2022-23 EPL betting preview: Manchester City and Liverpool are big favorites ... again
The 2022-23 English Premier League season is almost upon us.
Arsenal and Crystal Palace kick the season off on Friday as it gets going a little earlier than normal thanks to the fall World Cup in Qatar. Squad depth and injury luck may be even more important than normal this season thanks to the World Cup's late date. And that's a reason why Manchester City has such great odds to repeat as champions.
City only got better and deeper this offseason and enters 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 the relegation odds for 14 of the 20 squads in the league. The top six favorites do not have odds for relegation to open the season.
Manchester City (-140 to win league)
The defending league champions now have the best young striker in the world in Erling Haaland and didn’t lose any key pieces. That’s why City’s odds are better than even money to win again. It’ll be fascinating to see how having a true No. 9 changes the way that City plays throughout the season, though it’s also not that hard to see how a league title will be secondary to the Champions League. Maybe Haaland is the piece that City needs to finally raise 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 brought in Darwin Nunez over the offseason and there are still options up front with him, Salah, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Roberto Firmino. Outside of Mane’s departure, this is largely the same squad that won the 2020-21 EPL title and oddsmakers clearly think that continuity is good enough to challenge City for the title once again.
Tottenham (+1200)
Tottenham is almost the third favorite by default as Chelsea has seen lots of player transactions and there’s no sign of the Manchester United dysfunction ending anytime soon. Arsenal also wasn’t a worthy candidate here either. Tottenham has added Richarlison up front and Ivan Perisic at wingback while Clement Lenglet has come over at center back. Throw in Tottenham’s form at the end of last season under Antonio Conte and you can see why Tottenham is in this spot.
Chelsea (+1600)
There’s been lots of turnover at Chelsea ahead of the first season after Roman Abramovich’s ownership and there could be even 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. It may take a little time for Chelsea to gel at the beginning of the season but this should be another team capable of finishing third.
Manchester United (+3300)
The biggest storyline surrounding Manchester United as the season approaches is the status of Cristiano Ronaldo. Will he leave for a team playing in the Champions League or play out the final season of his contract? If he stays, United will build its squads around him up front. If he leaves, well, it may not be the worst thing in the world for new manager Erik Ten Hag’s rebuilding project. United has added Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen this offseason.
Arsenal (+3300)
Arsenal’s big summer addition was the signing of Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City. Jesus could end up in a starring role in London after spending seasons on the periphery at City. If Jesus is the striker that Arsenal has been looking for then the Gunners could finish as high as third. Avoiding the disastrous start of 2021-22 is key for Arsenal.
Newcastle (+15000) [+2500 to get relegated]
Newcastle is the first team on the board with relegation odds. The Magpies are seventh favorites thanks to the influx of money from their Saudi Arabian owners and have added goalie Nick Pope, striker Chris Wood and defender Kieran Trippier in the past year. Newcastle shouldn’t be flirting with relegation at all like it did at times a season ago.
Leicester City (+25000) [+1600]
Leicester’s odds could get longer if the team decides to sell midfield stalwart Youri Tielemans amid reported interest from Arsenal and Manchester United. James Maddison could also be on the move, though Leicester has done a fantastic job of replenishing its squad depth since it won the league title. This is a team that likely won’t contend for a place in the Champions League but also won’t sniff relegation either.
West Ham (+25000) [+2000]
West Ham made a run at the Champions League a season ago before fading down the stretch. They’ve added Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo to bolster the front line and give Michail Antonio a bit of a break. West Ham should be solidly in the top eight again this season and we’re a bit surprised their odds for relegation aren’t longer than Newcastle’s.
Everton (+25000) [+350]
Everton stayed up at the end of last season after a horrible year. Richarlison is gone to Tottenham and someone will have to replace his goals and creativity. Everton did add James Tarkowski to its leaky defense after Burnley was relegated and it will be huge if Dele Alli can regain the form that he once displayed at Tottenham.
Wolves (+25000) [+500]
Wolves will once again rely a lot on Raul Jimenez to produce goals. Finding a second reliable goal threat will be huge as Wolves will likely play in a lot of 1-0 games this season. There’s something to be said for being a boring mid-table team. It’s certainly a lot better than flirting with relegation.
Brighton & Hove Albion (+25000) [+900]
Will left back Marc Cucurella be a part of the team? Manchester City reportedly has interest but isn’t willing to meet Brighton’s asking price so far. Cucurella was voted the team’s player of the year in 2021-22 and would be a big loss. Getting a double-digit goal scorer in 2022-23 will also be huge. Leandro Trossard and Neal Maupey tied for the team lead in goals a season ago with eight apiece. Just seven Brighton players scored more than one league goal.
Aston Villa (+25000) [+1400]
Philippe Coutinho is back after joining from Barcelona on loan and the attack features Ollie Watkins, Danny Ings and Bertrand Traore. Yes, there’s also an Aaron Ramsey on Aston Villa but this one is 19 and not the veteran you may be thinking of. The squad is deep if not spectacular and Villa will likely steal points against multiple top six teams.
Leeds (+50000) [+200]
Leeds almost went down a season ago and enters this Premier League season without its two best players. Raphinha is now at Barcelona and Kalvin Phillips is at Man City. Staying up could be a tougher task in 2022-23, especially if injuries wreck the squad again.
Southampton (+50000) [+275]
Southampton is seemingly good for a blowout loss every season while still managing to stay in the Premier League by a relatively comfortable margin. Why would this season be any different? The Saints need James Ward-Prowse to stay healthy all season long. He lead the team in both goals and assists a season ago.
Crystal Palace (+50000) [+650]
Palace has long odds to win the league and relatively long odds to get relegated. That speaks to the job that Patrick Vieira did in his first season as manager as Crystal Palace overhauled its squad. Palace was a tough opponent for the top teams in the league; just ask Man City. Palace beat City 2-0 and then the two teams tied 0-0 later in the season.
Nottingham Forest (+50000) [+120]
The newly promoted side’s big additions this season have come from Manchester United. Midfielder Jesse Lingard joined as a free agent while goalkeeper Dean Henderson arrived on a season-long loan. This is an experienced squad; six outfield players are over the age of 30.
Brentford (+75000) [+250]
Brentford started the season with a win over Arsenal and slowed as it went on. Replacing Christian Eriksen is key for this season and getting Bryan Mbeumo (4 goals, 7 assists) and Ivan Toney (12 goals, 5 assists) to repeat their production from a year ago is also imperative.
Fulham (+100000) [+125]
Fulham is back in the Premier League after a disappointing campaign in 2020-21. The team should be better equipped to stay up this season and getting points in August will be massive. Fulham has games against Liverpool, Wolves and Arsenal to start the season.
Bournemouth (+150000) [-190]
Bournemouth is also back in the EPL after two seasons in the Championship. This is not the Bournemouth you last saw in the Premier League, however. Eddie Howe is now coaching Newcastle, and Bournemouth is a defense-first outlet. The squad gave up 85 goals over 92 games in the Championship the past two seasons after allowing 135 goals in its final two Premier League seasons.
