Antepost Tips – To Finish Bottom
Another Premier League season approaches and the battle to stay in the Promised Land has never been so crucial for all 20 clubs taking part in the English top flight.
Sportingly Better analyses the ante-post betting markets on who will finish bottom in the Premier League this term.
Relegation Betting
Sunderland
Sunderland defied all the odds last season to stay afloat in a 3-way battle with Newcastle United and Norwich City as Sam Allardyce steered the club to safety. His efforts have now been rewarded with the position as England manager and the club wasted no time in bringing in David Moyes at the helm.
The statistics show that the side who finished 17th in the previous season go on to finish 20th more often than not as it has occurred in four of the last six years. Sunderland experienced that fate themselves in 2002/2003 and Moyes will be looking to strengthen on last year’s squad.
Sunderland have been one of the least active sides in the transfer market and once again they could be heavily reliant upon Jermaine Defoe to fire in another 15 league goals if they do not recruit another striker of standing.
Hull
The side promoted via the play-offs in the Championship are more commonly the bookies favourites to finish last and it is no different this season with Hull City. What justifies their selection this year is also backed by the fact Steve Bruce has just resigned as manager and the uncertainty over the ownership of the club leaves them in crisis.
They’ve finished in the bottom five of the Premier League in their last four stints and they have a massive list of players on the treatment table at a crucial stage of the season. Not only do they miss out on a solid pre-season schedule but they miss out on vital match time which prepares them for the first league game of the season.
Club captain Michael Dawson has been ruled out for three mounts and Alex Bruce is out for double that timeframe. Hull need to start splashing the cash throughout their squad and have the biggest challenges of all the teams who are likely to scrap at the bottom of the table.
Burnley
Burnley have fell at the first hurdle in both of their most recent Premier League campaigns and they’ll be hoping it’s third time lucky this time around.
The Championship winners have gone on to finish bottom of the Premier League four times in the last 18 years with Cardiff City the most recent side in the 2013/2014 campaign.
Sean Dyche has remained loyal to the club after heavy speculation over the past 12 months, but like Sunderland and Hull, Burnley haven’t been doing enough to bring new players through the door yet.
More players have actually left Turf Moor than arrived, with Matt Gilks, Joey Barton, Matthew Taylor, Lloyd Dyer and Michael Duff having all departed.
Dyche has spent just over £3.5million during the summer and a lack of financial commitment by the Clarets may continue to cast a shadow of the squad’s quality.
Verdict
Sunderland’s rapid appointment of former Manchester United manager David Moyes along with a likely transfer kitty should see the Black Cats at least do enough to remain competitive, with Jermain Defoe still likely to provide vital goals.
The same can be said for Burnley striker Andre Gray who is tipped to be Sean Dyche’s leading star after a prolific campaign in the Championship last year, but the upheaval and air of uncertainty around Hull could spell disaster for the Tigers despite a potential new owner and new manager at the club.
Recommended Football Tips
Back Hull to finish bottom of the Premier League @4.50
Author Credit: Jonathan Day
Image Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_Snodgrass_21-07-2014_1.jpg
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