Premier League 24/25 Outright Tips: Champions City set high standard

Manchester City won the Premier League for the sixth time in seven seasons in 2023-24 and they are hot favourites to retain their crown.

However, Arsenal took the title race down to the final day of the campaign and they lead a chasing pack which also includes Liverpool and Chelsea, who are both under new managers - Arne Slot and Enzo Maresca respectively.

At the other end of the table the three promoted clubs Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton are prominent in the relegation betting but they may be more competitive than those odds suggest.

Tip 1 - Manchester City to win Premier League @ 11/10

Arsenal finished as Premier League runners-up last season despite winning 16 of their last 18 matches and Liverpool also know from painful experience how hard it is to finish above City.

The Reds' tally of 92 points in 2021-22 wasn't enough to win them the title so new manager Slot will be well aware of the high standard set by Pep Guardiola's Citizens.

Slot has inherited a talented squad at Anfield and youngsters Conor Bradley, Curtis Jones, Jarell Quansah and Harvey Elliott caught the eye during Jurgen Klopp's final season in charge.

Chelsea are fourth-favourites for the title as they embark on yet another new era - this time under Italian coach Maresca, who led Leicester to Championship glory last term.

Finishing in the top four, rather than winning the league, looks the main objective for Aston Villa, Tottenham, Newcastle and Manchester United, who have kept faith with Erik ten Hag despite scoring only 57 goals in 38 top-flight fixtures last season.

It is hard to see past another City triumph, especially as they were stung by last term's defeats to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals and United in the FA Cup final.

They kept Arsenal at bay despite missing Kevin De Bruyne for the first half of the season and star striker Erling Haaland should be well rested after Norway's failure to qualify for Euro 2024.

Rodri cemented his status as the world's best holding midfielder, winning the Player of the Tournament award at the Euros, and City have a terrific crop of younger players including Haaland, Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez, Josko Gvardiol, Jeremy Doku and Rico Lewis.

Tip 2 - Tottenham Top 4 Finish @ 2/1

Injuries were a theme of last season's Premier League with Newcastle, Liverpool and Tottenham particularly hard hit.

Spurs made a blistering start to Ange Postecoglou's maiden campaign but five defeats in their final seven games meant they were pipped to fourth place by Villa.

Tottenham should be confident of kicking on if playmaker James Maddison, omitted from England's final squad for the Euros, stays fit along with influential team-mates such as Micky van de Ven, Richarlison and Rodrigo Bentancur.

Postecoglou's attacking ethos required a major culture shift from the Antonio Conte era, but the Spurs squad seemed to enjoy their football last season.

They won 13 of their 19 home matches, also sharing entertaining draws with City and Arsenal on the road, and teenage talents Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall are exciting summer signings.

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and left-back Destiny Udogie impressed during their debut campaigns in England and Spurs are a tempting bet to make the top four this time around.

Tip 3 - Brentford to be relegated @ 9/2

Last season's promoted clubs Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton all went straight back down, but 2024-25 newcomers Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton are no certainties to follow suit.

The Foxes and the Tractor Boys banked 97 and 96 points in a high-quality 2023-24 Championship and Saints beat a powerful Leeds side 1-0 in the play-off final.

It may be worth taking a chance on Brentford in the relegation betting, especially as England striker Ivan Toney has been heavily linked with a move away from the club this summer.

Toney's goals powered the Bees to a top-half finish in 2022-23, but they were disappointing last season, amassing only 39 points to finish 16th.

Thomas Frank's men won only five of their 30 matches against teams above them in the table and also lost away from home to the bottom two, Burnley and Sheffield United.

They had a run of 14 defeats in 18 games between mid-November and mid-March, having suffered nine losses in 11 matches immediately after Christmas in 2021-22.

A similar slump in 2024-25 could prove costly if the promoted clubs exceed expectations so the Bees merit a small bet to return to the Championship.