The Premier League released their full schedule of fixturesfor the 2023-24 season on Thursday morning and online bookmakers in the UK were quick to post their odds for the first weekend of the campaign.
English and European champions, Manchester City, are in action on Friday Night Football at Burnley on August 11th, as Clarets boss Vincent Kompany goes up against the club for whom he made 360 appearances and won four Premier League titles.
It's a tall order for the newly-promoted side, and Bet365 have got them at 7/1 to cause an upset in the season's curtain raiser. A routine victory is expected for City, who are priced at 3/10 to win the game and 4/6 to retain the title for the fourth consecutive year.
Like City, Arsenal have been given what on paper looks like a straightforward task for their first outing. Last season's runners-up can be backed at 1/4 to see off Nottingham Forest at home in the 12:30 kick-off on Saturday, August 12th.
Forest, an 11/4 shot to be relegated, are at 9/1 to turn over Arsenal and 5/1 to come away with a point.
Match of the Day
The pick of the fixtures on the opening weekend is the one with the closest odds, and that is the heavyweight clash between Chelsea and Liverpool on Super Sunday at 4:30pm.
At 13/8, Chelsea are the ever-so-slight underdogs for Mauricio Pochettino's first game in charge, while Liverpool are at 31/20 at a ground where they haven't lost in the Premier League since the 2017-18 season.
Rounding off the weekend is Manchester United against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday Night Football, and unsurprisingly, the hosts are heavy favourites at 1/3 to win and get off to a better start than last season's 2-1 home defeat to Brighton.
Manchester City to reign supreme again?
Some bookies, such as BetVictor, have Manchester City as short as 1/2 to become the first team to win the title four times in a row.
Elsewhere, after making big strides last term, City's rivals United are in the mix to win the league with some firms offering odds as short as 8/1. QuinnBet have the best price on Erik ten Hag's team at 11/1.
There isn't much separating United, Liverpool and Arsenal in the outright market. Sky Bet have Liverpool at 8/1 and Arsenal at 9/1, while Spreadex have the Gunners at 7/1 and Jurgen Klopp's side a touch bigger at 17/2.
It is recommended that you check all of the best betting sites in the UKfor the most favourable odds before locking in your wager.
Who will make the Top Four?
The top-four-finish market provides some more interesting angles for ante post punters this season. Man City are a lock at 1/12, but none of the other big sides have anywhere near such short odds.
In previous seasons, Liverpool have been at a similar number, but they are at 4/6 this time around, while Arsenal are at 8/13 and Man United at 8/11.
Despite finishing fourth in 2022-23 and almost certainly adding more high-profile names to their squad this summer, Newcastle United are odds against at 6/5. The same can be said for 11/10 shot Chelsea.
New Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has an outside chance of leading Spurs to a top-four spot, with odds of 3/1.