Home » Article » How will the promoted teams cope in the Premier League?

How will the promoted teams cope in the Premier League?

After a long summer wait, the new Premier League season has now kicked off, and the opening round of matches proved to be fascinating. Chelsea endured a torrid first game, while Manchester United posted warning that they could be a much more formidable proposition in 2017/18. There were also mixed fortunes for the three newly promoted teams, but what are the chances of these sides being able to handle the Premier League?

The three teams in question are Brighton and Hove Albion, Huddersfield and Newcastle, and the first match for each provided a little insight into their strengths and weaknesses. Brighton and Newcastle started with home fixtures, but against tough opposition in the form of Manchester City and Tottenham respectively. These are two of the favourites for the league, so it is no surprise that they proved too strong for the promoted teams – although Brighton put up strong resistance to City. It took late goals from David Silva and an own goal to give City the points, and the stubborn defensive performance by Brighton suggests they will not be easy to break down at home.

A concern would be the lack of any real penetration at the other end – especially against a team with City’s defensive frailties – and this will need to be addressed if they are to pick up enough points. They are real outsiders for the league, with odds of 1500/1, and few outside of their own fans would be on them doing a Leicester City. Newcastle also suffered a 0-2 home defeat to Tottenham, and the comfortable manner of the Spurs victory may have acted as a wake-up call to Magpies fans who had developed unrealistic ideas about what their team could achieve this season.

Rafael Benitez, the club’s manager, has repeatedly tried to downplay expectations during the summer – as well as expressing impatience at the slow movement in the transfer market – and this opening fixture showed he wasn’t just indulging in mind games. Although he has been able to improve the defence by signing Florian Lejeune and Javier Manquillo, as well as adding width and pace with Christian Atsu and Jacob Murphy, the Magpies still lack potency in front of goal. A striker is essential to their chances this season, reflected in odds of 1000/1 for the title.

While Newcastle have been up and down between divisions in recent seasons, and Brighton are playing in the top league for the first time since the 1980s, this is Huddersfield Town’s first time ever in the top flight. They enjoyed a marvellous start as they took Crystal Palace apart 0-3 away from home, with new striker Mounie netting twice, suggesting their flurry of summer transfer activity may prove fruitful. They are still a very long odds bet of 1500/1 to win the league, but odds on them staying up may just have shortened. , but football-themed slot game Soccer Safari is also an option if you don’t like the odds on these three.

You could gamble on one of these sides emulating Leicester’s heroics, stick with a short-odds favourite, or try for the Soccer Safari jackpot if you want to combine football with betting this season.