After an incredible Euro 2020 campaign, there is little time to rest, with the return of domestic football less than a month away.
Ahead of the 2021-22 season we have another antepost bet which with a £20 stake returns £2017.
Premier League: Brentford to be relegated (11/10)
Having flirted with promotion for a few seasons now, Brentford finally earned a first crack at the Premier League, having defeated Swansea City in the play-off final.
Despite being one of the best ran clubs in the country, the step up to the top flight may well be a bridge too far for them.
Much of Brentford’s hopes this season will fall on the shoulders of Ivan Toney, who scored a record amount of goals in a Championship campaign.
Kristoffer Ajer is a good signing from Celtic; however it’s unlikely they’ll have enough to beat the drop and odds at better than evens look appealing.
Championship: West Brom top six finish (4/6)
Even the appointment of Sam Allardyce couldn’t save West Brom from the Premier League drop; however they are expected to fair much better this time around.
Key player Mathues Pereira may have departed, but they have kept the majority of key players at the club, including the likes of Sam Johnstone and Robert Snodgrass.
The Championship isn’t as strong as previous seasons and the Baggies are expected to at least secure a top six finish.
League One: Ipswich Town top six finish (8/11)
Ipswich Town have endured a nightmare three or four years; however there are real promising signs and they are among the favourites for promotion to the Championship.
Late in the 2020-21 campaign, American Brett Johnson brought the club from Marcus Evans, whom had stopped funding the club in recent seasons, which ultimately culminated in relegation.
The appointment of Paul Cook is a real coup at this level and he has brought well, signing the likes of Lee Evans, Connor Chaplin and Scott Fraser.
It will take time for a completely new squad to gel and they needed a late Maculey Bonne goal to earn a point at home to Morecambe in their opening fixture.
This being said, they have one of the strongest squads and best managers in League One and a top six finish is an absolute must this season.
League Two: Bristol Rovers top seven finish (13/10)
Bristol Rovers have one of the strongest squads in League Two and they will be confident of an immediate return to League One.
Whether manager Joey Barton will see the season out remains unclear, with the former Manchester City midfielder arrested in the off season.
However the likes of Brett Pitman, Luke Thomas and Anssi Jaakkola are far too strong for the third tier and a top seven finish is well valued at odds of better than evens.
Serie A: Juventus winners (5/4)
Andrea Pirlo lasted just the one season as Juventus manager after a fourth placed finish last term, ending their nine year run of dominance in Italy.
Having resigned two years ago, Massimiliano Allegri returns to the club having had an unprecedented run of success in charge of the Old Lady.
They have been relatively quiet on the transfer front so far; however should they keep Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala at the club then they will be well placed to win the Scudetto back.
Closest rivals Inter have lost manager Antonio Conte and Achraf Hakimi, with star striker Romelu Lukaku on the verge of a return to Chelsea.
Odds of better than evens looks good for Juventus and a tenth title in 11 years.
La Liga: Atetico Madrid winners (without Real Madrid and Barcelona) (4/6)
Atletico Madrid seized upon the discontent at both Real Madrid and Barcelona last term to win La Liga, with the signing of Luis Suarez key in a second title in seven years.
Manager Diego Simeone has committed himself to Atletico for another three years and will be looking to build on an excellent 2020-21.
Whilst it will be hard for them to defend their title, they are well placed to finish best of the rest in La Liga at odds of 4/6.
They have been relatively quiet on the transfer front; however keeping the majority of their squad from last term appears to be a priority.
Bundesliga: Borussia Dortmund winners (without Bayern Munich) (8/11)
We can safely assume Bayern Munich will win a tenth consecutive Bundesliga title this season and surely the race for second will be the most interesting.
Borussia Dortmund may have lost Jadon Sancho; however they look set to keep Erling Haaland at the club and he will surely be in for another high scoring campaign.
Closest rivals for second spot, RB Leipzig have lost some key personnel in the form of manager Julian Nagelsmann and defender Dayot Upamecano, with both going to Bayern.
Eintracht Frankfurt and Wolfsburg are both weaker than last year, meaning Dortmund at odds of 8/11 look well placed to be best of the rest.
Ligue 1: Paris Saint Germain winners (1/5)
Having lost the Ligue 1 title last year, Paris Saint Germain certainly have wasted little time in improving their squad.
Hakimi, Georginio Wijnaldum, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Sergio Ramos have all joined the club, with only the former commanding a transfer fee.
There is also the little matter of the imminent arrival of Lionel Messi, who is on the verge of a stunning move having agreed to leave Barcelona.
Lille were superb in 2020-21 on route to the title; however it’s hard to look past PSG in Mauricio Pochettino’s first full season in charge of the club.
The odds are small; however they add a little top up to our eight fold bet.
