The 2016-17 English Premier League season kicks off this weekend and we have our preview for the exciting season ahead below. We aren’t predicting another fairy tale story similar to last year when Leicester City were able to overcome the 5000-1 odds to win the title but there is still plenty of excitement to be had this season. Continue reading for our 2016-17 EPL Season Preview and Betting Tips.
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2016-17 Champions
The title race this season will be exciting as always with the top teams fighting it out for glory. However, this season there is an added incentive and bragging rights up for grabs as some of the best managers in the world are in the Premier League.
Jose Mourinho has jumped ship to Manchester United, Pep Guardiola is with Manchester City after hugely successful stints with Barcelona and Bayern Munich and Jurgen Klopp will have his first full season with Liverpool.
This will see a lot of change in how each of the big clubs play their football and the personnel that has joined the teams has a lot to do with this as well. The worst kept secret during the offseason was Paul Pogba to Manchester United and it is finally confirmed. It is a huge capture for United who let him leave on a free transfer whilst he was a youngster. He joins Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the squad and it will bolster their attack that struggled throughout last season. As Ibrahimovic will be the key striker, this will move Wayne Rooney into a more playmaking role where he began to excel at the end of last season whilst Anthony Martial will remain on the left wing. Mourinho will improve the sides defence and they shouldn’t have to rely on brilliance from David De Gea between the posts to keep them in the contest.
Leicester City will face a new challenge this season, as they will take part in Champions League football. This will test their depth, as they will be forced to travel and take part in a lot more games. They have resigned Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez who combined for their most goals and assists in their championship season but the loss of N’Golo Kante will be felt, as he was a huge presence in their midfield. The extra workload and the pressure of playing each week as champions will prevent the Foxes from going back-to-back.
Arsenal has been the quieter giants of English football in the offseason as Wenger has been unable to bring a quality striker to the Emirates despite that being their biggest needs. Oliver Giroud is unreliable whilst Theo Walcott is a superior winger to striker. If they are going to have a successful season they will need to avoid the injuries that continue to derail them whilst Mesut Ozil will need to recapture the form he showed in the first half of last season.
Last season Tottenham faded over the last month of football and ultimately finished in third place. They may have one of the youngest squads in the competition but they showed last year they were the most balanced as they had the best defence and one of the best goal scoring teams. The signing of Vincent Janssen will help take a load off of Harry Kane’s back as he will get much needed help up front.
Arguably the most interesting side will be Manchester City. Guardiola has conquered Spain and Germany but he faces his toughest task in the Premier League. It is a more level playing field and to chase the Champions League success that has eluded the club will be high on his agenda. However, they will still be near the top of the ladder but it could take more than a year for the City player’s to adjust to his style of football as he hasn’t signed as many players as expected.
A huge question mark remains around Chelsea. They were the champions in the 2014-15 season but fell away last year with their stars losing their form. Antonio Conte arrives after being the super coach for Juventus and fresh off a successful coaching stint with Italy at the Euros. He is the perfect man for the job and will improve the side’s defence drastically but they are currently lacking the players to do the job.
We are predicting the 2016-17 English Premier League champions will be Manchester United. They have made important signings that will fill the void for the side last season. Jose Mourinho’s pride has been left in tatters after his dismissal at Chelsea and he will make it his personal mission to recapture that and prove he is the best coach in the world – after all, he is the self proclaimed special one. If the Red Devils are able to avoid disastrous injuries they will return to the top.
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Top Goal Scorer
The favourite to win the golden boot for the 2016-17 Premier League season is Sergio Aguero. The Argentinian finished one goal behind Harry Kane last year despite spending nearly a third of the season on the sidelines through injury. He is arguably the best finisher in the game and his short frame and speed make him extremely difficult to guard around the box. However, at short odds and a long history of injury we suggest steering clear of Aguero.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has played for a lot of giant clubs around Europe but this will be the first time he has graced the Premier League with his presence. However, Ibrahimovic has left it until late in his career and he will turn 35 two months into this season. He has shown in warm up games that he will be hard to guard with two spectacular goals and with a record of 113 goals in 122 games for Paris Saint Germain it is hard to disregard him. The Premier League is a different challenge and he will face a lot of tough defences and we don’t think at his age he will finish the season in the top goal scoring spot.
This leaves us with our choice of Alexis Sanchez to win the golden boot. It is a left field choice but we believe it is a good one considering the odds and the way Arsenal play. The Gunners will be an improved side this year and a lot of the squad has remained the same, which should result in the team having improved combinations. Sanchez will head into the 2016-17 season as fresh as he has been in recent years after Wenger gave him an extended break and left him out of the preseason friendlies. Sanchez isn’t a player that needs to warm up with games either and he is fresh off leading Chile to its second straight Copa America. He has scored 29 goals in 65 games for Arsenal and the 27-year-old is entering his prime.
TIP: Alexis Sanchez top goal scorer @ $21.00 with Sportsbet
Top Four Finish
As stated earlier, Tottenham is a side that has a lot of balance and last year they were fighting for the title with a month left in the competition before they suffered a complete meltdown. They will be better for the experience and they have kept all of their key players whilst adding a lot of depth to their line up after successfully qualifying for Champions League football this season. Mauricio Pochettino is one of the best upcoming managers and is known for his tactical mind. The addition of Janssen will be vital in their success this year as the Spurs will remain in the top four.
TIP: Tottenham Top Four @ $2.10 with Sportsbet
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Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
