Born in the south east of Ireland, Simon put his life-long love of football to good use when he started a successful independent blog in 2010. That opened up an alternative route to a career in journalism, and having had work published across a number of sites and publications, Simon joined the staff at Spotlight Sports Group in 2018.
We’ve entered the crucial second half of the 2019/20 Premier League season where the clamour for points and places begins to redouble in ferocity.
While developments near the top of the table generally draw the most attention, the skirmish for survival at the opposite end promises to be just as enthralling.
Norwich City are currently propping up the rest of the division – a full seven points adrift of safety, but while the Canaries’ days are almost certainly numbered, the identity of the teams that will likely join them in the bottom three has yet to be established.
At present, just six points separate Watford in 19th from Everton in 11th place, and in this fantastically unpredictable Premier League campaign, the number of possible candidates for the drop is close to double figures.
With that in mind, we think it’s well worth revisiting the betting markets as we hunt for some mid-season outright betting value.
Check out our mid-season Premier League relegation predictions below.
Looking for more mid-season Premier League betting tips? Check out our top goalscorer predictions now!
Premier League Relegation Predictions
Aston Villa to be Relegated
Current Standing: 17th (21 points)
Top Scorer: Jack Grealish (6 goals)
Last Season: 5th (Championship, play-off winners)
After a hefty transfer outlay last summer, where their spending pushed through the £130m ceiling, Championship play-off winners Aston Villa were tipped by many observers to adapt to life in the Premier League with relative comfort.
However, with 17 top-flight fixtures left to navigate, Dean Smith’s expensively assembled squad are hovering just one place and one point above the bottom three.
To their credit, Villa have maintained a competitive edge throughout their first campaign back at the top of the English football pyramid, though poor results continue to render some decent performances largely irrelevant.
Injuries to key players Tom Heaton, Matt Targett, John McGinn and Wesley have compounded Villa’s problems, and the club are desperately scouring the market for January reinforcements to replace the personnel on their lengthening list of absentees.
With Villa carrying the third worst defensive record in the division, additions at the back are likely to have been prioritised, but if Villa fail to shore up their porous rearguard, a return to the Championship could be imminent.
Bournemouth to be Relegated
Current Standing: 18th (20 points)
Top Scorer: Harry Wilson (6 goals)
Last Season: 14th
After five years of punching above their weight, Bournemouth’s Premier League adventure look like it could this season, potentially bringing to a finish one of the most compelling English football underdog stories of the modern era.
At the beginning of the current campaign, Cherries’ boss Eddie Howe seemed determined to abandon his traditionally successful cavalier tactical plan in favour of a more defensive stratagem, and while Bournemouth have looked a little more solid in defence (1.52 goals conceded per 90 minutes this season compare to 1.84 goals last year), their attacking play has suffered as result.
Bournemouth are averaging under a goal per game in 2019/20 season, and only Crystal Palace (19) and Watford (17) have scored fewer goals overall than the toothless Cherries (20) this term.
Operating with one of the lowest budgets in the division, Bournemouth don’t have the luxury of making major market moves this month to aid their bid to beat the drop, and with a schedule that still includes away trips to play five of the league’s top eight teams, things are looking decidedly grim for Howe’s overachievers.
Watford to avoid the drop
Current Standing: 19th (19 points)
Top Scorer: Gerard Deulofeu (4 goals)
Last Season: 11th
Watford’s dreadful start to the 2019/20 season raised more than a few eyebrows, especially after the club’s domestic heroics of the previous campaign where they secured a solid mid-table finish and a place in the FA Cup Final.
Almost to a man, the Hornets’ key players were loitering at the wrong end of the performance spectrum in the season’s opening months, and their dreadful displays led to two Watford managers being fired between September and December.
However, the early indicators are that Watford have got it “third time lucky” with their 2019/20 managerial appointments.
Nigel Pearson filled the Hornets’ hotseat in late December and immediately oversaw a Watford revival that was kicked off by a five-match unbeaten streak.
Suddenly, ailing Watford stars Troy Deeney, Abdoulaye Doucouré, Will Hughes, Gerard Deulofeu and Etienne Capoue are all starting to hit the kind of high performance levels they maintained last year, while record signing Ismaila Sarr also finally looks like he is kicking into gear.
Watford could be out of the dropzone as early as this weekend with a win at fellow strugglers Bournemouth on Sunday, and we’re backing the re-energised Hornets to pull clear of danger in rapid time.
Premier League Relegation Treble – Norwich City, Aston Villa, Bournemouth to be Relegated at 5/1
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