Chelsea are odds on favorites for the Premier League again this season. Can any of the other top English football clubs stop them?
The Champions have a tight grip on the
Premier League title and it's going to take something special to prise their fingers off it. Their fans expect the
trophy haul to begin with the Premiership and (this time) not stop until it
includes the elusive Champions League Cup.
The odds give the fans good cause to feel
confident; Centre Bet have them at 2.35 to win the title and Ladbrokes have
them at a reasonable 6-1 to lift the Champions League Trophy.
Within the English top flight the Blues are the team to beat. Manchester Utd. might consider Old Trafford
to be the true home of the title (and that Chelsea
only have a short term loan of their trophy) but Chelsea have the stronger squad, the more stable board and
the more generous owner. And it looks like the Red Devils' stranglehold on the
title may have loosened of late.
Pedants will remember that last season went
to the final fixture, and was won and lost on a single point. With Manchester Utd. needing to
better Chelsea's result, the Blues confidently
and comfortably put eight past Wigan, whereas
the Red Devils could "only" manage to beat Stoke 4-0.
The last day's results
reinforced the feeling that despite the best efforts of other teams it was just
Chelsea's year. They also managed a league record for goals
scored with 103 en-route to the title.
Chelsea took the momentum from
winning the Premier League into the FA Cup final and beat (relegated) Portsmouth 1-0, to record
the club's first league and cup double, as well as their third FA Cup victory
in four years.
A repeat of last year's double is set out
at a tempting 13-1 Eurobet or 10-1 William Hill. In addition, a bet that
will have Chelsea fans salivating at the mere thought of it is the football
holy trinity of Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League that comes in
at 67.00 again with Eurobet.
Supporters of rival London clubs might like to check out the less
obvious wager of the Blues NOT to win a major trophy: at 2.375 Eurobet.
This summer's transfer window has seen more
exits than entrances at Stamford Bridge (notably Michael Ballack, Juliano Belletti,
Deco and Joe Cole) but there are no obvious gaping holes in the side, and
nothing for Chelsea
fans to lose any sleep over.
The Stargazers amongst you should keep an
eye on Didier Drogba retaining his golden boot: most bookies have him going
toe-to-toe with Wayne Rooney at 6-1. This should prove to
be an interesting competition between the two strikers, especially after their
respective world cup performances behind them.
There's no reason to expect a bad
performance from Chelsea
this season, but if you can think the unthinkable (or have more money than
sense) the odds of the Champions plummeting from the height of triumph to the
depths of relegation are stacked at a comedic 1001 -1.
Alternatively you could just sit back and
watch Chelsea dominate the Premier League (again).