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The Premier League is the pinnacle of English domestic football and it is where every team truly wants to be. Premier League status gives every team the opportunity to play their part in the most high profile, competitive and arguably exciting domestic football league anywhere in the world.

The Premier League is a proper competition in every sense and is arguably the strongest domestic football league anywhere in the world where, on their day, any team can beat any other; creating a football betting market every week of exceptional openness and possibility.

Of course, a combination of factors such as finance, size of support, club profile and squad strength does dictate that only a select group of teams can ultimately win the Premier League, but that does not deter from the competitiveness and excitement that the Premier League produces on a weekly basis and all teams within the Premier League play their valued part in making it the best in football betting markets in the world.

The forthcoming Premier League season will provide us all with entertainment, excitement, drama and a personal involvement through betting that cannot be matched anywhere and who could blame any of us for being impatient for its return.

Football is an ever changing world and with under two weeks still to go until the new Premier League season kicks off and a month until the transfer window closes, teams and circumstances are bound to change again, but here, for your information, possibly consternation and we hope enjoyment, both in this post and on the individual team pages, we present our betting preview of the Premier League for this season:

PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON SUMMARY:-

Year on year, the Premier League has definitely been played at an ever increasing pace, becoming more physically demanding, more entertaining and certainly more competitive on a general scale with any team capable of winning on their best form.

The Premier League can be proud of it’s success and competitive nature but what has definitely become more apparent in recent seasons is the fact that the Premier League is a series of leagues within a league and this is catered for by the leading bookmakers.

Only a select group of teams can realistically compete for the Premier League title, another group of teams fill the slots in mid-table and then there is always a group of teams that spend the season fighting against relegation back to the Championship. All of these factors present interesting betting opportunities.

In terms of the title race for this season then we would again have to say that logically only Chelsea, Liverpool or Manchester United can actually win the Premier League title and out of those three teams we believe CHELSEA have the strongest overall package and profile.

We put forward CHELSEA to win the Premier League last season in the belief they had an extremely strong, experienced and powerful squad and although they didn

Wolverhampton Wanderers come into this season in the Premier League off the back of a tremendous performance in winning the Championship title last season and although the Premier League is a significant step up in class, Mick McCarthy and his players will be looking forward to the challenge of new season.

As a newly promoted team, Wanderers will likely expect to be made favourites to go straight back down but you can be certain that manager Mick McCarthy will not entertain any of those thoughts and those that are brave enough to mention it to him may well get a firmer reaction than they are often used to in the Premier League.

McCarthy is a vastly experienced manager and he has experience of the Premier League with Sunderland, so he will know exactly the scale of the task he faces in attempting to keep the club in the Premier League.

Promoted sides always try to strengthen their squads to add as much quality as possible and Mick McCarthy has certainly been busy in the transfer market ensuring the squad is fit for purpose.

Wolves have made several signings in the past week, the most important of which is striker Kevin Doyle from Reading who will be expected to produce the goals that will go along way towards helping Wolves stay in the Premier League, so his fitness and form over the season will be key.

Other key areas that McCarthy has highlighted for strengthening are defence and midfield with full back Greg Halford, who looks capable of producing in the Premier League and also defender Ronald Zubar who has been signed from Marseille to add to the signing of midfielders Andrew Surman and Nenad Milijas.

Mick McCarthy is a very proud manager with a very strong character and he will certainly know what to expect this season so you can be certain Wolves be prepared to have a real go at staying up and it will be very interesting to see how Wolves adapt to the Premier League again.

McCarthy will be positive and attempt to give his players confidence and belief by using Stoke City and Hull City as prime examples of what can be achieved. However, there must be doubt as to whether Wolves have enough proven experience and quality, even with the new signings, to last the test of the Premier League season and they certainly do face a very toughest of challenges to survive.

PREDICTED LEAGUE POSITIO:- 20th

This forthcoming season looks very likely to be a case of out with the old and in the with the old as former Wigan player Roberto Martinez takes over the managerial reigns from Steve Bruce.

