English Premier League 2020/2021 season preview
Liverpool win first Premier League title since 1990
Jurgen Klopp and his players wrote their own chapter of Liverpool history by sealing a first domestic title since 1990, and doing it in spectacular fashion with their pre-lockdown form, making the title race an inevitability by the halfway point of the 2019/20 campaign. The coronavirus pandemic might have stopped Liverpool from winning the title in March, which would have been the record for the earliest date it had been achieved, but they couldn't be prevented from sealing it with the most games to spare. With seven matches still to play, Jurgen Klopp's team have beaten the record for winning a title with five matches to spare, which was jointly held by Manchester United in 2000/01, and Man City's 2017/18 side. Liverpool have now won the championship 19 times, only Man United (20) can boast more.
- Champions and Cup and League Cup winners: Liverpool (Champions League group stage)
- Runners-up and League Cup winners: Manchester City (Champions League group stage)
- Third place: Manchester United (Champions League group stage)
- Fourth place: Chelsea (Champions League group stage)
- Fifth place: Leicester City (UEFA Europa League group stage)
- Sixth place: Tottenham Hotspur (UEFA Europa League QR2)
- FA Cup winners: Arsenal (UEFA Europa League group stage)
- Relegated: Bournemouth, Watford, Norwich City
- Promoted: Leeds United, West Bromwich Albion and Fulham.
| Team | Titles | 15/16 | 16/17 | 17/18 | 18/19 | 19/20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Man United | 20 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
| Liverpool | 19 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Arsenal | 13 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 8 |
| Everton | 9 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 12 |
| Aston Villa | 7 | 20 | - | - | - | 17 |
| Man City | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Chelsea | 6 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Newcastle | 4 | 18 | - | 10 | 13 | 13 |
| Wolverhampton | 3 | - | - | - | 7 | 7 |
| Leeds United | 3 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Tottenham | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Burnley | 2 | - | 16 | 7 | 15 | 10 |
| Sheffield Utd | 1 | - | - | - | - | 9 |
| Leicester City | 1 | 1 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 5 |
| West Brom | 1 | 14 | 10 | 20 | - | - |
| West Ham | - | 7 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 16 |
| Southampton | - | 6 | 8 | 17 | 16 | 11 |
| Crystal Palace | - | 15 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 14 |
| Brighton | - | - | - | 15 | 17 | 15 |
| Fulham | - | - | - | - | 19 | - |
The overall number of titles for each club in English Premiership since 1889 and their league standings in the last five seasons.
| Team | Pts | GD | W-D-L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 99 | 52 | 32-3-3 |
| 2 | Man City | 81 | 67 | 26-3-9 |
| 3 | Man Utd | 66 | 30 | 18-12-8 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 66 | 15 | 20-6-12 |
| 5 | Leicester | 62 | 26 | 18-8-12 |
| 6 | Tottenham | 59 | 14 | 16-11-11 |
| 7 | Wolves | 59 | 11 | 15-14-9 |
| 8 | Arsenal | 56 | 8 | 14-14-10 |
| 9 | Sheffield | 54 | 0 | 14-12-12 |
| 10 | Burnley | 54 | -7 | 15-9-14 |
| 11 | Southam. | 52 | -9 | 15-7-16 |
| 12 | Everton | 49 | -12 | 13-10-15 |
| 13 | Newcastle | 44 | -20 | 11-11-16 |
| 14 | Palace | 43 | -19 | 11-10-17 |
| 15 | Brighton | 41 | -15 | 9-14-15 |
| 16 | West Ham | 39 | -13 | 10-9-19 |
| 17 | Aston Villa | 35 | -26 | 9-8-21 |
| 18 | Bournem. | 34 | -25 | 9-7-22 |
| 19 | Watford | 34 | -28 | 8-10-20 |
| 20 | Norwich | 21 | -49 | 5-6-27 |
The English Premier League standings for the 2019/2020 season.
Manchester City favorites over Liverpool
Manchester City, runners up last season to Liverpool, enter the 2020/21 EPL season as the favorites. The Reds finished 18 points clear of City last term but all the major UK betting firms have Pep Guardiola's men priced up as odds-on favourites this time around. One of the biggest advantages Guardiola's City have over other teams in the Premier League is their squad depth. With new additions coming through the door this summer, they are only getting deeper too. City lost David Silva over the summer but have added Nathan Ake from Bournemouth to fix a weak spot in defence and Ferran Torres from Valencia to complement an already formidable creative force in midfield.
Jurgen Klopp's side have spent relatively little this summer aside from the purchase of back-up left-back Kostas Tsimikas which, along with a slight dip in form towards the back-end of last season, perhaps explains why they trail behind City in the betting market. Klopp's team is still one of the best in Europe, but depth is an issue, and the established stars know that their place in the team is pretty much secure. meanwhile, the Community Shield defeat against Arsenal last month highlighted the need for change and new blood at Anfield. Klopp's squad will unquestionably be one of the favourites to win the title, but without new faces, they look like falling short in their challenge of staying on top of their perch.
