English Premier League Top 4 Finish Betting

Outside Bets for the Champions League

With the Premier League acting as one of the main suppliers of entrants to the UEFA Champions League, it is not necessarily a case of who ends up dominating English football at the end of every season.

That’s because with four teams being afforded entry to European club football’s biggest tournament, it usually means that interest within the Premier League is maintained until the final day of the campaign.

Interest that is focused on who will manage to land themselves a top-four Premier League finish at the end of nine-months frenetic football action and with at least half a dozen teams hoping to earn a European passport the following year, it is always a rather cutthroat battle at the top.

A battle that rewards the very best and with four automatic Champions League berths being made available to the Premier League each year, qualification for the competition is one of the most entertaining aspects of English football’s top division.

What is Top 4 Betting on The English Premier League?

When it comes Top 4 betting within the confines of the Premier League, it differs from the outright market which is on offer every year and this is because you are not solely backing a team to win the title.

There is more in terms of leeway and that comes with backing a team to finish anywhere between 1^st and 4^th place in the final league table. Should you pick the right outfit, and they are in the top quartet of finishers, your wager will be a winning one.

The Usual Favourites

The Traditional Big 4

For those who have a passing interest in the Premier League, you may be familiar with the concept of the Big 4 and the clubs that previously dominated or at least always challenged proceedings each and every year.

A select band of clubs which saw Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool considered as the four dominant forces within English football and if there was a discussion regarding title favourites, it would only ever include these teams.

However, Tottenham’s qualification for the 2011 edition of the Champions League, was one that saw the North London outfit crash the party and at this point, the concept of the Big 4 was looking tenuous at best.

Add the newfound riches of Manchester City into the mix and their subsequent success and the Big 4 Is now the Big 6 as we know it today. Then again, even this cabal of a half dozen clubs is beginning to look threatened.

New Kids On The Block

That is because we are now at a point where the Big 6 are not necessarily the best six teams in the land and with Leicester landing an unthinkable Premier League title in 2016, they have a rather strong claim in terms of entry.

A claim that is arguably backed up by their recent success in both the F.A. Cup and the Community Shield and if the upward trajectory of the Foxes continues, they may well have a valid claim to membership of the Premier League’s true elite.

Something that West Ham will also look to gain in the not-too-distant future and with the Hammers earning qualification to this season’s Europa League (the secondary European competition to the Champions League), manager David Moyes will now look to build on such a previous showing.

How To Pick Your Outside Bet for The Champions League

New Arrivals

One thing to consider when weighing up the possible top four contenders, is who has gained an edge in the transfer window and with recruitment being so vital to any Premier League club’s success, this can be the difference between playing Champions and Europa League football.

With the best teams paying the biggest sums of money, the quest for success is one that does not come cheap and although spending the most does not always equal a top-four finish, it certainly offers a better chance of doing so.

At the same time, those clubs who have a finely tuned scouting network are perhaps best placed to find a diamond in the rough and if a surprise act can deliver more than expected, he may just lead his team to a top four finish.

Managerial Record

When it comes to those who find themselves in charge of a Big 4 or Big 6 club, it usually something of a closed shop and for one of two reasons. First, the best managers simply stay in a job because they keep delivering or the same handful of elite coaches get reappointed elsewhere.

This means that for those who are looking to earn qualification to the Champions League, it is simply a case of the best going up against the best and this means managerial nous is often tested to its fullest capability.

To the point where you could argue that the Premier League is now a league where it is truly the managers who win the outright accolades and the men on the field are simply following rather detailed instructions.

Already In Europe – Is it a burden or a benefit?

While although missing out on the Champions or Europa League is a source of obvious disappointment for those who fall short, it does at least offer a chance or at least an increased chance of immediate salvation.

Because for those teams who have a relatively light midweek schedule across the course of the season, it means they are not caught up in the cycle of additional football and perhaps more importantly, travel across Europe.