Premier League 2025/26: Villa and Spurs are better bets than Man Utd | OneFootball

English Premier League

Man Utd are odds-on for a top six finish but there is no guarantee they will be better in 2025/26

The new Premier League season is just over a month away and Betfair have opened up the betting on top five and top six finishes. Will Manchester United leap a mighty nine places or more on their woeful 2024-25 season? The Betfair traders say so but Max Liu sees better bets elsewhere...

Who will finish in the Premier League top five and six?

Title contenders Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City are, as you would expect, all heavy odds-on to finish in the Premier League's top five and six in 2025/26.

It would be a surprise if any of that trio failed to finish near the top so, when assessing the market, we will focus on teams that should be challenging for a European place but probably will not be in the title race.

Newcastle and Chelsea to keep improving in 2025/26?

Newcastle are 3/10 for the top six. They finished fifth last season and, after securing their first trophy for more than half-a-century, Eddie Howe will want his players to aim high this season. They will want to crack the top four, not fall back.

But a word of warning. In 2023/24, the last time Newcastle played in the Champions League, they did drop back in the Premier League. They finished seventh - a fall of three places - and paid the price for not having a big enough squad to manage a busier schedule.

Could that happen again in 2025/26? The market thinks not and makes Newcastle 8/15 to finish in the top five again. But fans may be concerned about their lack of transfer market activity so far and will be hoping that they make the kind of acquisitions that equip them to challenge on all fronts.

Chelsea are 1/2 for the top six and, after squeezing into the top four at the end of Enzo Maresca's first season in charge, should be better again in 2025/26, with Liam Delap a smart addition in time for this summer's Club World Cup. They are 10/11 for the top five.

Then again, there was unrest among Chelsea fans at the Italian's tactics and the Blues were inconsistent. The owners, meanwhile, are prepared to back the manager but they are also unpredictable.

Villa and Spurs are better bets than Man Utd

The big surprise in the top six market is that Manchester United are [8/11]. Based on the current odds, United would finish sixth with the big three plus Newcastle and Chelsea above them. That would mean the Red Devils improving on last season's finish by nine places.

The price is puzzling as so far there have been zero indications that the players are getting to grips with Ruben Amorim's insistence on playing 3-4-3. They ended last season on a low, losing the Europa League final to Spurs. United have signed Matheus Cunha this summer but have failed to get rid of the dead wood that weighed down their attack last term.

If anything, the 17/10 for a top five finish is better value because to be anywhere near the European places, United are going to need to improve dramatically. But that does seem unlikely.

At odds-against for the top six, Aston Villa 11/10 and Tottenham 6/5 are both better bets than United for the top six. Villa were unlucky to only finish sixth in 2024/25 and the top five 9/5 is not out of the question.

Although Spurs were embarrassing at times last season and finished 17th, the appointment of Thomas Frank bodes well and they could challenging for Europe again. True, they will be playing in the Champions League due to their Europa League triumph and that could be draining.

Nottingham Forest were in the top three for much of last season but had to settle for seventh after dropping off at just the wrong time. They will be on a mission this season to show they are no one term wonders and, at 7/1, may be contenders for the top six.

Again, the potential distraction of European football is the caveat, as their controversial owner will want them to challenge in the Europa Conference League.

At the same price for the top six - 7/1 - Brighton will hope to improve in Fabian Hurzeler's second season, following last season's eighth-placed finish. Is this as good as it gets for the Seagulls under the German or is there more to come?

We will have tips for every Premier League match in 2025/26 as well as in-depth season previews before the big kick off on Friday 15 August.