The 2020-21 English Premier League season starts on Saturday with newly-promoted Fulham hosting Arsenal at lunchtime local time.
Defending champions Liverpool will be in action later in the day when they welcome fellow newcomers Leeds United to Anfield. The visitors will be playing in their first EPL game since 2004.
Jurgen Klopp’s side had been 7/4 to win the title last season, behind odds on favourites Manchester City. They would end up running away with the division by a record 18 point margin.
The Reds have done very little business during the summer transfer window, allowing Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana to leave and bringing in left-back Kostas Tsimikas.
It still comes as a surprise that Liverpool’s odds are as long as 9/4 second favourites to defending their Premier League title.
Manchester City have been made 4/5 pre-season favourites and won’t be in action on the opening weekend as they were given an additional week to prepare following their participation in the latter stages of the Champions League over in Germany last month.
Many feel that Pep Guardiola’s side haven’t improved their squad significantly this summer. They were poor in defence last season particularly when Aymeric Laporte was on the sidelines.
The only new defender to arrive at the Etihad since the end of last season has been Nathan Ake, from relegated Bournemouth.
David Silva left on a free transfer and Leroy Sane was sold to Bayern Munich. The only midfielder they have signed so far to replace these has been Ferran Torres was cash-strapped Valencia.
City can be expected to bring in a couple more names before the end of the transfer window but right now it seems a little odd that they are such short favourites.
