Although many believed the 2015/16 EPL campaign for the 20 time champions to be poor under Louis van Gaal Manchester United missed out on the Champions League on goal difference alone and they did claim the FA Cup too. However, that is the past and with the Dutchman in charge having been relieved of his role in charge of the club to be replaced by Jose Mourinho will this be the season that The Red Devils return to the top of the EPL for the first time since the 2012/13 season?
Online sportsbook Bet365.com certainly sees United improving on their fifth place last season and challenging the league favourites and local rivals Man City for the title. The Bet365.com Premier League Odds for Manchester United are as follows:
Man United to win the 2016/17 EPL – 4.33
Man United to finish in the top four – 1.36
There have been some massive changes at Old Trafford since Louis van Gaal departed and the biggest change comes at the head of the team as Jose Mourinho, a man who has won league titles in England, Spain, Italy and Portugal as well as two Champions League trophies, will now take charge of United’s playing staff. The Portuguese manager has made some big changes with Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimović, who has already opened his account in pre-season against Galatasaray, and Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan arriving from PSG and Borrusia Dortmund alongside 22 year old Ivorian central defender Eric Bailly from Villarreal.
All of these three players, as well as the manager, will provide the side with a massive boost in quality and with Mourinho renowned for his ability to organise a side to play excellent defensive football coupled with the fact that United had the best defensive record in the EPL last season will they be able to keep everyone else at bay to secure the title?
Just as the odds suggest, we see United improving on their fifth place finish but with Mourinho having won just three of 16 matches against new Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who will arguably the league’s top scorer in Sergio Aguero (67 EPL goals in the last three seasons) at his disposal, we can see United falling just short of their local rivals in the battle for the title.
As a result of this – and due to the low value of the odds for United to finish in the top four – we’re avoiding the two listed bets and our best bet for Manchester United in the 2016/17 EPL season is to finish second in the league.
We are backing Man United to finish in second place in the Premier League @ 5.50 in the Bet365 Sportsbook!