Bruce did a truly magnificent job at Wigan and everybody connected to the club will be grateful of that; nobody more so than Chairman Dave Whelan who must appreciate of Steve Bruce the tremendous achievement of making a club with such limited finance and support base into a solid Premier League team.

The appointment of Roberto Martinez is a popular appointment amongst Wigan fans given that he was a popular player who provided great service for the club and also in the respect that he achieved great things at Swansea, which have given him the experience, required.

Martinez obviously has to adapt to life as a manager in the Premier League, but he appears a very calm individual with integrity and a strong belief in his own footballing principles, so he has every chance of adapting well and doing a good job at Wigan.

Martinez encouraged his Swansea team to play positive football and that should prove refreshing for Wigan Athletic fans and generate new local interest in the club, increasing the support, which the club desperately needs.

The Wigan Athletic squad as it currently stands look thin and Martinez will know that he needs to add quality and depth to the squad where possible, but from within the limited financial restraints that Wigan Athletic face, so he will have to call upon his knowledge of players to seek out value for money purchases.

How successful Roberto Martinez adapts to the Premier League will determine how Wigan fare, so it is very hard to predict with any confidence but we would expect Wigan to have enough to remain a Premier League team and for them that will be deemed a success.

PREDICTED LEAGUE POSITION: 15tt

West Ham United are one of those select group of clubs which followers of other teams still like to see do well and that has only increased since the widely popular Gianfranco Zola took over as manager last season.

Zola was a tremendously entertaining, talented and likable player and he has transferred those qualities to his management style; he has certainly made the wider appeal of West Ham United greater and increased their profile to attract better players.

Zola has had a distinct impact at West Ham United and one of the major reasons was his decision to bring in the vastly experienced Steve Clarke as coach and assistant manager. Together they form a solid management team that will hopefully provide real stability for West Ham United in the coming seasons.

West Ham United has always been regarded as a team who entertained the fans and that is definitely the case with Zola in charge as he firmly encourages a fluent, positive style of football encouraging players to use their technical ability.

Gianfranco Zola knows that the West Ham United squad does need quality and experience adding to it and transfers deals are possibly in place with the purchase of a proven goal scorer looking the most obvious requirement in a squad that looks limited at present in terms of goal supply.

Positive football combined with the traditional West Ham United ethos of giving young talent a chance has made the club popular and entertaining again and we certainly expect the likes of Mark Noble, Scott Parker, Carlton Cole and Matthew Upson to provide the quality and experience that will see West Ham United safe and secure in the Premier League once again.

PREDICTED LEAGUE POSITION:- 10th

One of the seemingly unwritten laws of pre-season Premier League previews in recent seasons is that Tottenham are going to be a real force, challenge the top teams for honours. Great things have always been expected of Tottenham but what most often has materialised was disappointment and frustration for the Tottenham fans

Sunderland are a club who find themselves going into this new Premier League season in a very different situation to the one they faced when approaching the start of last season.

In July 2008, Roy Keane was in charge and there was tremendous optimism around the club with a new set of expensively purchased talented players looking ready to push Sunderland on and the future did look very bright indeed.

That did not materialise as Sunderland struggled for confidence and form which ultimately lead to the resignation of Roy Keane and in the end his replacement Ricky Sbragia only just managed to keep Sunderland in the Premier League after an nervous struggle right to the final day of the season.

However, events change quickly in football and the new wealthy ownership of the club and the signing of Steve Bruce as manager means Sunderland again come into a new season with an invigorated sense of optimism and yet more belief that Sunderland can progress again.

The fact that new owners have come in with expected funds gives Sunderland the platform and stability they required and the signing of Steve Bruce as manager could well turn out to be the best decision they ever made.

Bruce was a proven winner, leader and inspiration as a player and he has effectively transferred his characteristics of commitment, endeavour, determination and belief to his role as manager, which will stand him in good stead at Sunderland. He looks the perfect manager at this time as he will bring great stability and organisation to the whole set up at Sunderland.

