After a long wait, the 2025/26 Premier League season is upon us – and this could be the best campaign yet.

Liverpool ended Manchester City’s four-year run as champions last time out, and it is expected to be another thrilling title tussle this term. Liverpool are aiming to retain their crown, City are bidding to get back on top, and Arsenal and Chelsea should be in the mix too.

The Premier League winner odds point towards a close race – here is our analysis of the runners and riders.

Latest Premier League winner odds

Here are the odds from our recommended football bookies:

*Odds are subject to change (Updated on 11th August).

Premier League table

Favourites to win the Premier League 2025/26 title

Here are the favourites for the Premier League title ahead of the big kick-off on August 15.

⚽ Liverpool – 6/4

Liverpool sprang a surprise last season by winning the Premier League title in Arne Slot’s first year in charge. The Reds have followed up on that success by splashing the cash in the summer transfer market, spending a total of £265m on Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and others.

The Premier League winner betting odds are clear: Liverpool are best positioned to lift the trophy again this campaign. An experienced leadership group comprising Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker, Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah will set the tone for others to follow, and Ekitike and Wirtz provide further quality in the final third.

The loss of Trent Alexander-Arnold is a blow, though, and the tragic death of Diogo Jota will doubtless have had a huge impact on his former team-mates. 

🏆 Back Liverpool to win the title at 6/4 with talkSPORT BET 🏆

⚽ Arsenal – 5/2

Only twice in Premier League history has a team finished second in three consecutive seasons. The first was Arsenal between 1998/99 and 2000/01. The second was Arsenal between 2022/23 and 2024/25. 

Needless to say, Mikel Arteta’s men are desperate to take that one last step. Optimists paint the signing of Viktor Gyökeres, who offers a goal threat at centre-forward that Arsenal have lacked for a while, as the missing piece of the puzzle. The statistics prove show the Gunners are defensively sound, and in theory they should now carry more of an attacking threat.

Other betting customers will wonder whether Arsenal can go again after three near-misses. Arteta has done an excellent job to make the north Londoners competitive again, but is he the right man to get them over that final hurdle? This season could be decisive for the Spaniard, one way or another.

🏆 Tip Arsenal to win the title at 5/2 with SBK 🏆

⚽ Manchester City – 16/5

In 2023/24, Manchester City became the first team in English football history to win a fourth league title in a row. Then came the crash. City’s collapse last term was an extraordinary thing to witness given their dominance during the Pep Guardiola era. They ultimately finished third – disappointing rather than disastrous – but City looked like a shadow of their former selves.

Will they be back to their usual level of performance this season, or has something fundamentally broken? Guardiola has refreshed the squad with the signings of Rayan Aït-Nouri, Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders, and City have enough talent – on the pitch and in the dugout – to be title contenders.

However, it might be slightly too early in their rebuild for City to finish at the summit of the standings once again. Kevin De Bruyne will be a big loss and it is hard to shake the feeling that Guardiola could do with a break.

🏆 Choose Manchester City as your Premier League winner at 16/5 with Tote 🏆

Dark horses to win the Premier League winner odds

Everyone loves an underdog story, as Leicester City proved when they won the league in 2015/16. A repeat of such a fairytale is unlikely, but it is worth taking a look at some of the dark horses to win the Premier League title. 

⚽ Chelsea – 7/1

Chelsea had their fair share of ups and downs in 2024/25, but overall their performance across all competitions was pretty good. As well as finishing fourth in the Premier League, the Blues won both the Conference League and the first edition of the expanded Club World Cup.

Are Enzo Maresca’s men ready to take the next step? Chelsea have once again had a curious summer of transfer activity, but Jamie Gittens and Liam Delap have potential, and João Pedro is a proven goalscorer at this level.

The odds offered by football betting sites show that Chelsea are rated as the fourth-most likely champions. The fans are now mostly on board with Maresca, but Chelsea’s run to the final of the Club World Cup and reduced pre-season could see fatigue set in at some point. They will also have to balance the Premier League with the Champions League this term.

🏆 Tip Chelsea to win the Premier League at 7/1 with talkSPORT BET 🏆

⚽ Manchester United – 25/1

Manchester United endured a dire campaign last time out, finishing 15th in the Premier League and losing the Europa League final. After plumbing such depths, things can only get better for Ruben Amorim’s men this season.

Whether or not United have done enough to beat the rest of the competition in England’s top tier remains to be seen. They have spent big money on bolstering their attacking unit, with Benjamin Šeško set to join Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo at Old Trafford, but broader question marks over Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation persist.

Each and every sportsbook therefore has United down as outsiders. The Red Devils have not been in a title race for years and they probably have too much ground to make up in Amorim’s first full season on the touchline. Still, stranger things have happened in football than a United title triumph.

🏆 Go for Manchester United as Premier League champions at 25/1 with Spreadex 🏆

⚽ Newcastle United – 28/1

Newcastle ended a 56-year trophy drought by winning the EFL Cup last season, a triumph which will live long in the memories of all those who witnessed it. Eddie Howe’s team also fulfilled their primary objective of qualifying for the Champions League via a top-five finish. 

Ordinarily, the Magpies would now be looking to get closer to the Premier League title, but those ambitions are on hold for now. Newcastle have had an extremely tough summer, signing Anthony Elanga but missing out on several other targets. On top of that, Alexander Isak – their main source of goals – is reportedly keen to join Liverpool.

Newcastle struggled to juggle the Champions League with the Premier League two years ago, and that looks set to be an issue again. Howe is a bright manager but his team will struggle to keep pace with the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City.

🏆 Back Newcastle to top the table at 28/1 with Betfred 🏆

My Premier League title race betting tips

Here are four suggested Premier League bets for the season ahead, focusing on the title race and similar markets.