This page is introduction to the 2020/21 English Premier League season. Latest news, statistics, results and predictions you can find on our main Euro Football > England page.
Liverpool and Manchester City were by far the best two teams in the Premier League last season, and they are likely to set the standard again. The levels of consistency they've shown over the past two years suggest they will again compete for the top two positions. Beyond that, Chelsea have the third-best odds with their massive summer spending spree raising expectations. They have been incredibly active in the transfer market by bringing in a host of starting players, including Ben Chilwell, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz.
Manchester United have not win the title since Sir Alex Ferguson's final season in 2013 and they are to wrestle back the Premier League crown. Arsenal, Tottenham and Leicester will all challenge for the Champions League places, particularly Arsenal and Tottenham, who should be over the upheaval of both changing managers in midseason last year. Arsenal have shown they can beat the best teams under Mikel Arteta and Jose Mourinho will have his Tottenham side organised and well-drilled. Looking further down the odds list, it is surprising to see Leeds United having such short odds but manager Marcelo Bielsa is building something special with the newly-promoted side and they could replicate Wolves' success of becoming at least a top 10 contender.
| Team | Odds | Team | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Man City | 1.8 | Southampton | 251 |
| Liverpool | 3.25 | Sheffield Utd | 501 |
| Chelsea | 11 | Newcastle | 501 |
| Man Utd | 17 | West Ham | 501 |
| Arsenal | 34 | Crystal Palace | 501 |
| Tottenham | 51 | Aston Villa | 501 |
| Leeds | 151 | Brighton | 501 |
| Leicester | 151 | Burnley | 501 |
| Wolves | 201 | Fulham | 501 |
| Everton | 201 | West Brom | 1001 |
The preseason odds for the outright winner of the 2020/21 English Premier League
FA Cup finals in last five years
2020 Arsenal - Chelsea 2:1
2019 Manchester City - Watford 6:0 (aet)
2018 Chelsea - Manchester United 1:0
2017 Arsenal - Chelsea 2:1
2016 Manchester United - Crystal Palace 2:1 (aet)
League Cup finals in last five years
2020 Manchester City - Aston Villa 2:1
2019 Manchester City - Chelsea 0:0 (4:3 on penalties)
2018 Manchester City - Arsenal 3:0
2017 Manchester United - Southampton 3:2
2016 Manchester City - Liverpool 1:1 (3:1 on penalties)
Key players
(transfer market value in m€)
Arsenal
Goalkeeper Bernd Leno (32); Defense: Hector Bellerin (32), Kieran Tierney (28), William Saliba (22.5); Midfield: Nicolas Pepe (45), Bukayo Saka (35), Dani Ceballos (32), Matteo Guendouzi (32), Lucas Torreira (30); Forward: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (56), Alexandre Lacazette (48).
Aston Villa
Goalkeeper Tom Heaton (4.8); Defense: Tyrone Mings (22.5), Matt Targett (10.5), Bjorn Engels (9.5), Ezri Konsa (9); Midfield: Jack Grealish (40), Douglas Luiz (22), John McGinn (16), Marvelous Nakamba (8); Forward: Wesley (24), Mbwana Samatta (9.5).
Brighton & Hove Albion
Goalkeeper Mathew Ryan (8); Defense: Lewis Dunk (20), Adam Webster (12), Joel Veltman (8); Midfield: Davy Propper (13.5), Leandro Trossard (13), Alexis Mac Allister (11), Yves Bissouma (9.5), Pascal Gross (9.5), Adam Lallana (9.5); Forward: Neal Maupay (20).
Burnley
Goalkeeper Nick Pope (12); Defense: James Tarkowski (20), Ben Mee (8), Erik Pieters (4); Midfield: Dwight McNeil (25), Jack Cork (12), Johann Berg Gudmundsson (8), Ashley Westwood (5.5); Forward: Chris Wood (14.5), Ashley Barnes (8), Jay Rodriguez (6).
Chelsea
Goalkeeper Kepa (28); Defense: Antonio Rudiger (40), Ben Chilwell (40), Kurt Zouma (28); Midfield: Kai Havertz (81), N'Golo Kante (80), Christian Pulisic (60), Jorginho (52), Mateo Kovacic (40); Forward: Timo Werner (64), Tammy Abraham (40).
Crystal Palace
Goalkeeper Vicente Guaita (4); Defense: Mamadou Sakho (9.5), Patrick van Aanholt (9.5), Gary Cahill (4); Midfield: Wilfried Zaha (44), Luka Milivojevic (20), Jeffrey Schlupp (9.5), Andros Townsend (9.5), Eberechi Eze (9); Forward: Christian Benteke (10.5), Jordan Ayew (10).
Everton
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford (28); Defense: Lucas Digne (28), Michael Keane (20), Yerry Mina (20); Midfield: James Rodriguez (32), Allan (28), Alex Iwobi (25.5), Andre Gomes (22.5); Forward: Richarlison (52), Moise Kean (25), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (24).
