With a fantastic run of form in recent months, Burnley have emerged as a serious contender to finish in the top four of the Premier League. Their last two results have been hard fought 1-0 victories over Watford and Stoke City, matches that have proved they can really grind out results when needed. Due to this success, their odds of a top four finish come the end of the season have been shortened with some bookmakers, but they are still great value in other places. As well as betting on football in the traditional way, an expected profit can be made from offers listed by bookmakers, with the help of top matched betting sites such as OddsMonkey and Matched Bets. More information on matched betting can be found later on in this article.
According to Oddschecker, the current odds for Burnley to finish in the top four of the Premier League this season are as follows:
- 25/1 – Betstars
- 33/1 – Unibet, 888Sport
- 40/1 – William Hill
- 50/1 – Betfred, Boylesports
- 66/1 – Sportingbet, bwin, BetVictor
- 100/1 – bet365, Sky Bet, Betfair Sportsbook, Betway, Betbright, Winner
100/1 seems like pretty generous odds for a side that have collected 31 points from just 17 games. It is an incredible achievement and I’m sure that many Burnley players, staff and fans would have been targeting 40 points after 38 matches in order to just secure their place in the Premier League for next season. The tone was set on the opening day of the season, as The Clarets travelled to defending champions Chelsea and won 3-2 at Stamford Bridge in a shocking result. Since then, the side have just gone from strength to strength.
Sean Dyche has essentially built his team on being strong at the back, conceding as little goals as possible. Burnley have only conceded 12 goals so far this season in 17 matches. To put this into perspective, only Manchester City and Manchester United have conceded less with 11 each. An incredible achievement for a side that have one of the smallest budgets and stadiums in the Premier League. It is made all the more impressive considering their goalkeeper and captain Tom Heaton has been missing through injury for most of the season.
If Burnley can keep up their fantastic form, 100/1 for them to claim a top four finish seems like good value. They are extremely hard to beat and have taken their great home form from last season on the road too this term, making them a dangerous side for anyone. Stranger things have happened in football too, and not too long ago. In 2015/16, Leicester City were priced at 5000/1 with most bookies to win the Premier League. Of course, Claudio Ranieri led The Foxes to the title that season and the bookmakers took a big hit.
For now though, let’s take a look at the other sides looking to secure a top four finish in the Premier League season.
Top 4 Finish Betting Odds
Manchester City
Best Odds – 1/500
There aren’t enough superlatives in the English language to describe how well Manchester City are playing at the moment. Pep Guardiola’s side are unbeaten in the Premier League, winning 15 of their 16 matches so far. The most recent of these was a terrific win in the derby against Manchester United, where City dominated possession and looked comfortable.
It would take an absolutely incredible collapse, the likes we have never seen in order for Man City to not finish in the top 4. They are currently 16 points ahead of 5th place.
Manchester United
Best Odds – 1/7
Even though Jose Mourinho’s side lost against Manchester City on Sunday, they are still in an extremely strong position to qualify for the Champions League again next season. Sitting 2nd in the Premier League on 35 points from 16 matches, The Red Devils look much stronger than they have done in recent seasons. Some clever additions such as Nemanja Matic and Romelu Lukaku have helped them win games this year.
Even though Lukaku is out of form right now, the goals will come. If not, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in reserve ready to come in. Not bad.
Chelsea
Best Odds – 2/7
Chelsea got a big win over Man United earlier in the season and they now look back to their best bar a few setbacks. Even without main striker Alvaro Morata, The Blues still ran out comfortable 3-1 winners away at Huddersfield Town on Tuesday night. They needed it too, after a shock defeat at London rivals West Ham United on Saturday.
Antonio Conte’s side will be expected to comfortably secure a top four place, but a few more defeats and who knows?
Liverpool
Best Odds – 4/7
The Reds have been doing well recently and have even managed to sort the defence out, which was their main problem at the start of the season. That being said, many fans weren’t happy with the manner of the 1-1 draw in the Merseyside derby on Sunday. Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino started the match on the bench. Goal machine Mohamed Salah was taken off early too, though it has now been confirmed that this was due to injury.
Jurgen Klopp still has the backing of the vast majority and the bookies expect him to guide the Anfield club to another Champions League qualification.
Arsenal
Best Odds – 6/4
Arsene Wenger has taken a lot of stick in recent seasons, mainly for not securing Champions League qualification for the club last season. Most of their performances this season have been very good but they have been unlucky on some occasions. The best example of this was the 3-1 defeat at home to Manchester United where The Gunners had 33 shots on goal, 16 of which were on target.
What may derail Arsenal’s top 4 push is the contract situation of big players such as Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil.
Tottenham Hotspur
Best Odds – 13/8
Spurs have obviously suffered from moving to Wembley on a temporary basis as they are currently building their new stadium, which will replace White Hart Lane. Oddly enough, their form at Wembley in the Champions League has been great, but it has not been so easy in the Premier League. In recent weeks, they have started winning at Wembley in the League but at the cost of their away form.
Key players like Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen have been hit and miss so far. They look like outsiders at the moment.
Matched Betting
As mentioned earlier, with the help of matched betting sites you can benefit and make an expected profit from spending time on bookmaker websites. This is through the technique of matched betting, which is taking advantage of special offers listed by bookmakers. This involves placing a back bet with a bookmaker and a lay bet with a betting exchange.
So for example, if a bookie offered you a free bet if you signed up for an account and placed your first bet, this is how you could benefit through matched betting. You will be placing a back bet on a selection to win with the bookmaker and then place a lay bet on the same selection not to win on a betting exchange, such as Betfair Exchange. This will cover all outcomes and allow you to qualify for the free bet or bonus on offer.
You can then repeat the same back and lay strategy in order to make an expected profit from the free bet amount. Matched betting offers a number of potential money making opportunities, both short term and long term.