EPL Betting Futures – No Respect for Leicester

The last time we checked in on the English Premier League futures, Manchester City were a roughly 1/1 favorite to claim the title. The last month hasn’t been overly kind to the Citizens, though, and the current futures reflect that.

But Man City’s misfortune is the fans’ good fortune. It’s been ages since the EPL has reached December without a true favorite leading the way.  But this year, an unprecedented six (or maybe seven!) teams still have a legitimate shot at the title heading into Christmas. Leicester City have continued their remarkable run and sit atop the table, but aren’t getting a lot of love in the odds.

Let’s take a look at the current EPL landscape and title odds.

2015-16 EPL Title Odds (as of Dec. 16, 2015)

Manchester City (11/8) – 32 pts (10-2-4):

With a favorable Champions League Round of 16 matchup against Dinamo Kiev on tap for February, City can start focusing off of their attention on the EPL.  Now is the time when true contenders tend to take off and separate themselves from the herd. Only time will tell whether City and their embarrassment of talent will do the same.

Arsenal (7/4) – 33 pts (10-3-3):

This might be the best opportunity for Arsenal to win the English Premier League title since “the Invincibles” took the team to glory in 2003-04.  The Gunners have a balanced squad that seems to have found bench players who can make a difference coming off the bench.

Coach Arsene Wenger has been slightly more aggressive this season, especially against other high-profile teams.  However, Arsenal still need to find more consistency if they hope to stay in contention come March.

Manchester United (9/1) – 29 pts (8-5-3):

Manchester United are just six points from the league leaders (Leicester City), but the fans want uber-defensive manager Louis Van Gaal sacked. The reality is that the Red Devils have enough talent to play a more offensive style of game but Van Gaal refuses to do so.

With Anthony Martial, Memphis Depay, and Wayne Rooney up front, United should have one of the best scoring teams in the EPL; instead, they average just 1.3 goals per game and 1.2 playing at home.

Leicester City (16/1) – 35 pts (10-5-1):

The oddsmakers don’t quite buy Leicester as a true title contender yet. The Foxes have taken the league by storm with their aggressive style, scoring the most goals in the EPL to date (34).  They dominated both Manchester United and Chelsea, and striker James Vardy has proven impossible to contain.

Manager Claudio Ranieri has been known as a defensive-minded coach his entire career, but he’s completely revamped his style this year and it’s working wonders.

Liverpool (20/1) – 24 pts (6-6-4):

Brendan Rodgers’ replacement, Jurgen Klopp, is attempting to change the culture at Anfield, and it’s going to be fun to watch.  Liverpool have the roster – and now the manager – to make a run for the EPL title, and they stomped on both Chelsea and Man City away from home since the German took over. They still lay the odd egg, though (like their 2-0 loss to Newcastle in back on Dec. 6) and won’t be winning any titles if that continues.

The Field:

Tottenham: 28/1

Chelsea: 100/1

Everton: 150/1

Crystal Palace: 500/1

Stoke City: 750/1

Southampton: 1500/1

West Ham: 1500/1

West Brom: 2000/1

Bournemouth: 3000/1

Swansea City: 3000/1

Newcastle: 3500/1

Aston Villa: 4000/1

Norwich City: 5000/1

Sunderland: 5000/1

(Photo credit:  db photoshoot [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.)