Fulham
Goalkeeper Marek Rodak (4); Defense: Joe Bryan (5.5), Michael Hector (4.8), Antonee Robinson (3.5); Midfield: Andre Zambo Anguissa (20), Tom Cairney (12), Mario Lemina (10), Jean Michael Seri (9), Ivan Cavaleiro (8); Forward: Aleksandar Mitrovic (20), Bobby Reid (8).
Leeds United
Goalkeeper Illan Meslier (4.5); Defense: Robin Koch (17), Liam Cooper (5.5), Ezgjan Alioski (3.5); Midfield: Kalvin Phillips (12), Helder Costa (8), Jack Harrison (5.2), Adam Forshaw (3.2); Forward: Rodrigo (40), Patrick Bamford (6.5), Tyler Roberts (3.6).
Leicester City
Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel (9.5); Defense: Caglar Soyuncu (40), Ricardo Pereira (32), Timothy Castagne (18); Midfield: James Maddison (55), Wilfred Ndidi (45), Youri Tielemans (44), Harvey Barnes (22), Ayoze Perez (24); Forward: Jamie Vardy (16), Kelechi Iheanacho (15).
Liverpool
Goalkeeper Alisson (72); Defense: Trent Alexander-Arnold (110), Virgil van Dijk (80), Andrew Robertson (64), Joe Gomez (40); Midfield: Sadio Mane (120), Fabinho (56), Georginio Wijnaldum (40), Naby Keita (40); Forward: Mohamed Salah (120), Roberto Firmino (72).
Manchester City
Goalkeeper Ederson (56); Defense: Aymeric Laporte (60), Kyle Walker (40), Joao Cancelo (36); Midfield: Raheem Sterling (128), Kevin De Bruyne (120), Bernardo Silva (80), Rodri (64), Riyad Mahrez (48); Forward: Gabriel Jesus (56), Sergio Aguero (52).
Manchester United
Goalkeeper David de Gea (40); Defense: Harry Maguire (56), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (40), Victor Lindelof (28); Midfield: Paul Pogba (80), Marcus Rashford (80), Bruno Fernandes (70), Donny van de Beek (44), Scott McTominay (22.5); Forward: Anthony Martial (58), Mason Greenwood (45).
Newcastle United
Goalkeeper Martin Dubravka (7.5); Defense: Jamaal Lascelles (14.5), Fabian Schar (13), Jamal Lewis (11), Matt Ritchie (9.5); Midfield: Allan Saint-Maximin (28), Sean Longstaff (17.5), Ryan Fraser (17.5), Miguel Almiron (16); Forward: Callum Wilson (20), Joelinton (20).
Sheffield United
Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale (12.5); Defense: John Egan (13), Jack O'Connell (9.5), Ethan Ampadu (9), George Baldock (6.5); Midfield: Sander Berge (20), Oliver Norwood (9), John Fleck (8), John Lundstram (8); Forward: Lys Mousset (14), Oliver McBurnie (12).
Southampton
Goalkeeper Alex McCarthy (6.5); Defense: Jan Bednarek (15), Jannik Vestergaard (12), Mohammed Salisu (12), Ryan Bertrand (10.5); Midfield: James Ward-Prowse (18), Nathan Redmond (18), Moussa Djenepo (11), Oriol Romeu (8); Forward: Danny Ings (20), Che Adams (12).
Tottenham Hotspur
Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris (14.5); Defense: Davinson Sanchez (48), Toby Alderweireld (24), Ben Davies (17.5); Midfield: Dele Alli (64), Heung-min Son (64), Tanguy Ndombele (45), Giovani Lo Celso (40), Lucas Moura (32), Harry Winks (28); Forward: Harry Kane (120).
West Bromwich Albion
Goalkeeper Sam Johnstone (5.5); Defense: Semi Ajayi (4), Ahmed Hegazy (3.5), Kieran Gibbs (3.2), Darnell Furlong (3.2); Midfield: Matheus Pereira (9.5), Jake Livermore (5.5), Matt Phillips (5.5), Oliver Burke (4.8), Charlie Austin (3.2); Forward: Kenneth Zohore (4).
West Ham United
Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski (3.2); Defense: Issa Diop (28), Fabian Balbuena (9.5), Arthur Masuaku (6.5); Midfield: Declan Rice (49.5), Felipe Anderson (25), Jarrod Bowen (25), Tomas Soucek (18), Manuel Lanzini (16); Forward: Sebastien Haller (36), Michail Antonio (9.5).
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Goalkeeper Rui Patricio (16); Defense: Conor Coady (18), Jonny Otto (16), Willy Boly (14.5); Midfield: Ruben Neves (50), Adama Traore (35), Leander Dendoncker (28), Diogo Jota (28), Daniel Podence (17); Forward: Raul Jimenez (40), Fabio Silva (12).