Manchester City Favored to Win EPL Title After Eighth Straight Win

On Sunday, Manchester City secured a dominant 4-0 victory over Newcastle United. That was the Cityzens’ eighth consecutive Premier League win – and their fourteenth in 18 games this season.

With Christmas just around the corner, Pep Guardiola’s men are sitting pretty at the top of the EPL tree. Liverpool is three points behind in second place, while third-place Chelsea is six points off the pace.

As we approach the halfway point in the 2021-22 Premier League season, Man City is the bookmakers clear favorite to win the title. But can the reigning champions defend their crown?

As you can see, the top soccer betting sites believe there are only three realistic contenders for the EPL title – Man City (1.36), Liverpool (4.20), and Chelsea (11.00).

When you look at the current EPL table, it is difficult to argue with the bookies’ viewpoint.

? @ManCity will top the #PL at Christmas pic.twitter.com/JD3gKED3xe

— Premier League (@premierleague) December 19, 2021

Prior to the start of the season, Man City was priced at around 1.70 to lift the trophy. You could get odds of 6.00 for Liverpool to regain the title, while Chelsea was priced at 7.00.

Fast-forward to today – the Cityzens’ price has dropped to around 1.36.

When Guardiola’s men lost to Tottenham on the opening weekend of the season, their title-defending campaign got off to the worst possible start. Since then, however, they have been almost unstoppable.

The defending champs have lost just one of their previous 17 Premier League games, picking up 14 wins and two draws along the way. Thanks to Sunday’s thrashing of Newcastle, they have won each of their last eight EPL outings.

Believe it or not, City appears to be getting stronger as the season progresses. Not only have they scored 24 goals across their eight-game winning streak, but they have also kept five clean sheets.

Stars such as Ederson, Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, and Bernardo Silva have shone throughout the campaign. But the return of Kevin De Bruyne has taken the team to another level.

The Cityzens have won three of the last four EPL titles. If they carry on the way they’re going, they could easily wrap up a fourth title in five years before too long.

It’s safe to say that the Premier League title battle already looks like a three-horse race.

With fourth-place Arsenal sitting six points behind Chelsea – and 12 points behind Man City – the three frontrunners look set to battle it out for the trophy for the remainder of the season.

As for Chelsea, they held onto first place throughout October and November before losing to West Ham United on Matchday 15. The Blues have taken a turn for the worse of late, winning just one of their last four outings.

Still, Thomas Tuchel’s side is more than capable of turning things around. If they rediscover their early-season form, they will almost certainly close the gap to Man City.

Of course, it is still early days. But if Man City’s recent form is anything to go by, the EPL trophy could be heading back to the Etihad Stadium in a few months’ time.

If you like betting on the English Premier League, you will love our EPL picks and predictions.