramovich’s ownership and there could be more before the transfer window closes. Romelu Lukaku is back at Inter Milan after a disappointing second stint with the Blues, while Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly have arrived. Chelsea may take a little time to gel early in the season but this should be another team capable of finishing third.

Manchester United (+3300)

The biggest story surrounding Manchester United ahead of the season is Cristiano Ronaldo’s status. Will he join a team playing in the Champions League or play the final season of his contract? If he stays, United will build their squads up front around him. If he goes, well, it might not be the worst thing in the world for new manager Erik Ten Hag’s rebuilding project. United have added Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen this off-season.

Armory (+3300)

Arsenal’s big summer signing was the signing of Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City. Jesus could end up in a leading role in London after spending seasons on the periphery at City. If Jesus is the forward Arsenal have been looking for, the Gunners could finish up in third place. Avoiding the disastrous start of 2021-22 is crucial for Arsenal.

Newcastle (+15000) [+2500 to get relegated]

Newcastle are the first team on the board with relegation quotas. The Magpies are seventh favorites thanks to cash inflows from their Saudi Arabian owners and have added goalkeeper Nick Pope, forward Chris Wood and defender Kieran Trippier over the past year. Newcastle shouldn’t be flirting with relegation at all, as they did at times a season ago.

Leicester City (+25000) [+1600]

Leicester’s chances could increase if they decide to sell midfielder Youri Tielemans as Arsenal and Manchester United have expressed interest. James Maddison could also be on the move, although Leicester have done a fantastic job of replenishing their squad depth since winning the league title. This is a side that probably won’t be fighting for a place in the Champions League, but they won’t taste relegation either.

Westham (+25000) [+2000]

West Ham made a run in the Champions League a season ago before fading the distance. They added Sassuolo’s Gianluca Scamacca to strengthen the front line and give Michail Antonio a little rest. West Ham should be solid in the top eight again this season and we’re a little surprised their chances of relegation aren’t better than Newcastle’s.

Everton (+25000) [+350]

Everton stayed up at the end of last season after a terrible year. Richarlison has gone to Tottenham and someone needs to replace his goals and creativity. Everton have added James Tarkowski to their leaky defense after Burnley were relegated and it will be huge if Dele Alli can regain the form he once showed at Tottenham.

Wolves (+25000) [+500]

Wolves will once again rely heavily on Raul Jimenez to score goals. Finding a second reliable goal threat will be huge as Wolves are likely to play many 1-0 games this season. There’s a lot to be said for being a boring midfield team. It’s certainly a lot better than flirting with relegation.

Brighton & Hove Albion (+25000) [+900]

Will left-back Marc Cucurella be part of the team? Manchester City are reportedly interested but are so far unwilling to meet Brighton’s asking price. Cucurella was voted the team’s player of the year in 2021-22 and would be a huge loss. Getting a double-digit goalscorer in 2022-23 will also be huge. Leandro Trossard and Neal Maupey took the lead in the team a season ago with eight goals each. Only seven Brighton players have scored more than a league goal.

Aston Mansion (+25000) [+1400]

Philippe Coutinho is back after being loaned out by Barcelona and the attack consists of Ollie Watkins, Danny Ings and Bertrand Traore. Yes, there is also an Aaron Ramsey at Aston Villa but this one is 19 and not the veteran you might be thinking of. The squad is deep if not spectacular and Villa are likely to steal points against multiple top-six teams.

Leeds (+50000) [+200]

Leeds almost went under a season ago and go into this Premier League season without their two best players. Raphinha is now at Barcelona and Kalvin Phillips at Man City. Staying up could be a tougher task in 2022-23, especially if injuries ruin the squad again.

Southampton (+50000) [+275]

Southampton seem to be good for a blowout defeat every season while still managing to stay in the Premier League by a relatively comfortable margin. Why should it be any different this season? The Saints need James Ward-Prowse to remain healthy throughout the season. A season ago, he led the team in both goals and assists.

Crystal Palace (+50000) [+650]

Palace have good chances of winning the league and relatively long chances of relegation. It speaks to the work done by Patrick Vieira in his first season as manager as Crystal Palace overhauled their squad. Palace have been tough opponents for the league’s top teams; Just ask Man City. Palace defeated City 2-0 and later in the season the two teams drew 0-0.

Nottingham Forest (+50000) [+120]

The big signings of the newly promoted team this season come from Manchester United. Midfielder Jesse Lingard joined as a free agent while goalkeeper Dean Henderson was loaned out on a season. This is an experienced squad; six field players are over 30 years old.

Brentford (+75000) [+250]

Brentford started the season with a win over Arsenal and slowed down over time. Replacing Christian Eriksen is key this season and getting Bryan Mbeumo (4 goals, 7 assists) and Ivan Toney (12 goals, 5 assists) to repeat their performance from a year ago is also essential.

Fulham (+100000) [+125]

Fulham are back in the Premier League after a disappointing 2020-21 season. The team should be better equipped to stay on top this season and scoring points in August will be massive. Fulham have games against Liverpool, Wolves and Arsenal to start the season.

Bournemouth (+150000) [-190]

Bournemouth are also back in the EPL after two seasons in the Championship. However, this isn’t the Bournemouth you last saw in the Premier League. Eddie Howe now coaches Newcastle and Bournemouth is a defense-first outlet. The squad gave up 85 goals in 92 games in the Championship over the last two seasons, having conceded 135 goals in the last two Premier League seasons.