The Premier League season is almost at the halfway stage and we have picked out some outright betting suggestions for the second part of the campaign.
The first half of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign is just about done and there now appear to be only three or four legitimate contenders for the top prize.
Pre-season title favourites Liverpool have slipped in the betting, out to 25/1 from 7/4, but their fans still believe they can overhaul a 10-point gap to Arsenal.
The Gunners head the outright winner market at 5/6. However, Mikel Arteta’s men are again being stalked by Manchester City and the 6/4 on offer about Pep Guardiola picking up another Premier League trophy will be tempting to many.
And don’t rule out Aston Villa from providing the biggest shock in this market since Leicester City 10 years ago. Unai Emery’s side have been clipped to 16/1 after a run of 11 wins in a row in all competitions took them into third spot.
The opening of the January transfer window could further shake things up and with top-four markets, relegation odds and Player of the Year betting to consider, we take a look at some of the value bets for the second half of the season.
Premier League Outright Tips
Chelsea to finish in the top four @ 137/100
Fulham to finish in the top half @ 6/4
Declan Rice to win PFA Player of the Year @ 7/2
Chelsea to finish in the top four @ 137/100
Chelsea have rarely been outside the top four this season but that’s where they find themselves now after a run of only one win in their last six games.
The odds about the Blues finishing fourth, where they ended last season, or better, have eased after Enzo Maresca’s departure and now may be the time for their backers to show some faith.
Six of their next nine games are against bottom-half clubs and five of those are at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have to capitalise on the issues that have dogged Liverpool this season with the reigning champions looking more vulnerable in defence and clueless on set-pieces than for many years.
They are also without their star attacker Mohamed Salah and record signing Alexander Isak for an extended spell.
Arsenal and Manchester City appear locked into the top two, but the race for third and fourth is wide open. Newcastle and Nottingham Forest – both of whom finished within four points of Chelsea last season – have regressed, while Manchester United remain inconsistent.
Cole Palmer will be the key to Maresca’s men clambering back into the top four and if they can get him fit and firing for the rest of the campaign, they should be all right.
Fulham to finish in the top half @ 6/4
Only Man City and Aston Villa have won more league matches than Fulham since the end of November, a run which has seen Marco Silva’s side shoot up from 17th to 10th.
The Cottagers have developed a strong home record, regularly taking points off sides around them in the table.
And, although their squad is currently being stretched because of the Africa Cup of Nations, back-to-back 1-0 wins over West Ham and Nottingham Forest have shown they can cope for now.
Fulham’s biggest advantage is the inconsistency of the teams around them. Brentford have been up and down, Crystal Palace are on the slide, and Bournemouth’s form has been dismal. Fulham, by contrast, have remained steady, disciplined and difficult to beat.
Their fixture list in the second half of the season is also favourable, with several winnable home matches against direct rivals. If they maintain their current level, a top‑half finish is well within reach.
At 6/4, the price still offers enough upside given their stability and the volatility of the teams around them.
Declan Rice to win PFA Player of the Year @ 7/2
Rice made it onto the six-player shortlist for this prestigious award last season and his performances this term are probably on a par, if not better.
The former West Ham star has started all 18 league games, scoring two goals and providing three assists, which puts him on course to match last season’s tally of four goals and seven assists.
Operating as the heartbeat of Arteta’s midfield, Rice has elevated the Gunners’ control, defensive solidity and transitional play. His ability to break up attacks, dictate tempo and contribute in the final third has made him indispensable to the Gunners’ title challenge.
Arsenal’s position at the top of the table strengthens his case. Historically, the PFA award often goes to a player from the title‑winning side.
The Gunners could not mount a challenge last term and fell at the final hurdle when pursued relentlessly by Man City the year before, but their squad had their feet up when Guardiola’s men were toiling in the United States last summer and that could help them end a two-decade title drought.
Rice’s consistency has also been remarkable. While other stars have had dips in form or fitness, the England international has delivered elite‑level performances week after week.
He won back-to-back Player of the Match awards over Christmas against Everton and Brighton and, as the club’s reigning player of the year, is possibly just ahead of Bukayo Saka as the most important cog in the North Londoners’ side right now.
