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English Premier League Prediction: Preview 2004/2005 The wait is over. English Premier League action is finally back. Despite a soccer-filled summer with Euro 2004, Copa America and now the Olympics, nothing can quite compare to the English game. This weekend kicks off with a bang as Chelsea plays host to Manchester United in one of the biggest matches of the year. Why they scheduled this one so early is baffling, as it would be well worth saving for later in the season. Nonetheless, there should be no complaints because this one promises to be a dandy. At this time of year, it's wise to turn our attention to the multitude of props and futures available, from Premiership Winner to Top Goalscorer. Here's what we like going into the new season: Arsenal (+180): After going the entire season unbeaten last year, there's only one direction for Arsenal to go: down. Make no mistake, Arsenal will finish in the top three and most likely finish second overall. They just won't be the dominant force of 2003/2004. Arsenal will lose games – not many, but they definitely won't produce another unbeaten season. The rumours surrounding captain Patrick Vieira's would-be departure to Real Madrid will certainly not help. If he goes, this team will be in serious difficulty. But until the Vieira affair gets sorted, keep your money in your pocket. Thierry Henri is arguably the best striker in the world, but should he get injured Arsenal will pay the price for having all their eggs in one basket. While enormously talented, Jose Reyes simply cannot replace Henri. Another worry is the loss of defensive stalwart Sol Campbell, who is out for at least a month. Arsenal cannot afford a slow start to the season with Chelsea ho on their tails. Chelsea (+225): Despite all the millions splashed out by Roman Abramovich last year, Chelsea sorely lacked quality players in the most important (and most expensive) positions. Now they have signed Didier Drogba and Mateja Kezman, whose goalscoring abilities tore up the French and Dutch leagues last season. As a natural goalscorer, Kezman's game is perfectly suited to the Premiership. For Chelsea to have a striker like Drogba as well just makes this team extremely dangerous. Plus, in Arjen Robben, Chelsea now have a magnificent playmaker, who will feed Kezman and Drogba with pinpoint accuracy and impeccable timing. And Chelsea have improved coaching with Jose Mourinho, a manager who makes his players work hard, instils discipline in them, and produces results. Throw in a world class defender in Paulo Ferreira and it’s easy to see that Chelsea have an excellent chance of winning the Premiership this year. Manchester United (+300): After a severely disappointing (by their standards) third place finish last year, United will want to bounce back hard. Smart summer acquisitions like Gabriel Heinze and the prolific Alan Smith will help with the goal production. But question marks over defence will continue to plague the team this year. With players missing to injury and international duty, United face an uphill struggle in the first month or two of the season. If they can get through it, the Red Devils are capable of mounting a challenge for the title. A bigger price than the London clubs, one might see value in Man United at 3:1. But unless you like trading these markets as the season progresses, there's really no sense in backing any of the top three teams to win outright. If you fancy a punt on the top three, consider the FA Cup or Carling Cup outright markets. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United can each be backed at around 6:1 in the FA Cup, and they are all available as high as 12:1 to take home the Carling Cup. Liverpool, at 9:1, are also worth consideration as potential FA Cup winners. Last year's Carling Cup champions, Middlesbrough, are available at 15:1 to repeat the trick. For top scorer, the market leaders Thierry Henri (+250) and Ruud van Nistelrooy (+400) are best avoided. United fans are better off backing Louis Saha (18:1) or even Alan Smith (80:1) instead of the injured RVN. But the juiciest picks for us are Mateja Kezman (20:1), Didier Drogba (12:1) and Djibril Cisse (20:1). Drogba scored two goals and Kezman scored three in Chelsea's three exhibition games in North America. And with Arjen Robben ceaselessly putting balls at their feet, Kezman and Drogba will have no shortage of scoring opportunities. Another man to watch is Liverpool’s new striker Djibril Cisse, who led the French league in goals last season. The Premiership will suit his style well, and with Michael Owen and Stephen Gerrard setting him up, Cisse won't lack scoring chances. Drogba, Kezman, Robben and Cisse are also great value to win the Player of the Year award, with prices ranging from 20:1-33:1. Yours truly will be reporting from London, England every week in September. I'll bring you the latest news, trends, scandals, and, most importantly, all the key information to make you money during the Premiership season. Next week, however, your correspondent will be in Germany, compiling an in-depth preview of the upcoming Bundesliga. Stay tuned. This week's picks: We’ve got the call on one of the biggest games of the year when Manchester United meet Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Don’t miss out as we get the season rolling with an easy winner. |
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