By conventional wisdom, there are seven teams with varying chances of success in the English Premier League this year...
A new season of English Premier League (EPL) is set to begin on August 13. Last season’s surprise champions Leicester City takes on Hull City in the opening fixture. There are 20 teams in the league; each will play 38 games on home and away basis against each other. The team that scores the maximum points will win the league. There is no final or semifinals as in the Indian sports leagues. That means teams have to be consistent right through the season.
THE CURIOUS CASE OF LAST EPL
It is widely reported that nobody predicted Leicester City’s win last year. As a matter of fact, it is wrong. A number of people had predicted Leicester’s win, especially its fans. Betting firm William Hill offered odds of 5000-1 for Leicester winning the EPL crown last season. As many as 25 people chose to wager on that odds. They ended up receiving a fortune at the end of the season.
It is true that none of the football pundits and soccer writers predicted Leicester’s triumph. But several ordinary football fans did. The club had been magnificent in the Championship League (which is essentially the second division in England from which three teams get promoted each year to the EPL) for several seasons. They had a lethal goal scorer in James Vardy and an excellent playmaker in Riyad Mahrez. The rest of squad were short on fame and skill. But they made up for it with passion and tireless running.
This story is from the August 2016 edition of Sports Plus.
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This story is from the August 2016 edition of Sports Plus.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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