🥇 Liverpool to win the title – 7/4

Liverpool proved too strong for everyone else last season and they have improved their squad since then. At the time of writing Arne Slot’s side still look short at centre-back, but otherwise their squad is well stocked with a useful blend of youth and experience. 

Neutrals will hope that Liverpool are challenged more in 2025/26 than they were in 2024/25, but it is hard to look past the Reds retaining the title.

🥇 Wager on Liverpool winning the title at 7/4 with Spreadex 🥇

🌲 Manchester City to be top on Christmas Day – 10/3

It will be fascinating to see whether Manchester City are able to immediately bounce back from their off-year. Winning the title will probably be a bridge too far for a team in transition, but Pep Guardiola’s team should be in the conversation.

City often start seasons strongly and that will probably be the case this year too. No one would really be surprised if they were top of the table on Christmas Day before fading in 2026.

🌲 Bet on Manchester City to be top of the tree on Christmas Day at 10/3 with SBK 🌲

🥇 Chelsea to be the top London club – 9/4

Betting sites rate Arsenal as the best capital club heading into the new season. They have undoubtedly come on leaps and bounds under Mikel Arteta, but Arsenal regressed last term and they may end up doing so again.

Chelsea have momentum behind them after winning the Conference League and the Club World Cup. Now that Enzo Maresca is into his second season in charge, they could easily be London’s highest-ranked side.

🥇 Go for Chelsea as the top London club at 9/4 with Betfred 🥇

⚽ Erling Haaland to finish as top scorer – 11/10 

Erling Haaland was not at his magnificent best in 2025/26, with injuries disrupting his season. Now that he is back fit and firing, Premier League defences will have their hands full in trying to keep him quiet.

Haaland is a goal machine and he will be desperate to reclaim the Golden Boot after seeing Mohamed Salah get his hands on it a few months back. The Norway international is favorite for good reason.

⚽ Choose Erling Haaland to be top scorer at 11/10 with Betfred ⚽

🗓 Key dates in the 2025/26 Premier League season

The first crunch clash of the season comes on 29th August, when Liverpool host Arsenal at Anfield. A few weeks later, on 20th September the Gunners will welcome Manchester City to the Emirates Stadium. City’s first meeting with Liverpool is scheduled for 8th November.

The reverse fixtures of those matches are booked in for the following dates (although all matches are subject to change): Arsenal vs Liverpool on 7th January, Liverpool vs Manchester City on 7th February, and Manchester City vs Arsenal on 18th April.

Arsenal have the toughest start to the campaign, with games against Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle in the first six weeks of 2025/26. City will face Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and Liverpool in their first six games of 2026. And Liverpool’s run-in could be tricky, with rivals Everton and Manchester United among their last six opponents, plus Chelsea and Aston Villa.

🏆 How the 2024/25 Premier League title was won, and lost

Between the start of November and the end of the season, Liverpool occupied first place in the Premier League. With Mohamed Salah in the form of his life, they hit the ground running under Slot. Liverpool won 11 of their first 13 fixtures, including a crucial 2-0 victory over Manchester City in December. 

That was City’s fourth defeat on the bounce, a period which in effect marked their elimination from the title picture. Between early November and Boxing Day, Pep Guardiola’s previously imperious team won just one out of nine top-flight matches. They ended the season strongly, but it was a case of too little, too late in terms of the title.

Arsenal drew 2-2 with Liverpool at home and away, so it was not the results in head-to-head meetings between the top two that cost Mikel Arteta’s men. Instead, Arsenal were made to rue dropped points against the likes of Bournemouth, Fulham, Everton, West Ham and Brighton – teams they were expected to beat.

By the time of the March international break, Arsenal were 15 points adrift of Liverpool in top spot. Although they had a game in hand on Slot’s men, the race was essentially done and dusted already with two months to spare.

🤔 FAQ about the 2025/26 Premier League season

1. Which Premier League teams will be competing in Europe this season?

There are no fewer than nine Premier League teams competing in Europe next season. Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham will be gunning for glory in the Champions League.

Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest are flying the flag for England in the Europa League, with Crystal Palace involved in the Conference League after losing their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Palace won the FA Cup last season, and therefore qualified for the Europa League, but were denied entry due to owner John Textor also having a stake in French club Lyon.

2. Who is likely to be involved in the battle for the top four spots this season?

As well as Premier League winner odds 2025/26, you will also find markets on a top-four finish. Liverpool and Arsenal will in all probability get over the line without too much difficulty, while Manchester City have been constants in the top four for more than a decade.

Chelsea finished fourth last term and they will aim to replicate that at the very least, while Newcastle and Aston Villa share the same target. Manchester United and Tottenham are expected to come back stronger after dismal campaigns last time out.

3. Which players are expected to be in the running for Premier League top scorer this season?

Erling Haaland is a goalscoring machine and he is the leading contender to win the Golden Boot at the time of writing. Mohamed Salah was last year’s winner and he will be targeting the prize once more, while Newcastle striker Alexander Isak should be in the conversation too.

Other candidates to finish at the top of the rankings include Liverpool new boy Hugo Ekitike, Arsenal frontman Viktor Gyökeres, and Chelsea duo Cole Palmer and João Pedro.

4. Which teams may be in danger of relegation from the Premier League this season?

In each of the last two seasons, the three promoted clubs have gone straight back down to the Championship. That bodes ill for Leeds United, Burnley and Sunderland, all of whom are tipped to be involved in the demotion dogfight.

Other relegation candidates include West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, who both struggled last term, and Brentford following the exit of their inspirational manager Thomas Frank.

About the author

Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.

Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball

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