This football season has seen huge fluctuations in the betting market with sharp falls in the odds on many popular teams playing in the big games. We rank the top 10 European football (soccer) teams to watch out for in the next 12 months.
Manchester United
The English powerhouse Manchester United may have finished 4th in the UEFA ranking but they’re a real contender for the top spot this year. The Red Devils were heavily favoured to win the Champions League prior to the start of the season, however, under new manager, Jose Mourinho the Red Devils have failed to impress in the Premier League and were knocked out of the Champions League in the last 16 stage. This has resulted in some big fluctuations in the betting markets with United falling from as short as 2.5 to as long as 9 goals in the recent weeks. Despite all the controversy, it’s hard to argue with the success of the Special One and you’d have to be a truly brave gambler to go against Manchester United at any price in the near future. The team was also responsible for the first, and only, own-goal of the 2018 tournament when Marcus Rashford inadvertently scored an own-goal with a volley that put Sweden in the lead.
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur might be the best team in the English Premier League, at least based on form. The ‘God-sent’ Daniel Levy is one of the best-connected people in football and he used his connections to sign some truly world-class players for the North London club. The addition of Kane, Alli and Son have made Tottenham one of the best teams in Europe and they’ve certainly justified the rich investment. The problem is that unlike other top English teams, Spurs can’t produce their own players and rely heavily on imports which makes them more susceptible to injury. This has somewhat curtailed their scope for improvement and as a result, their odds have slightly decreased (from 5.5 to 4.9) in the last month. For the best part of a year, Spurs were one of the top five most popular teams in all of sports betting. Now, though, they’re only mid-table.
Chelsea
Despite boasting one of the most famous footballers on the planet, Chelsea can’t seem to avoid the shadow of John Terry which hangs over the Stamford Bridge side. The veteran defender retired at the end of last season after a 17-year career which yielded him 16 professional titles. While there’s no question that he was a great servant to the club and the game and he’ll be remembered forever for his incredible battles and athletic displays, Chelsea will still feel the loss of their greatest player. In the 2011-12 season alone, Terry set a new Premier League record for interceptions and he even returned to the game after a two-year retirement to help the Blues regain their Premier League crown. Unfortunately for Chelsea, the arrival of a new manager hasn’t resulted in the seamless transition that fans are used to seeing under Roman Abramovich and the team is currently lying 16th in the Premier League table.
Liverpool
The Reds might not have had the best of seasons last year but they’ve still managed to keep their fans captivated. The arrival of Jurgen Klopp as the new manager has breathed new life into the Anfield faithful and turned the tables of fortune in their favour. Liverpool were heavily linked with a host of big-name managers this summer including Pep Guardiola, Antonio Conte and Mauricio Pochettino but in the end, it was the German Klopp who managed to tame the European elite and bring the club’s first European title in 26 years. You’d have to be a betting man (or woman) to back against Liverpool now.
Arsenal
Arsenal is a side steeped in history but they’ve surprisingly missed out on some major trophies in the past decade or so. The Gunners have been very poorly managed over the past few seasons with Arsene Wenger at the helm and the Frenchman’s continued presence at the helm has seen the team consistently underachieve. Nevertheless, the manager is known to have the knack of nurturing young talent and given time, he might just be able to drag Arsenal back into competition. However, with several big-name managers linked with the club recently, it might be a case of too little, too late for Wenger and Arsenal.
Borussia Dortmund
Let’s be honest, we’re all excited about the upcoming season no matter who we’re supporting. The arrival of a new manager always results in a new lease of life for the fans, the players and the whole squad. Thomas Tuchel took over as the new Dortmund manager this summer and one of the first things he did was to reassure the faithful that everything was going to be okay. The last few seasons were a real struggle for Dortmund and with a bit of a fresh start under their new manager, the Black and Yellows could very well surprise everyone.
Leicester City
The Foxes had a fairly typical season last year, under new managers, everything changed. Nigel Pearson took over from Craig Shakespeare in the middle of last season and brought with him a brand new approach to the game. The former England international got the Foxes off to a flyer by introducing his ‘Ginger Breed’ formation and the rest, as they say, is history. Leicester City won the Premier League by a landslide 4th place and set a host of betting records along the way. Most notably, their 12-1 trouncing of Manchester United on New Year’s Day was a record-breaking scoreline.
Spurs And Manchester United Topped The Rankings
The last 12 months have seen a massive surge in popularity for both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United with the former rocketing up the rankings to claim the top spot last year and the latter holding on to their position at the top of the table this year. With big wins over Liverpool and Chelsea in the bag, Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho might just be able to pull off the Grand Slam: win the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League all in one season. It’s a feat that’s never been done before.
If you’re looking for top flight football, then you’d best lay your bets on either Tottenham or Manchester United to come out on top this year.