The international break is a good moment to explore some of the English Premier League outright betting markets. One of the most exciting among them is the battle against relegation. According to the odds of the best EPL betting sites before the start of the season, the newcomers to the division were the favourites to go down.
The situation is a bit different eight games after the start of the EPL season. Everyone expected to see Sheffield United at the bottom of the table, but the team is doing a decent job. It has the joint second-best defence in the league, which is the reason why the odds have risen up to 2.50-3.00 with most bookies.
There are three teams that are more likely to get relegated than Sheffield United, according to the prices. Norwich City is expected to go down, despite a famous victory against Manchester City. The Canaries have the worst defence in the EPL so far.
The team plays an attractive brand of football and certainly won the hearts of many neutral fans, but we’ve seen this happen before. If you want to stay in the English Premier League, you need to defend properly.
Norwich did have some injuries that harmed the team, but the overall feeling is that the club needs more discipline on the pitch. The Canaries let in too many easy goals and if the trend continues, they will go down eventually. The price of 1.80 reflects that well and might be worth a shot.
Another side that is in a bad spot right now is Watford. No one expected to see the team in the last position at this point of the season, but the abysmal defence and the inability to convert chances of the other end have hurt the points tally for the club.
There was a quick change of the management at the start of the season and Quique Sanchez Flores is back at the helm. The fans will be hoping that the Spaniard can turn it around. He has more than enough time and Watford’s squad is talented enough, so the team might be able to stay in the EPL.
It’s hard to say the same for Newcastle. The continuous problems off the pitch have created a poisonous atmosphere around the club. The Magpies have scored only five goals since the start of the season and are just above the relegation zone right now.
They need to create more chances and improve offensively, or they are going down. The current price of 2.20 or so is one of the best bets out there.
The other teams that are close to the last three are Southampton, Aston Villa, and Brighton, while Everton is actually in 18th place. And yet, all four teams have a squad that should help them beat the drop.
It’s still early, but the teams that seem poised to go down right now are Norwich City and Newcastle. There is plenty of time to improve, so it’s interesting to see what the battle will look like a couple of months from now.
