The battle for the Premier League title is always an exciting affair, although the 2022-23 season, once again, looks like a two-horse race. While Arsenal and Manchester City fight for the right to call themselves champions of England, more than half a dozen teams have everything left to do just to stay in the Premier League.
Little separates the top two in the Premier League regarding the latest betting odds, but there is plenty of value to be had when you look at the wrong end of the table.
Everyone that knows how to bet on soccer markets online advocates looking for value, which is why backing teams to endure the dreaded drop to the Championship is where we are looking today.
At the start of Gameweek 27, Bournemouth was rooted to the foot of the table with 21 points from 25 games.
Fellow strugglers Southampton had the same record but six goals superior goal difference.
Everton made up the bottom three with 22 points from 26 games, with Leeds United above them on goal difference, although the Yorkshire outfit does have a game in hand on the Toffees.
Shock Win For the Cherries Shakes Things Up
Bournemouth took on a buoyant Liverpool team in Saturday’s early kickoff and temporarily moved out of the bottom three with a shock 1-0 victory at the Vitality Stadium.
However, due to other results and the fact Bournemouth has the worst goal difference in the Premier League, the south coast club finds itself in 18th place with 12 games remaining.
Everton climbed out of the relegation zone, albeit by a single point, after defeating Brentford courtesy of a first-minute goal from Dwight McNeil.
It was the third 1-0 victory since Sean Dyche took over at Goodison Park. Of the teams mentioned here, the Toffees probably have the toughest run-in, with games against Tottenham, Chelsea, Newcastle, and Man City coming up, then a final game of the season against fellow strugglers Bournemouth.
Leeds United hosted high-flying Brighton at Elland Road, having won only once since November 5, a run of 12 league games. That poor run stretched to 13 games after a hard-fought 2-2 draw against high-flying Brighton.
Leeds twice came from behind to earn a point and showed plenty of fighting spirit. Scoring twice will have given the Whites some much-needed confidence because Leeds has found it difficult to score goals of late; Leeds had drawn a blank in 12 of their 25 games before the Brighton match.
Despite the point, Leeds finds themselves in the drop zone.
Southampton did not play until Sunday and had to face a Manchester United team at Old Trafford that had been obliterated 7-0 by Liverpool a week earlier.
Erik ten Hag’s men were clear favourites but were far from their best against the Saints. The game ended in a 0-0 draw, with Southampton unable to take advantage of having an extra man for almost an hour after Casemiro’s second red card in three Premier League games.
Southampton had chances to earn all three points but had to make do with one, which left them bottom of the table.
Read More: How Many Premier League Matches Are Played Per Season?
Three Points Between 18th and 12th Place
Although we only touched on a handful of relegation-threatened teams here, clubs up to 12th place are looking over their shoulders as only three points are separating Bournemouth in 18th and Crystal Palace in 12th; the relegation fight is going to go right down to the wire.
Crystal Palace fans must be worried because they are bottom of the form table over the last ten games, with no wins, five draws, and five defeats.
The Eagles have only scored four goals during that time, and the pressure is mounting on manager Patrick Vieira.
Leicester City is only outside the relegation zone on goal difference. The Foxes have won only once in 10 games, and they still have to play Man City, and Liverpool, in addition to fellow strugglers Bournemouth, Leeds, and Everton.
With the bottom of the table being so tight, anything could happen over the next couple of months.
A couple of wins by any side catapults them up the table, but the teams at the wrong end of the table are there for a reason: they are not winning fixtures.
Suppose we had to go out on a limb and predict the three teams playing Championship football next season. In that case, we’d say Bournemouth, Southampton, and Nottingham Forest, which is how the bookmakers see it.