Steve Bruce did a tremendous job at Wigan, turning them into a solid and well-organised side, which could compete with the best in the League, and you have to believe that he will be able to do equally as well if not better at Sunderland.

There can be no doubt that Steve Bruce has got a big job on in terms of re-building the squad and clearly quality in all the keys areas must be added but one of the real strengths of Steve Bruce is his shrewdness in the transfer market and he can be relied upon to get the right players in.

Sunderland do possess some very talented players with the likes of Kieron Richardson, Steed Malbranque and Kenwyn Jones so Steve Bruce will be looking to get them to produce their very best on a consistent basis and add a few more players of that calibre to help build the solid nucleus of key players that he always like to have in his teams.

We expect Steve Bruce to turn Sunderland into a solid, well organised team again, looking to replicate what he did at Wigan by using the intensity and passion that the Sunderland fans provide to make the Stadium of Light somewhere opposing teams are fearful of playing. If that can be achieved then Sunderland should have a fairly comfortable season with hope of more success to come in time.

PREDICTED LEAGUE POSITION:- 11th

Stoke City where probably the real success story of the Premier League last season as they displayed with great endeavour what can be achieved if you have the self belief and confidence to succeed.

Alongside the likes of David Moyes at Everton and Roy Hodgson at Fulham, Stoke City manager, Tony Pulis deserves praise for the excellent job he did in not only keeping Stoke City in the Premier League when relegation was expected but actually keeping them safe with a fair degree of comfort in the end.

Pulis is a manager who should be admired because he has great integrity, honesty and firmly believes in his own players and the determination and management ability he displayed to help keep Stoke City up was exceptional. His key strength is that he knows the exact strengths of his own players and he knows how to get the very best out of them. Pulis has always made it clear that he understands his City squad are not as technically gifted and that he has no real superstars, but he also knew that he has a squad that would give absolutely everything for him and the tremendous Stoke City fans.

Stoke City’s real strength last season was their home form, inspired by the extremely vocal and passionate fans and clearly that is going to be key to their Premier League campaign again this season, but Tony Pulis will want to try and make sure Stoke City represent more of a threat away from home as well this season.

As with every other manager in the football league, Tony Pulis is looking to add further quality to his squad and if he can bring in players that have the qualities complement the likes of Ricardo Fuller, James Beattie and Liam Lawrence then Stoke City can have confidence in once again confirming their place in the Premier League with comfort.

Pulis will be under no illusions about the task he faces and he knows that the pressure to keep Stoke City up this season will be just as great and the task of doing so just as tough, but last seasons tremendously positive experience should give them the confidence in their own ability to achieve what they set out to.

PREDICTED LEAGUE POSITION:- 14th

This time last season, Portsmouth were looking forward to the new season with great excitement and anticipation after achieving an historic F.A. Cup final success and the future certainly did seem very bright for Portsmouth.

Fast forward a year and how different everything looks with Harry Redknapp gone and relegation only just avoided, they find themselves in debt, uncertainty over the ownership of the club, players leaving and others expected to leave.

Football fans will follow their team through anything and certainly the Portsmouth fans rank right up with any other set of fans in terms of loyalty and passion for the cause but even the most hardened and seasoned of Portsmouth fans must surely have concerns for what lies ahead this season and beyond.

On a footballing level, Portsmouth know that they have to improve on what they did last season as they cannot afford to be relegated, but to survive they must invest in strengthening the squad and adding quality in all the key areas.

Given the uncertainty at the club it is hard to envisage many new signings coming in and particularly those of a higher calibre and worse still the better players at the club will possibly be looking to leave, so retention of good players will be absolutely key to their chances.

A vital area that Portsmouth needs to look at strengthening is in the attacking areas because last season they did not carry any serious attacking threat to the opposition on a consistent enough basis and they look lightweight up front.

The sale of Peter Crouch is a massive blow and clearly the money from that deal needs to be re-invested to give Portsmouth any chance at all this season

The ownership situation should be sorted out eventually, but the longer that situation goes on, the more damaging the on Portsmouth’s chances in the Premier League this season and this could well be another very nervous campaign for Paul Hart’s team and the loyal Portsmouth following.

