2021/22 Season ACCA Predictions

When does the new football season start for 2021/2022?

The new football season gets underway in the lower leagues first from Saturday 7th August with action from the Championship, League One and League Two.

When does the Premier League new season start?

We need to wait another six days before we can enjoy Premier League action with the new 2021/2022 Premier League season starting on Friday 13th, with Premier League newcomers Brentford welcoming Arsenal to the Brentford Community Stadium at 8pm.

Premier League First Games of the Season

Everyone is keen to see who their teams faces on the first day of the new Premier League season and here's the Premier League first weekend fixtures:

Friday 13th August

Brentford v Arsenal – 8pm

Saturday 14th August

Man Utd v Leeds Utd – 12:30pm
Leicester City v Wolves – 3pm
Chelsea v Crystal Palce – 3pm
Watford v Aston Villa – 3pm
Everton v Southampton – 3pm
Burnley v Brighton – 3pm
Norwich v Liverpool – 5:30pm

Sunday 15th August

Newcastle v West Ham – 2pm
Spurs v Man City – 4:30pm

Premier League Outright Odds

Man City have unsuprisingly gone in as favourites for Premier League Outright Winner at odds of 4/6.

If you fancy your chances, Premier League newcomers Norwich are a lofty 1000/1!

• Man City – 4/6
• Chelsea – 5/1
• Liverpool – 5/1
• Man Utd – 8/1
• Spurs – 40/1
• Arsenal – 50/1
• Leicester – 50/1
• Everton – 100/1
• Leeds – 125/1
• Aston Villa – 150/1
• West Ham – 150/1
• Wolves – 150/1
• Brighton – 200/1
• Southampton – 200/1
• Crystal Palace – 250/1
• Burnley – 350/1
• Brentford – 500/1
• Newcastle – 500/1
• Watford – 500/1
• Norwich – 1000/1

Odds supplied by bet365 and correct as of 03/08/2021.

Across the League Season ACCA – 2021/2022 Season

PREMIER LEAGUE

Manchester City will be aiming to win their fourth title in five seasons and are understandably priced up as the 8/11 favourites. Pep’s men were sensational last season and deserved to finish top of the pile. Although they’ve shipped a couple of legendary figures out of the club recently, their squad looks equally as strong as last season and they should be difficult to beat. 

However, in order to extract some value out of this market, it could be worth looking at Chelsea. The Blues beat City in the UCL final and with Thomas Tuchel having had time to establish himself in West London, this could be the season that they clinch their first top flight silverware in four years. 

The Chelsea squad hasn’t really changed over the summer (at the time of writing), however, a second season in the Premier League should bring the best out of Kai Havertz and potentially, Timo Werner. N’Golo Kante continues to be one of the division’s standout performers, whilst Jorginho comes off the back of a sensational summer with the Azzurri. 

Tuchel knows how to set up and frustrate the better sides in the division and he is also tactically flexible. The biggest question mark is whether they can remain consistent and avoid shock defeats against struggling opposition. If they can pick up points against lesser opposition, they should have every chance of success this season and at 5/1, they are a value pick in the Premier League. 

CHAMPIONSHIP

Another hugely competitive Championship awaits and all three of the relegated sides look primed for decent seasons at the top end of the table. However, West Brom, Fulham and Sheffield United all have new managers this season and it remains to be seen whether they can hit the ground running. 

With this in mind, it could be worth looking at a team who narrowly missed out on promotion last season. Bournemouth have a new in Scott Parker and they have retained the majority of their key performers from last season. The Cherries weren’t far away from achieving promotion and their new manager already has a Championship promotion on his CV. 

Although he’s only been a head coach for a few seasons, Parker already has more experience than his two predecessors and he should be able to benefit from working with a hugely talented squad. Ben Pearson is highly effective in the centre of the park and should get better with a run of games under his belt, whilst the arrival of Emiliano Marcondes is certainly a positive. If they can keep hold of David Brooks and Arnaut Danjuma, they are going to create plenty of chances and Championship play-off final losers have a decent record next time out (Brentford being a recent example). 

LEAGUE ONE

League One looks equally as competitive this season and there are a number of teams who will fancy their chances of promotion this time around. Sunderland are always tipped to return to the Championship, but they still look a little light on experience. Aidan McGeady remains at the club and if they can find an out-and-out goal-scorer to replace Charlie Wyke, they should be able to finish in the top six once again. 

Ipswich have made some excellent purchases whilst MK Dons could be in with an outside shot. However, for promotion purposes, it could be worth looking at Portsmouth. Although they’ve undergone a squad overhaul this summer, they look to be building an effective League One squad under the Cowleys. They still possess plenty of quality and there are likely to be one or two notable additions arriving before August 31st. Although he’s a bit of an unknown quantity, striker Gassan Ahadme could be a superb acquisition on loan from Norwich and he’s looked extremely sharp in pre-season. 

The Cowleys are extremely effective operators and they will have been meticulously planning for this season. Pompey dropped off at the end of last season, however, I expect them to make a fast start this time around and with a few more additions, they could certainly be worth backing in the promotion market.

LEAGUE TWO

Mansfield have been one of the most disappointing sides for ante-post backers in recent seasons. The Stags have routinely been priced up as favourites owing to their big-spending owners, however, they’ve been unable to justify favouritism and have left punters extremely frustrated. Although they don’t head the betting this time around, it might finally be time to back the Nottinghamshire outfit. 

After a number of misguided managerial appointments, the arrival of the sensible Nigel Clough may be exactly what they need. The former Burton boss had a large chunk of last season to adapt to his new surroundings, and there was a clear upturn in performances during his first few months in charge. Clough is a manager who gradually improves side and he never likes to get too far ahead of himself. He will be making small incremental changes behind the scenes, and progress is almost guaranteed this season. 

He has re-recruited Stephen Quinn and the arrival of Leyton Orient’s Danny Johnson should give them some added purpose in the final third. Oli Hawkins is another excellent addition and his unselfish play should help stretch opposition defences. 

Salford are another side who are always prominent in the betting, and Gary Bowyer has got a promotion on his CV, but they just don’t appeal, whilst recently relegated Bristol Rovers have enjoyed a major overhaul this summer. The recruitment looks excellent, but question marks remain over manager Joey Barton, who must avoid losing his temper and imploding if the Gas don’t get off to the best start. 

2021/22 Pre-Season ACCA Predictions

• Chelsea to Win the Premier League 
• Bournemouth to be Promoted
• Portsmouth to be Promoted
• Mansfield to be Promoted 

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