PFA Awards 2016: TV Schedule, Odds and Predictions for Top Nominees
The PFA Player of the Year awards will be dominated by the Premier League top two Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday following one of the most unpredictable campaigns in recent memory.
Traditional league heavyweights Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool have all failed to challenge for the division's top honours this year, with West Ham United also battling with the league's senior sides in a bid to claim UEFA Champions League football next term.
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There is still a lot to be decided before the season concludes, but the star performers from the Premier League will be commemorated at the Grosvenor Hotel in London on Sunday, with the Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards still up for grabs.
Riyad Mahrez, Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane are all challenging for the main prize, while Spurs striker Kane is also in contention for the junior award alongside team-mate and favourite Dele Alli.
Highlights of the event from the English capital will be shown on BBC One at 11:15 p.m. on Monday, April 25.
Here are the betting odds for both end of season awards via Oddschecker:
| Riyad Mahrez | Leicester City | 1-3 |
| Jamie Vardy | Leicester City | 4-1 |
| Harry Kane | Tottenham Hotspur | 10-1 |
| N'Golo Kante | Leicester City | 33-1 |
| Dimitri Payet | West Ham United | 66-1 |
| Mesut Ozil | Arsenal | 100-1 |
| Dele Alli | Tottenham Hotspur | 1-7 |
| Harry Kane | Tottenham Hotspur | 11-2 |
| Romelu Lukaku | Everton | 33-1 |
| Philippe Coutinho | Liverpool | 50-1 |
| Ross Barkley | Everton | 66-1 |
Predictions
Riyad Mahrez entered the 2015-16 Premier League season as a relative unknown quantity but will end the campaign regarded as arguably one of the finest players in the division.
Favourite to claim the coveted individual award, the Algeria international has inspired Leicester City to within touching distance of a first-ever league title with an array of match-altering performances.
The east Midlands outfit possess a five-point advantage over closest challengers Tottenham Hotspur with four matches remaining but could extend their lead to eight with a positive result over Swansea City this weekend.
Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas has had his say on the upcoming awards, per Squawka:
A huge part of Leicester's success this year has been down to the goalscoring antics of Mahrez and England international Jamie Vardy. The duo have combined superbly to spearhead the surprise title mount. Aided with wonderful balance, composure and electric pace, Mahrez has scored 16 goals and provided 11 assists in the league this season per WhoScored.com.
WhoScored.com detailed just how important the Algerian has been this year:
The former Le Havre midfielder has lit up the division with glimpses of excellence, producing breathtaking individual skill and showcasing his delightful touch with elegance.
Vardy, whose breakthrough this season has been equally as unexpected and astonishing, is the division’s second-top scorer with 22 goals, per Soccerway.
The Foxes attacker has adapted well to the Premier League following his rise through the English league system, having played for non-league Stocksbridge Park Steels as recently as 2010.
His form in front of goal earned him his first international call-up to the England squad and he has gone on to score twice in six games for Roy Hodgson’s Three Lions.
Another contender for Sunday’s top prize is Vardy’s international strike partner, Harry Kane. The Tottenham forward has responded superbly well to question marks over his longevity at the top level by following up last year’s 21 league goals with a 24-goal haul this time around, with time yet to add to that total.
Tottenham reporter Ben Pearce reveals that neither Kane or Alli will be able to attend the awards due to their game commitments:
After a slow start to the campaign, 22-year-old Kane burst back into life with a hat-trick against Bournemouth in October to lead Spurs’ tilt at the title, with the north Londoners closing the gap to the Foxes at the summit.
Per Nick Miller of the Guardian, Kane has scored 23 goals in 25 games that term and is now on course to win the Premier League golden boot—an award not won by an Englishman since Kevin Phillips in 2000.
Additionally, per Miller, he will become the first Englishman to break the 20-goal mark in consecutive seasons since Alan Shearer’s goalscoring hot streak in 1994-95 and '95-96.
Kane took to social media to state his delight at being named in the PFA Team of the Year:
At just 22 years old, Kane also is eligible to retain the Young Player of the Year award he won in 2014-15.
However, he is expected to fall short in that regard due to the performances of 20-year-old team-mate Dele Alli.
The former Milton Keynes Dons playmaker has been another standout performer this year to enable Spurs to challenge for domestic honours. Manager Mauricio Pochettino must take huge credit for his development and showing great trust in the teenager to utilise him in such an important role and position.
Initially placed in defensive midfield, Alli’s bursting runs forward, composure in possession and eye for goal urged the Argentine coach to implement the player further up the field. The decision has paid dividends, with Alli scoring 10 goals and providing nine assists in 32 league appearances this term, per WhoScored.com.
His sensational contribution has been acknowledged with a senior England debut, as he scored a superb goal against France in his first start at Wembley Stadium in a 2-0 win.
Dynamic, athletic and always aware, Alli is known for his close control and ball retention. He is well-drilled and mature in possession—as is necessary when working under Pochettino—but galvanises every performance with a piece of individual skill, long strike on goal or perfectly timed assist.
Alli is the overwhelming favourite to take home the Young Player of the Year award to stand him in good stead ahead of England’s Euro 2016 campaign in France, in which the youngster is expected to play a key role.
