The 2018/19 Premier League season gets underway on August 10 with a host of clubs aiming to knock champions Manchester City off their perch.
City won last season’s title by 19 points from Manchester United, with Tottenham Hotspur a further four points adrift in third place. Read on as we predict some of the key issues for the upcoming campaign.
City to face tougher battle
Pep Guardiola has admitted his side will struggle to repeat last season’s runaway success and it’s difficult to disagree with him.
United boss Jose Mourinho has been frustrated in his attempts to strengthen his squad, although midfielder Fred certainly looks a useful addition.
Liverpool have spent over £175 million this summer, but Jurgen Klopp’s insistence that he doesn’t need another top-class centre-half to partner Virgil van Dijk could be their downfall.
Both North West clubs should push City closer this term, but Guardiola’s side are fancied to come out on top. City are priced at 4/6 to win the title and punters can use this Totesport promo code for the opportunity to boost their returns.
Spurs in trouble in top four battle?
City, United and Liverpool are expected to fill three of the top four places next season, leaving Spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal to fight over the remaining qualifying spot for the Champions League.
Spurs’ failure to strengthen their squad could harm their chances, while Arsenal don’t yet look strong enough to break back into the top four.
New Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri improved Napoli during each of his three years in charge of the Serie A club and he can repeat the trick with Chelsea by leapfrogging Spurs next term.
Salah may struggle to retain Golden Boot
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah scored 32 goals in 36 league appearances last season to win the Golden Boot, but he could find it difficult to retain his title.
He was something of a surprise factor last season and defences are likely to be much wiser to his threat this time around.
Harry Kane appears short enough in the betting given Spurs’ lack of transfer activity in the transfer market, leaving Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looking a solid wager at around 6/1 to top the goalscoring charts.
Chelsea to double up in the FA Cup
The Blues salvaged something from last season with a victory over United in the FA Cup Final and the competition could offer Sarri the perfect chance to secure silverware in his first season in charge.
Chelsea have reached the final for the last two seasons and they look tempting at odds of around 15/2 to lift the trophy again in 2019.
