Tom Winch’s Top Five Ante-Post Outright Bets

Here we go again, it ante-post time, and we’ve got Tom Winch here to provide his top five ante-post outright bets. It’s always interesting at this time of the year. The outright selections always divide opinion. Many teams are likely to perform well and end up faltering. We’re never far away from an almighty shock. 

Tom has selected five of his favourite selections ahead of the 2024/25 season. A nice variety of markets have been used, from goals to placements. Expect Isak to shine, several clubs across the EFL to go well, Newcastle and Spurs to be goal-heavy in the Premier League once again, Villa coming on strong, and two Championship newcomers in for a tricky campaign.

In this article:

• Alexander Isak 20+ Goals
• Leeds & Birmingham Top 6 and Burnley, Bolton, Rotherham, Doncaster & MK Dons Top Half Finish – Request A Bet
• Over 0.5 Goals In Every Newcastle and Tottenham Premier League Fixture
• Aston Villa Premier League Without Big 7
• Match Bet Double

2024/25 Season Preview on The Football Betting Pod: Abundant Ante-Post Angles

We’re back, as host Daniel Jenkins is joined by bettingexpert Football Editor, Sam Ingram, and bettingexpert contributor, Jack Wright, who serve up fifteen selections between them.

The pair take a forensic look at the ante-post outright betting markets with the aim of serving up a number of value selections ahead of the return of domestic football in the Premier League, Championship, League One and Two.

Alexander Isak 20+ Goals: He’s Gonna Get Better

Premier League, England.

Alexander Isak is heading into his third season with Newcastle. The Swede has been excellent since his move from Real Sociedad. He’ll be eager to impress again in 2024/2025 and will look to build on the 21 strikes he achieved in the previous campaign. The Magpies finished in 7th last term, a respectable achievement. Eddie Howe’s men will not feature in a European competition. Their eyes will be on the Premier League, with ours heavily focused on their superb number 14.

The 24-year-old produced some fantastic numbers in 23/24. Alexander scored 0.83 goals per 90, slightly above his 0.81xG figure. There are few better finishers in the Premier League than Isak. I’m confident that our man can find the back of the net at least 20 times. He surpassed that number in the previous campaign despite featuring in 30 matches. It’s an appealing price from Skybet at 5.00, given the same selection is available at 1.25 elsewhere.

This Newcastle side is an exciting watch. St James’ Park is an intimidating venue. Eddie Howe’s men are attack-minded and love to suffocate their opponents, especially when playing at home. Harvey Barnes and Anthony Gordon are likely starters on either side of Isak in a lively forward trio. The pair will feed the Swedish international continuously. 

I feel the best is yet to come from Alexander Isak. There’s a reason why some of the biggest clubs in world football have been after his signature. Scoring 20+ goals shouldn’t be a big ask for a player getting better year after year.

• Ante-Post Selection 1: Alexander Isak 20+ Goals
• Best Odds: 5.00
• Bookmaker: Skybet
• Stake: 7/10

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Cross Competition Special: Magnificent Seven

England, Championship, League One & League Two

Let’s start with Daniel Farke’s Leeds. The Yorkshire club is a firm favourite for the championship title. Offensively, they’re strong. Joel Piroe, Georginio Rutter, Wilfried Gnoto and Dan James are excellent at this level. Mateo Joseph is a promising young talent. Leeds lost just twice at Elland Road last season, which is impressive. This side has plenty of class and experience. A top-six finish should be the bare minimum for Farke’s men. 

Birmingham has been busy throughout the summer transfer window. Their squad market value is currently at £43.60m. That’s more than double Huddersfield in second place. Alfie May moves from Charlton after scoring 23 times in the previous campaign. Emil Hansson and Willum Thor Willumsson have moved from the Eredivisie for a combined £5.8m. Austria’s Christoph Klarer has joined from Darmstadt, another impressive piece of business. Marc Leonard, Alex Cochrane and Bailey Peacock-Farrell will all play for the League One outright favourites. Expect big things from Chris Davies’ side. Anything other than automatic promotion will be a failure.

Burnley are priced at 1.16 to finish inside the top half. They shouldn’t have too many problems in 2024/25. Many players featured in their disappointing Premier League campaign. Scott Parker will have them fired up ahead of the upcoming season. They’ll most certainly be amongst the leading pack. Maxime Esteve, Vitinho, Amdouni, Ramsey and Odobert should thrive in the second tier.

