Manchester City Premier League Odds: Can Pep become top dog again?

Pep Guardiola will have spent the summer plotting how he can win back his Premier League crown. The emphasis is on the word ‘his’ there, because for six of the past eight runnings - he has got his hands on the trophy. 

Manchester City have spent heavily during that time, but you also have to give credit to one of the finest managers we have ever seen. As Liverpool dive deep into their pockets, and their rivals continue to strengthen, this could be his toughest test yet. Below you can find the Manchester City Premier League Odds, and a season preview as we predict where City will finish in 2025/26. 

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Premier League Odds page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices.

Last season obviously went disasterously wrong for City, as they posted their lowest points total under Guardiola (71). He only failed to hit 80 or more in his first season, while it was a drop-off of 20 points compared to the 2023/24 tally. 

His squad have been through a couple of refreshes, with Kevin De Bruyne’s departure a significant loss this summer - but the building blocks have been put in place for another title challenge. Let’s take a look at some of the transfer business. 

In: Tijjani Reijnders (£50m), Rayan Ait-Nouri (£31m), Rayan Cherki (£31m), James Trafford (£27m), Sverre Nypan (£12.5m), Marcus Bettinelli (£2m). 

Out: Yan Couto (£20m), Maximo Perrone (£10m), Kyle Walker (£5m), Scott Carson, Kevin De Bruyne (both free), Jack Grealish, Vitor Reis, Juma Bah (all loan). 

The summer spending has been decent, and although they’ve invested heavily - they all look like wise additions. Tijjani Reijnders comes in from AC Milan in midfield, while Rayan Cherki looks like a really smart pick up for just over £30m. 

Rayan Ait-Nouri should help them out massively at left-back while Sverre Nypan is going to be one for the future. James Trafford is back at City having broken the record books at Burnley, but now Gianluigi Donnarumma looms large as a potential new arrival, with just a few weeks left of the window. 

Outgoings are headlined by KDB, but two other treble winners, Jack Grealish and Kyle Walker have also departed. The two Englishmen remain in the Premier League with Everton and Burnley respectively, but it was probably the right time for them to depart the Etihad given their recent struggles. 

Key Player: Erling Haaland

Boring, I know. But Erling Haaland is the 11/10 favourite to win the Golden Boot and will carry City on his shoulders this campaign. 85 goals in 97 Premier League appearances is bonkers and while he ‘only’ got 22 in 31 last term, I almost think a season away from the spotlight will have helped him out in the long run. 

He is the best striker in the world, along with Harry Kane, and as there is a lot of excitement surrounding Alexander Isak right now - Haaland will want to prove he is still the top dog. With Liverpool shaking up their attack and Mo Salah’s influence perhaps dropping off marginally, I think Haaland will win the Golden Boot once again. With a new supply line to work from, if he gets 30+ goals, City could well be champions again. 

Prediction: 3rd

I’m feeling really positive about City this season, so it feels slightly harsh to have them in third again. Having said that, they are competing against two really strong teams again this term in Liverpool and Arsenal and it just feels as though they may still be in transition, with several key players needing to hit the ground running if they are to challenge for the title.

Reijnders and Cherki have plenty of promise but have never played in England, while Ait-Nouri is a strong addition with PL experience. The departures were necessary but even so, you have to admit that it is a blow to lose a player of KDB’s quality - even at his age. As a result I think they will get far more points than they did last season, but ultimately just fall short again. 

Arsenal have finally bought a striker, while Liverpool are on a spending spree that they haven’t seen in many a year - with Alexander Isak a key component to their title defence that is yet to be formally completed. This could go really well for City, and they are definitely challengers, but it just feels as though Pep showed weaknesses for the first time last season that could be exploited again in the big games. 

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