It is nearly time. The 2022/23 EPL season begins soon and there will be fans from all over the world tuning in to see whether Manchester City can hold off Liverpool to retain the title again.
Even though the title race looks set to be a two-horse race again, there are a number of other interesting stories in the top flight of English soccer. There are hundreds of ways you can bet on the EPL, either through the BetOnline app or any number of other sportsbooks. So, we thought we should highlight five other teams who may have an important say in how this season goes in the EPL.
Aston Villa
Former Liverpool captain and fans’ favorite Steven Gerrard will be in charge of his first full season at Villa Park and it looks like there are some very interesting days ahead for the club. There were glimpses of how he wants his team to play last season and now we will find out how they have prepared for this campaign.
Permanently signing Philippe Coutinho early on in the summer was a major show of strength and proves that Villa intends to compete for European places this season. Other arrivals, including Boubacar Kamara from Marseille and Diego Carlos from Sevilla show that the Villains mean business this year.
Nottingham Forest
It has been 23 long years for the Forest faithful to wait to see their heroes playing in the Premier League. Former Champions League winners (when it was still called the European Cup), Forest has been the quintessential sleeping giant over the past two decades.
But the arrival of Steve Cooper as the head coach after a disastrous start to last season culminated in a dramatic playoff victory in May to see the club promoted back to the EPL. There have been a whole host of new signings that have plundered the Bundesliga, amongst others. Just staying up would be seen as an achievement but there could be much more in store for Forest.
Manchester United
It seems strange to include Manchester United in an article like this, looking at some of the teams outside of the title contenders. But the last few seasons at Old Trafford have been anything but normal and now the arrival of Erik ten Hag from Ajax as the new head coach could be the start of a new era.
He definitely has his work cut out. But he seems up for the task. An unhappy Paul Pogba has already been allowed to leave and the team has been looking good in pre-season. Cristiano Ronaldo has hardly featured and that might not be a coincidence. We will soon see if sticks around for the season.
Leicester City
A catalog of injuries to important players severely affected Leicester’s chance of a return to European soccer last season. But now Brendan Rodgers will be hoping to have a full strength squad to choose from as the Foxes look to challenge once again. Another league title is probably out of their reach – but an improvement is to be expected.
There is some worry that Leicester has not added a single player to the first team squad this summer. That would seem like a mistake – especially if Newcastle manage to lure away James Maddison before the beginning of the campaign. But if he stays this could be another good year for the Foxes.
Tottenham Hotspur
Of all the teams profiled here, it is only Spurs that can seriously hope of challenging for the EPL crown this season – and even that would be a long shot. Not only because Tottenham tends to be its own worst enemy, but because City and Liverpool look to be uncatchable at the top.
But Antonio Conte has recruited a very interesting midfield with the acquisition of Yves Boussama and Ivan Perisic. They will provide the likes of Son Heung-min and Harry Kane with even more chances this season, meaning that Spurs could be a new force to be reckoned with.