Trotter not ready to put their Trotters up

Bolton performed better than any other side at home in League One last season. The Trotters amassed 50 points from a possible 69. Only Birmingham and Huddersfield’s market value is higher than Ian Evatt’s men. Dion Charles, Aaron Collins and Victor Adeboyejo are talented goal-scorers. Scott Arfield’s move from the MLS provides a wealth of experience. It’s a matter of dusting themselves off and going again. 

Rotherham finished rock bottom of the Championship last term. Steve Evans is back in the dugout, which provides an almighty boost. There’s been plenty of names through the door at Rotherham. Cameron Dawson and Reece James join from Sheffield Wednesday. Sean Raggert and Joe Rafferty switch from Pompey in a second double swoop. Obtaining Jonson Clarke-Harris is good business, given his impressive goal figures at this level.

Doncaster and MK Dons are likely to go well in League 2. The trio are amongst the leading pack for the title. Doncaster ended the previous season emphatically as they finished 5th whilst MK Dons secured 4th comfortably. Mike Williamson has improved his squad over the summer transfer window. Grant McCann and his men should be raring to go after winning ten of their final 11 matches last term.

• Ante-Post Selection 1: Leeds & Birmingham Top 6 & Burnley, Bolton, Rotherham, Doncaster & MK Dons Top Half Finish
• Best Odds: 5.50
• Bookmaker: Skybet
• Stake: 5/10

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Over 0.5 Goals In Every Fixture: Howe & Ange Ball

England, Premier League.

The Premier League was tremendous again last season, as 1,246 goals arrived across 380 matches at an average of 3.28 per match. Tottenham and Newcastle were amongst the goals consistently in 23/24. I’m expecting the pair to be entertaining again in the upcoming campaign.

Ange Postecoglou’s first season in the Premier League was a success. His side stunningly began the season but finished with just two victories in their final seven outings. Excitement never escaped whatever the result. Spurs ended the season with 135 goals scored across their 38 matches, that’s 3.55 per clash. 

Attacking football is the Ange way. They’ll always create goal-scoring opportunities but are just as likely to concede big chances. All of Tottenham’s 38 Premier League matches last season saw at least one goal. I expect that trend to continue again, given how they operate. 

Newcastle was even more prolific than their counterparts. Eddie Howe’s men bagged 85 times the previous season whilst shipping 62 goals. That’s 147 goals, an outrageous average of 3.86 per game. The Magpies were stronger at St James’ Park as they accumulated 40 points, double the number they earned on their travels.

None of their 38 Premier League matches in 23/24 ended goalless. It’s an exciting side with plenty of attacking talent. With no European football on their fixture list this season, Howe’s men can go all in on the Premier League to get themselves back into the top four. 

The 19.0 price appeals. Both sides are exciting and are always involved in action-packed affairs. Let’s hope lightning can strike twice.

• Ante-Post Selection 1: Over 0.5 Goals In Every Newcastle & Tottenham Premier League Fixture
• Best Odds: 19.0
• Bookmaker: Skybet
• Stake: 2/10

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Premier League Without Big 7: Unai’s Men To Strike Again

England, Premier League.

Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool were almost guaranteed to finish in the top three last term. That left the fourth spot well up for grabs. Unai Emery’s Aston Villa clinched the final Champions League spot. I expect Villa to be towards the top again in the 24/25 season.

We’ll start with departures. Douglas Luiz has joined Juventus after five seasons with the club. The Brazilian was a consistent performer in the heart of the Villa midfield. Moussa Diaby’s stay in the Premier League was short-lived. The Frenchman has switched from England to Saudi Arabia for another pricey fee.

Villa have been busy. That’ll excite the fans. Ross Barkley impressed at Luton last season. It’s his second stint at the club. The 30-year-old has an abundance of quality. It could be a cracking piece of business, given the transfer fee. Samuel Iling Junior and Enzo Barrenechea have moved from Turin. The pair featured in a combined 60 games in Serie A last term. 

Unai Wheeling and Dealing

Champions League finalist. Ian Maatsen joins from Chelsea. The Dutchman is highly rated and has top-level experience under his belt. Cameron Archer is another player who returns to the club. He’s a talent. I expect the 22-year-old to play a vital role under Emery. Make that three. Jaden Philogene is back, and rightly so. Hull fans watched Jaden in the Championship last season, where he scored 12 times and recorded six assists.