PREDICTED LEAGUE POSITION: 16th

For a team that are reigning World Club Champions, Premier League Champions and Carling Cup holders, going into the season chasing their 4th consecutive Premier League title, there seems to be a surprising degree of negativity amongst Manchester United supporters and a real sense that this season looks set to be a tough challenge indeed.

The main reason for this is of course the huge loss of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez combined with an overall sense of inactivity in the transfer market due primarily to the free spending of Real Madrid and Manchester City which has left a sense that Manchester United are being left behind.

The sale of Ronaldo does now place added importance and emphasis on the attacking contributions and combinations of Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov and they will be expected to produce and deliver the goals in this new era.

Alex Ferguson has been attempting to strengthen the squad and has made a positive signing in the form of Antonio Valencia from Wigan who has the potential to be top class and should prove to be very effective for United given his pace, technique and creativity.

Of course the real highlight of United’s summer has been the shock transfer of Michael Owen on a free and it will be fascinating watching what impact Owen has at United as opinion is split as to whether he will produce or not.

The impact Michael Owen has will depend on his ability to remain injury free and given that is something that has not happened for the last 5 years it must be case of wait and see on that front, but if Michael Owen proves to be a success then that will be a tremendous bonus to Manchester United’s cause.

Although the financial muscle of Real Madrid and Manchester City is having a major impact on Manchester United’s transfer policy this summer, the club still have a very experienced, powerful, well-balanced and versatile squad and it would be very dangerous to dismiss Manchester United totally at this point.

Manchester United are always strong and will prove to be just that again this season but we believe they also have to step up again this season because their main rivals will be stronger, more determined and quite possibly better equipped. United will be tested like never before and that might just prove too much of a test this time around in their quest for a 4th successive title.

PREDICTED LEAGUE POSITION:- 3rd

Football is such a great sport because it never stops surprising you and who would have thought it possible that Manchester City would become the richest club in world football and have high profile players throughout that world knocking at their door, desperate to be a part of that.

Of course, the fact that Manchester City are now rich beyond meaning and that they can attempt to buy anybody is very exciting for everybody connected to the club but all the money in the world does not guarantee anything in football and the facts are Manchester City have to prove the value of their wealth by performing on the pitch and competing successfully with the very best.

The summer signings of Roque Santa Cruz, Carlos Tevez, Emanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure and Gareth Barry are fine examples of that and there will doubtless be a few more big transfers on the way before the season starts.

Mark Hughes is putting together a very good team on paper and certainly one that has the potential to be succeed but you do have to wonder how will Mark Hughes be able to keep all the players happy when they are not playing.

The classic example of this is in the striking department where, with Robinho, Bellamy, Santa Cruz, Tevez and Adebayor all in the mix, there will always beat least 2 big name, big money players on the bench every single game and that is certain to cause friction given the egos involved.

The key for Mark Hughes will be achieving a settled formation, team pattern and most importantly a solid team spirit as this was lacking last season, and also to see how the team handle the pressure and expectancy that comes with the money.

To make Manchester City successful, Mark Hughes has to make his team defensively solid and hard to beat and that looks certain to be his biggest challenge of all given the apparent lack of balance within the squad that boasts tremendous quality in abundance in the attacking areas but lacks quality and depth in the midfield and defensive areas.

Given the strength of the Manchester City squad then you have to believe they will be far stronger this season and clearly Manchester City have the real potential to be a top class side in time and it is quite possible that another couple of major signings could take them even closer, but that will all depend on how everybody connected to Manchester City copes with the undoubted levels of pressure they are now under.

Manchester City are the richest club in the world and they want to be the most successful club in the world but the incredible levels of finance automatically bring even greater levels of expectancy and pressure and that could prove to be the most telling factor as this could well suffocate them. We just don’t see the investment paying off this season in the desired way.

PREDICTED LEAGUE POSITION:- 7th