EFL Championship 2021/22: Predicting Movements in Five of Favourites Betting Odds
The EFL Championship is notoriously difficult to predict, often providing plenty of drama along with twists & turns. Packed with former Premier League outfits, many of which consistently feature inside the top 6 come May, but inevitably a few surprise packages defeat the odds & end up mounting a serious challenge. The 21/22 season is sure to be no different, and below we take a look at the serious contenders in the betting market on the week the Championship season gets underway.
Sheffield United – Fresh from relegation from the Premier League you would be hard pressed to bet against the Blades mounting a serious attempt at returning to the promised land at the first time of asking. Slavisa Jokanovic has been tasked with the new managerial role to guide United back to the Premier League, with the former Fulham & Watford man signing a three year deal. The summer transfer window to date has been quiet for the Blades, although they have managed to keep the majority of their star players such as Aaron Ramsdale, David McGoldrick, and Sander Berge. With the season opener against Birmingham at Bramall Lane just days away; many pundits believe United will have more than enough to mount a title challenge. Bet365 currently offers the Blades to win the Championship outright at 15/2.
Fulham – Most bookmakers currently have Fulham as the favourites in the outright market to win the Championship and return to the Premier League. Under manager Marco Silva the Cottagers are close to bringing in Harry Wilson. Similarly to Sheffield United, whilst relegated from the Premier League last season they have so far managed to retain the vast majority of their first team squad and this may explain why their summer transfer activity in terms of bringing new signings into the club has been limited to say the least. Craven Cottage is expected to be a fortress in the coming season and very few teams are likely to be relishing the opportunity to play against the London based club. Bet365 currently prices the Cottagers as favourites in the outright market, with a price of 11/2.
West Brom – The “Yo Yo” club of the last decade, the Baggies are no strangers to both promotion from the Championship and then immediate relegation from the Premier League in the following season. As such, you’d be a brave punter to bet against them doing well again in the 21/22 season. WBA will be looking to get their campaign off to a good start, but with opening fixtures against Bournemouth, Luton Town and Sheffield United, they will certainly need to be at their best if they are to successfully build some early season momentum through wins. At Bet365 you can currently get the Baggies at 13/2 in the outright market, second only to Fulham.
Bournemouth – That brings us nicely on to The Cherries, which as stated above play their opening game on Friday this week at home to the Baggies. This will be a great opportunity for two of the league title favourites to go head to head. Early confidence can be both built & shattered in the opening games & a good start for Bournemouth could be the difference between them competing & keeping pace with the likes of WBA, Fulham, and Sheffield United to name but three. Most bookmakers have the Cherries in and around the top 6 come May, but the general belief is that additional signings will be required if they are to mount a serious automatic promotion challenge by finishing in the top two. Bet365 have the Cherries as 4th favourites in the outright market at an attractive 9/1.
Cardiff – Our fifth and final shout for genuine Championship title contender has to be the Bluebirds. Mick McCarthy took over a side languishing mid-table in the second league of English football – and quickly ensured they were hard to beat. Furthermore, with several weeks to go they revealed themselves to be dark horses to sneak into the play-offs after a run of 6 straight wins. Ultimately, they ended up falling short but this season McCarthy (a seasoned pro at management at Championship level) will have Cardiff operating as a well oiled machine and it should come as no surprise if they are there or there about come May 2022. Perhaps the best value in the outright market at Bet365 is indeed Cardiff City, at 16/1.
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