Handicap
The key to success here is usually to find a team that will punch above themselves over the course of the season and end with hailing distance having had a big enough start, which is usually 30+. It was the tightest league for a while last season and still 24 points separated the top six, which tells you the gap. The ideal team for this kind of job looks like Fulham, also tipped for a top 10 finish, who were third last year & get a 33 point start and 16/1 with Paddy Power and that should be a decent runner for the season with generous e/w terms. City and United will have to draw miles clear of not only the field but the top 4 to win, while Arsenal’s points start isn’t big enough is they win the title and Liverpool were 20 points behind on this market last season – So to make a place here they will need a top two finish.
Advice
0.5 pt each/way Fulham +33 (16/1 Paddy Power)
Top Half Finish
Everton are the short priced favourites and rightly so for this market but there was only 16 points between 17th and 7 in the Premier League last season and many are in with a chance of a top half finish. Fulham looked in trouble for a lot of last season but still pulled it back and rate decent 7/4 shots to land a nice top half finish this year. The grind may get to them late on but if they can change draws into wins, with a squad that has some key names retuning, then a top half finish is certainly not out of the question. Aston Villa might not struggle as much as people expect this year but are stil too short to seriously entertain at 5/6.
Advice
1 pt Fulham for top 10 finish (6/4 Blue Sq)
Group Betting
Tottenham are just one of a few teams that look up against it this season, particularly when you count the new signings made by rivals Liverpool, but they can still get the better of Everton over the season and can’t be left alone even at odds on quotes. The likes of Bale, Lennon, Van Der Vaart and co should still be enough for a top 6 finish and top 4 challenge.
Advice
4 pts Tottenham to win Coral’s Group B (8/11)
Match Bets*
Sunderland and Fulham are likely to be closely matched this season but the losses of Danny Wellbeck and others might just give the upper hand to Fulham in a tight match, which makes the Londoners the better option at 5/4 to prosper over the season.
Blackburn look set for a very long season with a chronic lack of goals having not been properly accounted for at Ewood Park while there’s a sense of inevitably about the progression of Wolves with two new additions to a squad that was good enough to inflict defeats on both Manchester Clubs last season, making the 10/11 about Wolves bettering Blackburn over the season outstanding values.
West Brom lost just two of their last 13 games following the appointment of Roy Hodgson last summer and can also get the better of Blackburn for the second season running. Their squad seems stronger and more dynamic than Blackburn and they should do so again.
Advice -
*Over the course of the season
7 pts Wolves to beat Blackburn (10/11 Blue Sq)
4 pts West Brom to beat Blackburn (5/6 Hills)
2 pts Fulham to beat Sunderland (5/4 Betfred)
Match H’Cap Bets (all with VC Bet)
Without wanting to sound repetitive, the weaknesses of Blackburn are well endowed and despite Bolton’s injury problems I can’t see them not giving away 6 points and beating to Blackburn over this season as they’ll stay up with some ease.
The same is true of Fulham, who are going to be looking at a top half finish this season, and they should be able to give 10 points over the campaign to QPR, who were impressive in the Championship but will be aiming just to stay up this season.
Advice
4 pts Bolton -5.5 v Blackburn (5/6)
3 pts Fulham -9/5 v OPR (5/6)
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