EPL Betting Preview: New Look Chelsea Has Best Odds

Oddsmakers have Chelsea as the team to beat in the English Premier League, and that is no surprise with the solid moves they have made so far in the offseason.

Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa will improve the Blues on the attack, as the side look to forget about last season when they flamed out at the end of the campaign.

Sportsbooks tracked by OddsShark.com had Chelsea at roughly 2-1 odds, ahead of the August 16 opening league weekend.

They are followed by last season's EPL champion Manchester City (9-2), then Manchester United (9-4), Arsenal (6-1) and Liverpool (10-1).

The other clubs all have long shot odds, as the side with the next best odds is Tottenham at 66-1, according to OddsShark.com's comparative EPL lines.

Fabregas will shore up the Chelsea midfield, and the club hopes Costa has another solid season like he did playing for La Liga champions Atletico Madrid. However, neither of these players produced impressive performances at the World Cup for Spain. Fabregas only appeared from the bench twice, while Costa was unable to provide a goal in his two starts. 

The Man City offense helped carry the squad to the league title last season, and their defense had the second best record for goals conceded in the league. However, City have made smart moves to bolster the backline, with the signings of defender Bacary Sagna and defensive midfielder Fernando.

Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko are all back looking to improve upon last season’s combined total of 53 goals between them.

Can Manchester United get back on top? The English giants stumbled last season, not only firing their manager David Moyes during the campaign but finishing seventh in the league. Still, it is hard to count them out, having the dynamic scoring duo of Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie at their disposal—the latter was solid for the Netherlands in the World Cup.

Dutch head coach Louis van Gaal guided his team to the semifinals in Brazil and has taken over at United. He has a good squad, but mainstays Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs have left the club and taken up a coaching role respectively. They did sign Ander Herrera, who had a solid campaign for Athletic Bilbao last season.

Arsenal are banking that Alexis Sanchez can team up with Olivier Giroud to give the Gunners a top-notch attack. At 6-1 they have decent odds, but can they play with the big boys this season?

That is the big question for Arsenal. The summer transfer window is not closed and don't be surprised if the Gunners make a move or two.

Liverpool came second in the EPL last season, but they are now without Luis Suarez, who was the Premier League's top-scorer in the 2013-14 campaign, and that loss is a HUGE one.

The Reds have a solid team, and striker Daniel Sturridge has a lot of pressure on him with Suarez potentially biting off more than he can chew by joining star-studded Barcelona.

Here are the odds, as gathered by OddsShark.com, to win the EPL this season—as of July 30.

Chelsea 15-8

Manchester City 9-4

Manchester United 9-2

Arsenal 6-1

Liverpool 10-1

Tottenham 66-1

Everton 125-1

Southampton 500-1

Newcastle 1000-1

Aston Villa 2000-1

Stoke 2000-1

Swansea 2500-1

Sunderland 2500-1

West Ham 2500-1

Crystal Palace 4000-1

West Bromwich 4000-1

Hull 5000-1

Leicester 5000-1

QPR 5000-1

Burnley 7500-1