The World Cup may already be over but soccer fans don’t have to wait much longer as the new European soccer season is set to kick off in just two weeks. The English Premier League is one of the most popular soccer leagues not only in Europe but all over the world and this season will prove to be one of its biggest yet with teams parading out new talent and acquisitions in their quest to win this year’s title.
Can Manchester City continue their recent dominance and win their third Premier League title in four years? Can Jose Mourinho finally win a title in his second coming to Chelsea? Will United bounce back with Louis Van Gaal at the helm after their horror showing under David Moyes last season?
Read on as we analyze the favorites and the sleepers who will contest the upcoming 2014/2015 English Premier League season. For other European football action, you can also check out our Euro 2016 preview here as the next major international soccer tournament rolls around in just two years.
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English Premier League Betting Preview and Prediction
Favorites – Manchester City and Chelsea
Manchester City proved last season that the center of power in Manchester when it comes to soccer now resides in the blue half as they edged past Liverpool in an exciting title race to win their second league title in three years.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Key to City’s title charge last season was the form of their ace midfielder Yaya Toure. The Ivory Coast star was irresistible last season, leading the scoring Man City with 20 goals. Argentine forward Sergio Aguero chipped in with 17 of his own as they helped Man City become the second team in Premier League history to score 100 goals in a single season.
Man City have been fairly silent in the transfer market this season compared to years past. To date, their only signings have been Brazilian midfielder Fernando from Porto for 12 million pounds, goalkeeper Wilfredo Caballero from Malaga for 6 million pounds and defender Bacary Sagna from London rivals Arsenal on a free transfer.
Still, with Toure, Aguero and their captain center-back Vincent Kompany all returning as well as the rest of the supporting cast of their title-winning team, Manchester City are favorites at +180 to win back-to-back Premier League titles.
Chelsea, on the other hand, started last season with added optimism with the return of “The Special One,” Jose Mourinho. However, the Portuguese manager failed to deliver the trophies Chelsea fans were hoping for, as they finished third in the English Premier League, just four points behind champions Manchester City and bowed out in the semifinal stage of the Champions League.
That winless season has spurred Russian owner Roman Abramovich into action as he sanctioned the signings of midfielder Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona, striker Diego Costa and defender Filipe from Atletico Madrid, as well as the return of club legend Didier Drogba on a free transfer from Turkish side Galatasaray.
Those signings will help offset the departure of some key players such as Chelsea great Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, Samuel Eto’o and Brazilian defender David Luiz. They are co-favorites with Manchester City at +180 to win the league title this season.
High-Value Sleepers – Manchester United and Arsenal
To say that Manchester United had a disappointing season under manager David Moyes would be a severe understatement. The 20-time league champions had a horrible season in their first year without Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm, finishing seventh in the league, their lowest placing since 1990.
United’s top brass acted quickly to replace David Moyes with Dutch manager Louis Van Gaal. The Dutchman’s veteran hand has proven wonders quickly with United looking impressive in their preseason tour of the United States.
Aside from Van Gaal, Manchester United has splashed the cash on new signings such as left back Luke Shaw and midfielder Ander Herrera, with more players expected to come as they try to return to the top of the Premier League table. They are pegged at +550 to win their record 21st league title.
Meanwhile, Arsenal finally ended their nine-year wait for a trophy, winning the FA Cup last year behind the exploits of Aaron Ramsey. That win will boost the efforts of manager Arsene Wenger and his players as they try to win the Premier League title for the first time in 11 years.
Much of the credit with regards to Arsenal’s revival should be given to the signing of German midfielder Mesut Ozil, who has provided class and ability to the North London outfit. In fact, they had a brilliant start last season, only to struggle towards the end, with key players such as French star Abou Diaby, missing time due to various injuries.
If Diaby manages to stay healthy this season and new signings Mathieu Debuchy from Newcastle and Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona can contribute as they should, Arsenal may finally have the depth to fight on all tournament fronts. We can expect the Gunners to mount a serious title challenge this season and are priced at +800 to win their 14th league title.
Major Transfers
Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United flexed their financial might this past offseason as they recorded the five most expensive transfers in the English Premier League this year.
Leading the way was Chelsea with their Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich approving the acquisition of Atletico Madrid star Diego Costa for 38 million euros. Add to that the 33 million euros they spent on Cesc Fabregas and once again Chelsea have showed what they are capable of in the transfer market.
Manchester United signed Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera to improve on their struggling lineup for a combined 73.5 million euros while Arsenal broke the bank to seal their signing of Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona for 37.8 million euros.
Key Matches
August 23, 2014 – Liverpool @ Manchester City
What better way to start off the season than a Week 2 clash between the top two sides last year. Liverpool had the title in its grasp before an untimely slip from Gerrard in their clash with Chelsea provided the opening for Manchester City to take home the crown.
October 4, 2014 – Arsenal @ Chelsea
This London derby provides plenty of storylines but the battle between top managers Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho always gives this matchup an extra edge.
April 11, 2015 – Manchester City @ Manchester United
This fixture promises to be a feisty one with these bitter rivals desperate to prove that they are the better side. The Citizens may be the champions right now but you can’t rule out the 20-time league winners from returning to the top.
Writer’s Prediction
Manchester United (+550), with their focus solely on the Premier League this season, will bounce back from their horrible campaign last year and win their record 21st EPL title.
