A sixth title in seven years for Manchester City? Will someone knock Paris Saint-Germain off the French throne? And who will win the ever-recurring Spanish battle for the title: Real Madrid or Barcelona? This weekend both the Premier League, Ligue 1 and La Liga restart, but who are the favourites for the national title according to the bookmakers?
Premier League
In the UK, Manchester City remains at the top (odd 1.72). Pep Guardiola’s team is looking to secure its 4th consecutive title. With a strong midfield, with names like Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish, that does not seem like an impossible task. On top of that, they also have Erling Haaland, who always knows how to make a difference.
According to our website, Arsenal are in second place (odd 5.50). The Gunners won their last title in the 2003-2004 season, but now hope to perform much better. They already started their season well by winning the Community Shield over Man City.
Third on the list is Liverpool (odd 8.50). Jürgen Klopp hopes to lead his team to victory this year, something they have not managed since the 2019-2020 season. They also hope to have more success in European football: the defeat against Real Madrid in 2022 is still fresh in their minds.
Ligue 1
Top club Paris Saint-Germain’s chances are still rated very highly, even with top players Mbappé and Neymar reportedly leaving the club (odd 1.25). Coach Luis Enrique will now have to prove himself again, after a rather disappointing season as coach of Spain. Mainly, he also wants PSG to perform better in the Champions League, where the French club stranded in the 1/8th finals last season. Then again, PSG did win nine of the last 11 national titles.
Below them is Olympique Marseille (odd 12.00). Although their chances are not rated as high as PSG’s, their future does look hopeful. Their coach was also replaced in June, after Igor Tudor called it quits after even just one season. Marcelino will now get a chance to prove himself in French football.
A shared third place for RC Lens and AS Monaco (both odd 21.00). Lens surprised friend and foe with their performance in the Ligue 1. Although it has been from 1998 since they won the national title, only last year they won very easily against AS Monaco and were long in contention with Marseille for 2nd place.
AS Monaco recently sacked coach Philippe Clement, as he missed out on the European ticket on the brink, and was succeeded by Adi Hütter. It finished 6th last year.
La Liga
In the Spanish league, it will once again be a battle between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, according to our website. Real Madrid, in first place, have the most national titles to their name: 35 in total, most recently in 2022 (odd 2.05). Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti has already led his club to several victories, including thus the national title and the Champions League. After winning the Copa del Rey, the UEFA Super Cup and the World Cup for clubs last year, it remains to be seen what successes he will achieve this year.
FC Barcelona is another Spanish club that has been proving for years, maybe even decades, why they are just such a good club (odd 2.35). Although it remains to be seen how the history with star player Neymar will play out: according to rumours, coach Xavi and Barça’s president are at odds with each other. Xavi sees no sporting value in Neymar, but president Laporta sees plenty of merchandising opportunities.
