WITH little value to be gleaned from the major Outright markets, Premier League punter Daniel McCulloch (@DMcCulloch1984) has looked beyond the Big Six in search of appetising ante-post angles.
WLB Season Preview 2019/20 | Premier League: Outright
Heading into the 2019/20 Premier League campaign, there’s very little to get excited about from an Outright perspective with Manchester City very fair (and short) ante-post favourites ahead of last season’s runners-up Liverpool. The pair are streets ahead of the competition and therefore value is limited when searching for an appetising pre-season punt.
While I did consider putting up Arsenal to finish in the top four, 13/8 isn’t great so I will instead concentrate on the side I expect to make plenty of punters happy once again: Leicester City.
Last season, The Foxes finished 14 points shy of sixth spot but there is renewed optimism in the East Midlands, with manager Brendan Rodgers having enjoyed a full pre-season and – in my view – improved the side despite the loss of Harry Maguire (and acquisition of £80m).
Signing Youri Tielemans permanently was an astute piece of business and the acquisition of James Justin from Luton for £6m will look an absolute snip in months to come. There is technical talent and speed throughout this side and with so many issues at Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United, the 9/2 with Coral on Leicester to finish in the top half dozen looks far too big to me.
Additionally, I like The Foxes at 7/2 with Bet365 to finish top in the ‘Without The Big Six’ market. The arrival of Moise Kean means that Everton are 10/3 favourites in this market but The Toffees flattered to deceive for much of last season and Idrissa Gueye is a huge loss for Marco Silva’s men. They still look pretty ropey to me defensively, so I would rather side with The East Midlands clubs.
Wolves – who have a European campaign to contend with – and West Ham are the other major contenders in this market and I worry about the squad depth of the former and consistency of the latter. While they may contend, I cannot see either outpointing Brendan Rodgers’s side.
Best Bets
Premier League 2019/20 – Leicester to finish in the top six (9/2 Coral)
Premier League 2019/20 – Leicester without the Big Six (7/2 Bet365)
