The Premier League title race is one of the closest we’ve had in years. Jason Pettigrove looks at how Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool are shaping up.
With only 15 games played in the 2021/22 Premier League campaign, it’s already shaping up to be quite the title race.
The current top three of Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea are at least six points ahead of the chasing pack and have only lost five games between them all season.
Both defensively and offensively, they are the best in the division, and cliche though it may be, the table never lies.
With the busy festive period almost upon us too, it’s not easy to adjudge who has the easier run-up to the New Year:
Wolves (a) Aston Villa (h) Leeds United (h)
Leeds United (h) Newcastle (h) Everton (h)
Newcastle (a) Tottenham (a) Wolves (a)
Leicester City (h) Leeds United (h) Aston Villa (a)
Brentford (a) Leicester City (a) Brighton (h)
Only two points separate the three teams, so any slip-ups at this point, whilst not necessarily fatal to any long-term title chances, could dent confidence and hand the advantage to the other two.
Start of the day:
1️⃣ Chelsea 33pts
2️⃣ Man City 32pts
3️⃣ Liverpool 31ptsEnd of the day:
1️⃣ Man City 35pts
2️⃣ Liverpool 34pts
3️⃣ Chelsea 33ptsWhat a title race it's going to be. pic.twitter.com/QqgQ8BlqAj
— BetVictor (@BetVictor) December 4, 2021
Man City have won their last five Premier League games as well as two in the Champions League, and to that end, BetVictor’s odds of 1/2 for Pep Guardiola’s side to be top at Xmas are probably fair.
That’s not to discount either Liverpool (5/2) or Chelsea (5/1), both of whom arguably offer the value bet.
It would be difficult to look beyond one of the trio in the FA Cup also, unless Messrs. Guardiola, Klopp and Tuchel decide to prioritise the league and Champions League over the world’s oldest cup competition.
City are again slight favourites to take the silverware at Wembley, ahead of the Third Round in early January. Their odds of 7/2 compare to 5/1 for Chelsea and 6/1 for Liverpool.
🔴 Liverpool 3-2 AC Milan
🔴 Porto 1-5 Liverpool
🔴 Atletico Madrid 2-3 Liverpool
🔴 Liverpool 2-0 Atletico Madrid
🔴 Liverpool 2-0 Porto
🔴 AC Milan 1-2 LiverpoolThe first English club to win all six games of a Champions league group phase.#ACMLIV #LFC pic.twitter.com/SQaWiLFCxe
— BetVictor (@BetVictor) December 7, 2021
As reigning European champions, the Blues are keeping a tight hold on the ‘cup with the big ears,’ though at this stage they are only 7/1 fifth favourites for a repeat of last season’s brilliant victory.
That’s despite losing only one of their Group H games and conceding just four goals in the group stage – the joint second-best defensive record behind Bayern Munich’s unfathomable three.
The Reds have cruised through Group B with six wins from six and 17 goals scored, and are currently 5/1 third favourites, but this could be the year that Pep finally breaks his European duck with City.
As 10/3 favourite, only Bayern Munich have outscored them in the group stage, but in a far easier group than that which City have negotiated with relative ease.
Injuries notwithstanding, how each club works in the upcoming transfer window could be the deciding factor in tipping the scales in their favour.
