A Look Ahead To 2016/17 Football In The UK

A Look Ahead To 2016/17 Football

The new season has begun, and the footballing landscape has changed dramatically since May when the previous one ended. Leicester City winning the Premier League will go down as one of the biggest sporting shocks of all-time, especially as it came just one year after they narrowly avoided relegation. Here is A Look Ahead To 2016/17 Football.

A Look Ahead To 2016/17 Football

It is possible that the Foxes’ feat is never matched, particularly at a time when the Premier League’s spending power is bigger than ever. The club will be fortunate to finish in a top eight position – their reward for being winners included a route to the Champions League group stage, so most weeks will include two matches.

On top of this, they have lost N’Golo Kante – who had a great Euro 2016 with France – to Chelsea. The diminutive midfielder was arguably their most important player last season, along with Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy, both of whom are still on the playing roster.

Moreover, the club’s main rivals have also strengthened their selections significantly. Manchester City have a new manager in Pep Guardiola, and the Spaniard has wasted little time in making his mark by signing young talents such as Gabriel Jesus and Leory Sane.

Cross-city rivals United have also been busy. Jose Mourinho has signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, whilst a world record move for Paul Pogba is reportedly close. They have a busy schedule with their Europa League participation, so may find tiredness an issue later in the campaign.

One other major title favourite is Chelsea, who look reinvigorated under Antonio Conte. The Italian has added youth to a stale side and has no European distractions this term after a terrible season last time around for the club.

With the new season getting underway now, Betway is one of the best places to look at all the odds and have a football bet. Their site has many betting options, including in-play during games, and outright odds such as who will win the Premier League. Manchester City are favourites for the title at 5/2. You can bet online while you remember, and there are betting opportunities during every game throughout the season.

In England’s second division, the Championship, it could be an extremely intriguing season as well. Newcastle United were unexpectedly relegated from the top flight after some dismal form under Steve McClaren, which meant that Rafa Benitez took over. They lost their opening fixture 1-0 to Fulham, but at 15/8 are still considered favourites for the title and an immediate return to the Premier League.

Norwich City will also believe they can gain promotion, with manager Alex Neil investing heavily over the summer. Most importantly, he has managed to keep Timm Klose who was a rare bright spark last year – though Nathan Redmond was sold to Southampton.

The Scottish League is also looking like being more competitive this year, with Rangers back in the SPL for the first time since 2012. Celtic will still be expected to win the league under new manager Brendan Rodgers, but the Old Firm fixture still holds cultural and historical significance and will be a welcome addition to a league that has acted as a procession for the Hoops in Rangers’ absence.

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