It’s that time of year when football fans are transformed into children on long journeys, incessantly asking ‘are we there yet, are we there yet, are we there yet?’ in hope that the new season will start immediately.

But like the increasingly annoyed father revealing that the Haven holiday park is still four hours away, common sense kicks into play and the realization that the opening fixtures are still weeks away hits home with dulling reality.

Yes, there’s pre-season fixtures which we try and instill are false sense of importance on in an attempt to re-create that August-May sensation but deep down you know it’s all a lie, it’s not the same as 3pm on a Saturday afternoon in January when three points are on the line.

So with your cold-turkey withdrawal symptoms in mind let’s gaze past the impending London Olympics and amuse ourselves with some Premier League specials markets.

Unsurprisingly Manchester City are favourites at 11/10 to defend their league title with Manchester United trailing them in the betting at a best price of 13/5.

Chelsea are at fives, and I think they represent the best value in the market. Roman Abramovich has flexed his wallet for the first time in two seasons, adding Belgian phenom Eden Hazard and Marko Marin.

Hazard is priced at 18/19 to notch 11 or more Premier League goals during his first year in England or alternatively you can get 3/4 for him to fall short of that mark.

Newly-promoted Reading are the bookies’ choice to go down at 5/4. Norwich, who lost manager Paul Lambert, are tipped to suffer second-season syndrome and be relegated at a poor value 13/8.

Liverpool, under Brendan Rodgers, will start the campaign with their fourth different manager in four seasons and are 11/5 to break their way back into the top four.

Rodgers is 3/1 with Paddy Power to win a major trophy in his first season in charge and you can get 33/1 with the Irish bookies for Swansea to take revenge on their former manager by doing the double over the Reds.

By the time August 18 roles around Liverpool could have been strengthened by the acqusition of Fulham’s impressive American striker Clint Dempsey who has been widely linked with a move to Anfield and is 1/5 to do so.

Whereas former Liverpool hero Michael Owen is also odds-on for a move to Merseyside but to the blue side of Stanley Park, with the striker who left Manchester United last month 4/7 with BetVictor to join Everton.

Elsewhere, Andre Villas-Boas will once again start the Premier League season in London, North rather than West this time round however, and the 34-year-old is priced at 2/1 to guide Spurs to a third fourth-placed finish in four seasons.

 

Tipster’s Top Bets

Chelsea to win the Premier League 5/1 with Paddy Power

Tottenham to finish in the top four 7/4 with Paddy Power

 

 

 

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