Premier League: Best Sides vs The Bookmakers

Heading into the second half of the Premier League season, the biggest and best league in the world continues to dominate the Football news headlines. Whether it be the latest transfer rumours, the likely impact of new managerial appointments, or simply predictions on how the season will pan out, the English top flight remains the hottest topic of sports discussion.

Of course, the mid-point of the season also provides the opportunity to reflect upon the action to date, in what has been a season full of surprises. Not too many fans and bettors would have predicted that Arsenal would be threatening to run away with the title whilst both Chelsea and Liverpool both languished in mid-table.

Tricky for Bettors

All of which has made the task of making a betting profit on the league a little trickier than usual.

Gunners fans happy to bet on their own side may have reason to rejoice, but not all punters enjoy placing their cash on the team they support - usually for superstitious reasons.

On the other side of the coin, there are those football bettors who ALWAYS back their side to win - three points are after all so much sweeter with an accompanying boost to your betting balance.

No doubt each of the 20 Premier League sides has a section of these loyal fans - happy to back their side to win, home or away, come rain or shine. With these supporters in mind, we took a look at the betting performance of all 20 sides in the Premier League. How would we have fared had we placed a £10 win bet on each of the teams in all of their matches to date? (as of 29/01/2023)

According to the site newbettingoffers.uk, and using the average market price for each of the games, the top 5 performing sides against the bookmakers were:

5. Fulham: +£55.20

It is never easy to predict how a newly promoted side will fare. Most are expected to struggle on the step up to the top table, and many do, but there are also those sides who perform well above expectations. Marco Silva's Fulham side falls firmly into that latter category. Currently sitting pretty in seventh, with nine wins from 21 fixtures, the Cottagers have achieved their positive return through a stream of consistent wins rather than the odd shock result.

4. Brighton: +£59.80

Perennially underestimated under Graham Potter, that trend seems to have continued under new boss Roberto De Zerbi. One spot above Fulham in sixth spot, the Seagulls have also won a total of nine games. The South Coast club handed backers an excellent start to the season with an upset win at Old Trafford, and have been churning out a regular betting return ever since.

3. Manchester United: +£83.50

At first glance, it's a little surprising to see Manchester United so high on the list. Manchester City didn't make the top five, and nor did high-flying Newcastle United who sit one position above the Red Devils. A tally of 12 wins from 20 games is solid enough, but ordinarily wouldn't be enough to produce a profitable return for a Manchester United side. The Old Trafford club have however been making a habit of winning when many don't expect them to - including victories over Liverpool, Manchester City, and league leaders Arsenal.

2. Arsenal: +£94.80

There were a few pundits who expected Arsenal to take a step forward this season, building on the excellent work of the 2021/22 campaign. However, few predicted this! 16 wins from 19 games sees the Gunners five points clear at the top of the table, and whilst 11 of those 16 successes have come at an odds-on price, that exceptionally high win rate has still been enough to secure backers the second-best level stakes profit of any side in the division.

1. Brentford: +£167.00

Thomas Frank's Brentford side surprised many on their return to the top-flight last season, and are in the process of avoiding the dreaded "second season syndrome" in some style. Seven wins from 20 is good for eighth in the table, and fans of the Bees will be delighted to see they are only six points off the European positions, but fully 13 points clear of the relegation zone. It must however be noted that Brentford's position in the number one spot is largely down to one result, with the Bees stunning Manchester City at the Etihad at general odds of 16/1 - the single biggest shock result of the season to date.