Finding a replacement for Douglas Luiz wasn’t going to be easy. Amadou Onana’s arrival has raised eyebrows. He’s an exceptional talent and will almost definitely improve Aston Villa. 

It’ll be a tough season having to compete in the Champions League whilst maintaining their standard in the Premier League. Unai Emery is a talented manager. He’s the perfect man for the job. The squad is full of quality. Bolstering the side was important given their extra curriculum in 24/25.

The proposed selection requires Aston Villa to finish above any side not classed as the ‘Top 7’. I believe that they have every possibility of doing so. Brighton, West Ham, Palace and Bournemouth are the four likeliest challengers. It’ll take some doing to close the gap on Villa. They finished with 68 points last term. A substantial distance away from that quartet. 

• Ante-Post Selection 1: Aston Villa Premier League Without Big 7
• Best Odds: 2.00
• Bookmaker: Skybet
• Stake: 5/10

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Season Match Bet: Newcomers Will Struggle

England, Premier League.

The Season Match Bet is where I’m heading for this selection. I am confident that Bournemouth finishes above Southampton, whilst Nottingham Forest finishes higher than Leicester.

Bournemouth took a while to get going last season. They failed to win any of their opening nine Premier League matches. Andoni Iraola’s men racked up 45 points from the final 30 outings, which would’ve seen them end the season in 9th place. I expect the Cherries to be aiming towards a mid table finish this season. They may even sneak into the top half. 

Dominic Solanke had a blinder in 2023/24. Only Haaland, Palmer and Isak scored more goals than his 19. Iraola’s side is exciting. There’s talent across the park, some with experience whilst some are young and taking it all in their stride. Marcos Senesi and Ilya Zabarnyi impressed in central defence. Semenyo, Kluivert and Milos Kerkez look like talents. Enes Unal will be desperate to show his worth, whilst highly rated teenager Dean Huijsen has joined from Juventus. 

Newcomer Struggles

Newly promoted clubs usually struggle in their first season in the top flight. We saw all three newcomers go straight back down last season. I’m not backing Russell Martin’s side to face the drop, but I can’t see them finishing above a well-drilled Bournemouth side. The Saints conceded 63 times in the second tier last term. That’ll need to be improved.

Ronnie Edwards has joined the club, a promising talent but a big step up from League One. Yukinari Sugawara and Nathan Wood have signed from Alkmaar and Swansea, respectively. Flynn Downes’ signature is permanent, whilst Ben Brereton Diaz will play for his fourth club in as many years. The Saints will be up against it. Avoiding the drop will be their focus.

Forest has been in a relegation scrap in back-to-back seasons. They’ve finished in 16th and 17th; I believe they can steer clear in 2024/25. I’m impressed with their transfer business. Nikola Milenkovic has moved from Fiorentina. Jota Silva looks like a real talent signing from Guimaraes. Carlos Miguel and Elliot Anderson joined the club from Corinthians and Newcastle, respectively.

It’s a talented squad. Nuno Espirito Santo has had plenty of time at the club. An improvement is a must, given the players at his disposal. Murillo, MGW, Dominguez, Danilo, Awoniyi, CHO and Anthony Elanga are all capable at this level.

Leicester are the favourites for relegation. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has departed, which is a huge blow. Kelechi Iheanacho no longer plays for the Foxes. They’ve been quiet in the market themselves. Caleb Okoli, Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Michael Golding are the only three newcomers. The latter has only played at U21 level.

Jamie Vardy has been a tremendous servant for the club. He’s 37 now. He can’t be relied on once again. It’s Stephy Mavididi’s first season in the Premier League. Patson Daka scored just four times in his previous season at this level. There appears to be a lack of quality within the squad. Leicester are priced at 1.40 to go straight back down. 

• Ante-Post Selection 1: Bournemouth Season Match Bet vs Southampton & Nottingham Forest Season Match Bet vs Leicester
• Best Odds: 1.86
• Bookmaker: bet365
• Stake: 8/10

Tom Winch’s Top Five Ante-Post Outright Bets Odds via bet365 as at 20:00, 1st August 2024 – odds for best bets may now differ.

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