A new season of Premier League football has now started, and already it is shaping up to be another intriguing season. Admittedly it is very early days, but the Manchester clubs both look like they could present a strong challenge to Chelsea this time round, but what about the three teams who were promoted at the end of last season? Here we will take a closer look at how these sides will cope with the demands of the top division.
The three sides that won promotion from the Championship were Newcastle United, Brighton and Hove Albion and Huddersfield Town, with these teams experiencing mixed fortunes on the opening day of the new campaign. The glory belonged to unfancied Huddersfield, who romped to a 0-3 away win at Crystal Palace. This is Huddersfield’s first ever time in the Premier League and it represented a dream start for them – with their new striker Steve Mounie claiming the plaudits and looking like he could be a very valuable asset in their bid to stay up this season.
While the club does not have the biggest transfer budget in the division, they have been extremely busy in the market during the window, and have strengthened in virtually every department – as well as adding general depth to their squad. These things will be vital, but goals are the most important aspect, and Mounie shows early signs of being able to deliver them. They are 1500/1 rank outsiders for the league and – if they did win it would make Leicester’s triumph look prosaic by comparison- but could be a decent bet for survival. Of the three promoted sides it is Newcastle who bear the weight of expectation, and they suffered a home defeat on opening day. They were outclassed by Tottenham, but this is to be expected – despite the somewhat unrealistic pre-season hopes of supporters. Newcastle have been promoted and relegated several times in recent seasons, so fans should have greater awareness of the gulf that exists between the Championship and Premier League, but the routine win for Spurs at St James Park will certainly have been an unpleasant reminder of it. Manager Rafa Benitez has consistently stated that he needs better players to be have a chance, despite the arrival of the likes of defenders Manquillo and Lejeune and wingers Murphy and Atsu.
A quality striker is urgently needed and without him, Newcastle’s odds of 1000/1 for the Premier League seem overly short. Brighton also started with a defeat, but they were playing bookies’ favourites Manchester City, and they frustrated City for a long time before succumbing to two late goals.
They gave the impression of being defensively solid, which will be key to survival, but whether they have sufficient creativity and firepower to aim any higher than that remains debatable and is reflected in odds of 1500/1 on them for the Premier League. Betting on the games and the overall league winners makes it more exciting for many fans, but if a wager on any of these three is too risky for you, the Soccer Safari slot game will be a strong alternative.
You could bet on one of these outside options, or just go with the favourites, and also try to win the Soccer Safari jackpot this season.
