Last season Newcastle, Norwich and Aston Villa got relegated from the Premier League. But which three sides will be for the drop in the 2016-17 season? Here we give you our predictions and betting tips as we look at the Premier League relegation contenders. We also have a fantastic live odds comparison tool to make sure you get the best betting odds from the top bookies in the business.
Such is the wealth available to clubs in the top flight of English football, relegation to the second tier is something that players, managers and chairmen are desperate to avoid at all costs. Last season the writing was on the wall for an abject Aston Villa side from very early in the campaign. But Norwich and Newcastle both got drawn into the melee at just the wrong time, as Sam Allardyce – now the England manager – guided Sunderland to safety from a seemingly doomed position. The Black Cats finished on 39 points, two more than rivals Newcastle.
As usual in the relegation betting market, it is the three sides who gained promotion from the Championship that are the favourites to go straight back down. The only side who are priced as odds-on for relegation are Hull City. They looked a decent bet to stay up to us, but then their experienced and talented manager Steve Bruce jumped ship amid reports of failed transfer bids and a threadbare squad of just 13 fully fit players. Obviously much will depend on who Hull get to replace Bruce, but as things stand, we can’t see the Tigers having enough to compete in the top division and they are our first tip to get relegated at best betting odds of 8/11 with William Hill.
Last season’s second tier champions, Burnley, were very impressive under Sean Dyche. They are priced as the even money second favourites for the drop with Bet365 and others on the basis that their squad doesn’t have any really top quality players. But Bournemouth and Watford both showed last season that determination, solid tactics and belief can more than compensate for a lack of big name stars. Sean Dyche will want to make amends for the last time he led Burnley into the top flight when they went straight back down again, and we think Burnley are actually a decent price to stay up at 17/20 with Ladbrokes.
Middlesbrough – the other promoted side – are priced at betting odds of 2/1 with Betfair and they are another side we predict could have enough to remain in the Premier League. Aitor Karanka had a shaky patch in charge last term but managed to get through it and then galvanise the squad ahead of the final push for promotion. With some decent acquisitions – Antonio Barragan from Valencia and Viktor Fischer from Ajax for instance – and an already solid squad, we think they’ll stay up with room to spare.
We can’t say the same about Sunderland, who look a great price at 5/2 with Bet365 and others to get relegated. Big Sam did a great job with a poor squad of players, and though David Moyes is a decent manager, we think he simply doesn’t have the tools to work with. The Black Cats have failed to make the magic 40 point mark in each of the last four seasons, and this time we feel their luck will run out.
Our final betting tip for relegation from the Premier League is Watford. After an impressive 13th place finish under Quique Sanchez Flores last term, the Spaniard was allowed to leave the club. His replacement – Italian Walter Mazzarri – will need time to find his feet in the Premier League, by which point we think Watford will be fighting a losing battle. So our Premier League relegation betting tips are for Watford, Hull and Sunderland to go down – a nice treble at betting odds of 50/1 with Stan James.