Regional rivals: Coral’s awesome area markets for Premier League clubs
Ahead of an exciting new Premier League campaign, lucky Coral customers can capitalise by taking advantage of some exhilarating offers, with excellent area markets for top London, Midlands and Northwest club now open.
So, punters, nail your colours to the mast and plump for Merseyside or Mancunia, north or west London, and potentially reap some tempting rewards from tribal tussles that stretch out over the term. Here are our picks for which rivals will finish on top of their regional pile…
Top London club
Glamorous Chelsea and their well-coiffed Portuguese coach represent the affluent west, and are understandably odds-on at 4/9 to be top capital club, as strong favourites to keep the Premier League crown at Stamford Bridge.
The best price in this market is by far and away Arsenal, who are a superb 7/4 shout to follow up their canny capture of Blues custodian Petr Cech by finishing as leading Londoners.
With further additions tipped to arrive at the Emirates, the Gunners will be going gung-ho to follow-up their FA Cup triumph with a league title, and are just a few pieces away from completing their puzzle.
Should customers fancy taking a chance on a underdog, Tottenham are the most realistic challengers at 25/1 having so far retained hitman Harry Kane, while free-spending West Ham United (300/1), ambitious Crystal Palace (300/1) and new boys Watford (500/1) are all expectedly rank outsiders to usurp their well-heeled rivals.
Top Midlands club
As the only top tier team in their locality to end in a top 10 position and escape the clutches of a relegation scrap, Staffordshire outfit Stoke City are safe bets at 5/6 to be top Midlands dog once again, following high-profile additions such as Ibrahim Afellay.
In the reliable hands of experienced escape artist Tony Pulis, who has finally begun shopping for upgrades this summer, West Bromwich Albion may be a better punt at a nifty 9/2 than east Midlands opponents Leicester City.
The Foxes are 4/1 to end ahead of the others but, despite some fresh faces arriving at the King Power Stadium and the prospect of another club-record signing, the club are clearly in flux.
Losing coach Nigel Pearson, who pulled off somewhat of a miracle to guide his side to safety, and the leadership qualities of Esteban Cambiasso are significant set backs.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa are also an intriguing 9/2 price, but it remains to be seen how they fare without big Belgian Christian Benteke and skipper Fabian Delph, while their new additions may take awhile to settle.
Top Northwest club
Manchester City may be odds-on 8/13 favourites to lead their region, but the Sky Blues have an ageing spine and, Raheem Sterling aside, are yet to make waves in the market.
Cross-city competitors Manchester United have arguably done the best business up north this off-season, crucially improving their midfield roster with World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger and tenacious Morgan Schneiderlin, so don your flat caps, grab a pie and take a punt on the Red Devils at 7/4.
On the Mersey, meanwhile, Everton have fallen some way behind their powerful peers and are yet to fix problem positions, which is reflected in their outsiders price of 40/1.
Liverpool (11/1) have shown they are capable of crashing the established top four before, but that was with Luis Suarez leading the line. As their mightier Mancunian neighbours continue to build, the Anfield outfit are playing catch-up but may not be quick enough, especially after surrendering Sterling to City.
Betting tip: As most-improved title chasers, Man Utd seem set to continue spending and may even cling on to David de Gea for another season so back them @ 7/4.
