Followers of the English Premier League know there’s hardly ever a season that fails to deliver its fair share of twists and turns.
With less than 48 hours until kick off, here are a few surprises I feel which can prove consensus wrong.
1. Everton to finish ahead of Liverpool
With the departure of Luis Suarez, who scored 31 goals last term, Liverpool will need supreme efforts from Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling to stay near the top of the table.
Arsenal and Chelsea have strengthened their sides in the transfer market, and under the new leadership of Louis van Gaal, improvement should be forthcoming from Manchester United. The Reds must also contend with an increased workload this time around having secured Champions League qualification.
Everton briefly challenged for a Champions League spot last season before fading late to finish a decent fifth. They were superb in defence (only Chelsea and Manchester City conceded fewer goals) and with the signings of Romelu Lukaku and Muhamed Besic, there’s no reason why the Toffees can’t improve again this campaign. At $4.33, Everton is outstanding value to top Liverpool.
2. Swansea City to be relegated
Swansea were mid-table the first half of last season before a run of losses resulted in the sacking of Michael Laudrup. The Swans managed to survive largely due to the goals of Wilfried Bony, a striker Liverpool have expressed a strong interest in signing.
Their lack of activity in the transfer market is nothing short of alarming. They are currently $6 to fall through the trap door.
3. Burnley to be the top promoted club
While Burnley surprised quite a few with their runner-up finish in the Championship, they were a model of consistency in defence, having conceded the fewest goals. If Danny Ings and Sam Vokes produce similar performances this season, the $4.50 on offer looks generous.
Follow Stephen at @sw064351
Jason Pollock
Roar Guru
Interesting article Stephen. I agree that Burnley look good going into the new season, and will look to put together a strong campaign to justify their promotion to the top tier of English football. Similarly, Swansea definitely look to be lurking around the bottom spots in the table this season, and will have to produce something spectacular not to suffer relegation. I don't entirely believe Everton will finish higher than Liverpool though. I think the offensive firepower of Sturridge, combined with the great young talent that Liverpool possesses will propel them to a top four finish. Don't get me wrong, Everton will flourish, and could finally make the Champions League if they're lucky, but will they survive against Arsenal, Chelsea and City? I don't think so.
Swampy
Guest
Burnley will be lucky to have 10 points at Xmas. Their squad is League One quality. How they ever made it up from the Championship I'll never know. When you describe a manager's greatest quality as getting the most effort out of his team then if promotion was obtained at max effort and no money has been spent on the team then where will the improvement come from to compete at the next level? I expect Spurs to be surprising season long challengers to the big 4 (Citeh, Chelski, Gooners, Manure).
Kasey
Guest
One thing I've noticed following the World Cup is how fewer items in my facebook news feed from my football aficionado friends are focused just on the EPL this year, but I'm seeing more Bundesliga and A-League anticipatory statuses. The Bundesliga is obviously linked to how well ze Germans did in Brazil, but it is heartening to see people who love football write about how much they are looking forward to the start of the Domestic football comp in Australia:) since Wanderers entered(rough time frame) I've noticed a steady drop in Euro-snobbery. Has anybody else noticed this?