PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON PREVIEW AND PREDICTIONS

1)Liverpool $4.50

A new goalkeeper for a world record fee, a defensive midfielder and Xherdan Shaqiri. That’s what Jurgen Klopp thinks can get Liverpool further than their League recurring position of fourth and contend with Manchester City. It’s not so much improvement against the top flight required for Liverpool, but against the bottom six is when the side has struggled. This is best highlighted in the offensive minded Champions League which resulted in a trip to the final. They are without doubt the best offensive team in England if not Europe, Mo Salah scored 32 goals last season breaking the Premier League all-time scoring record for a 38-game season but can he keep that up and fight for the Golden Boot again? Since Jurgen Klopp took the reins the argument and speculation has always been the lack of defense. The Reds will start 2018 with there best defensive unit in a long stretch. Virgil Van Dyke proved his brilliance last season on a world record fee, Dejan Lovren stepped up for Croatia and showed his dominance in the World Cup, add to that another world record fee for Allison Becker and there are no holes in this defense.

2)Manchester City $1.67

Pep Guardiola found his stride with Manchester City, winning the Premier League title with the most points, most wins, and a host of other records broken. Will this season be as straightforward? Luckily for the Citizens, they’ve not lost anyone important from their starting XI and even got Riyad Mahrez to join. The defending Champions have gotten better in the offseason, but I still have them at number 2. Why? Last season was a little flattering for the Citizens, they had a favourable draw, not a great deal of injuries and to be fair a lot of late goal luck on their side. There was a stretch of several games where Man City were not at their best and found late goals to clinch 3 points. Yes good teams find a way to win but its not sustainable. After winning the league last season look for a lot of their focus to be on the Champions League this season.

3)Tottenham $17

Tottenham were unlikely to match their 86-point second-place finish of the season before, especially playing their home games at Wembley Stadium. However, a quiet summer transfer window has all eyes on Mauricio Pochettino, and how he’ll make his team improve on last year. Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Kieran Trippier had an amazing World Cup campaign, will this help or hinder their Tottenham season? I believe it helps them, Harry Kane is carrying in unbelievable confidence and Trippier was sensational in the World Cup. Dele Alli is only going to get better with age and they are a genuine contender.

4)Arsenal $21

All change ahead at the Gunners this season, as Unai Emery takes charge of the North London club this season – the first managerial change in 22 years after Arsene Wenger failed to get Arsenal back into the top four. There have already been a host of changes at the Emirates with Lucas Torreira and Bernd Leno coming in and Jack Wilshere moving out as they try and rebuild a team to get back into the Champions League and challenge for the title. They have looked stale over the past few seasons and with a full season of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang up top, they have the ability to score in bunches. We see a much improved outfit this season.

5)Manchester United $10

Second to their rivals in the Premier League and runners-up in the FA Cup, Jose Mourinho was disappointed not to have at least won one piece of silverware after his initial season at Old Trafford. He’s added Fred and Diogo Dalot to his ranks but can he get Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku into World Cup form back in Manchester? That might just be the key of competing with Manchester City for the title. Mourinho has the cattle to win the title but after watching last season you just get the indication he fails to get the best out of his players. They are A grade celebrity status on paper, but find it hard to hit the back of the net. You get the sense it’s going to go really good or really bad for United this season, I won’t be surprised if the wheels fall off. I’m keeping them safe but in an uset they miss the top 4.

6)Chelsea $15

Chelsea last four seasons have been turbulent, they seem to either win the Premier League or finish outside the top four. This year they’ll have Sarri at the helm to try to propel them towards another title challenge especially if they don’t want to go for the Europa League, but with big names leaving Stamford Bridge it might be another season of unrest. Morata is just not good enough up top, Giroud works hard but just doesn’t score enough and believe it or not Conte is a huge loss! I truly believe Antonio Conte did an outstanding job over the past two seasons, he was unable to replace Diego Costa up forward and that was the difference last season. That had to rely too much on Hazard for goals, Morata was a shell of himself in the uniform. They have gotten worse in the transfer window,

7)West Ham

8)Everton

9)Wolves

10)Fulham

11)Leicester

12)Burnley

13)Crystal Palace

14)Bournemouth

15)Newcastle

16)Southampton

17)Brighton

18)Watford

19)Huddersfield

20)Cardiff

Odds