As the English footy season reaches a crucial stage, here are four predictions, from across the top four divisions in the country, ahead of the international break. The Premier League might be done and dusted as a title race, with Man City strolling to the crown, but the Championship is not such an open and shut case, with several teams fighting it out for the right to be in the top flight. The bottom half of the Premier League table looks super crowded as well- there’s not much separating 10th from 19th, as the table below shows.
The bottom half of the Premier League table
We’ve checked out the best UK bookies for compiling these odds below, with various predictions ranging from a Cup win to relegation/promotion from the top flight.
Manchester United to win the FA Cup (5/2 at Betway)
It would be tempting to back Chelsea at 13/8 to win the FA Cup, as they have the easier semi-final draw against Southampton, but United are big value at odds of 5/2 with Betway. They, of course, must play Tottenham Hotspur before they can even start thinking about a final. However, Spurs look set to be without Harry Kane for a few weeks and that gives a slender advantage to United, who will be looking at this competition with renewed interest following their shock exit in the round of 16 of the Champions League at the hands of Sevilla.
Moreover, United have a healthy lead over Spurs and Chelsea in the race for the Top 4 and may be able to take their foot off the gas a little to concentrate on the Cup.
West Ham to be relegated (5/2 at Bet365)
The Hammers sit just two points above the relegation zone (Southampton occupy 18th spot) with eight games remaining. While that is precarious, the context of the last few weeks should be even more worrying. A toxic atmosphere appears to be present at the club, with the fans protesting the board and invading the pitch during the 3-0 loss to Burnley. If that wasn’t bad enough, they have a hellish run-in, featuring games against United, City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Leicester. All the signs are pointing towards the drop, so those 5/2 odds look pretty tasty. Two home games against Southampton and Stoke will probably decide their season.
Millwall to finish in the Top 6 of the Championship (14/1 at Betfair)
This one is something more akin to a longshot, but every year in the Championship it seems a team comes out of the blue to sneak into the playoffs. The current gap to 6th place for Millwall is four points, but they are the form team in the Championship (losing only once in 2018) and will play plenty of their rivals in the run-in. They can definitely make up the gap with eight games to play, as the table above shows.
Plymouth to win promotion from League One (12/1 at William Hill)
In November, Plymouth Argyle looked destined to be in League Two next year. As it stands, Derek Adams’ side sit smugly in the playoff spots with ambitions of making the Championship next season. They have lost just once since climbing out of the relegation zone in November, rocketing up the table. The odds have been dropping week on week, as bookmakers have begun to take their chances seriously. The form team of the division could keep upsetting the odds all the way to the playoff final.