ALEX CROOK PREVIEW: 2025/26 Premier League Specials

ALL KICKING OFF: Star Sports ambassador ALEX CROOK continues his countdown to the 2025/26 Premier League season, with a look at the best ante-post special markets!

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We are now less than a week away from the big Premier League kick-off, writes ALEX CROOK.

As per last season, starsports.bet have you covered with a wide array of special markets ahead of what should be a brilliant ten months of drama.

Here, I give you a flavour of the markets available and my standout selections.

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📊 Season Points Handicap

With Liverpool 7/4 favourites to retain their title, playing the points handicap throws up decent value, particularly if you fancy one of the bigger price contenders like Chelsea to go close.

The Blues have been backed into 9/1 with starsports.bet, on the back of their Club World Cup glory and, as I wrote in last week’s season preview, I think they have been a little overlooked.

Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro are two big each-way players in the race for the Golden Boot and while losing Levi Colwill to a long-term knee injury is a blow, there is still plenty of time left in the transfer window to find a solution to that problem.

The squad looks a lot deeper than it was last season when the eventual Conference League winners got off to a lightning-quick start before fading at the turn of the year and eventually snatching fourth place on the final day.

While competing in the Champions League will be a challenge for Enzo Maresca’s young team, I think they are capable of picking up plenty of points early on to continue the momentum built up at the end of last season.

If you like Maresca’s men at 9s to win the league, then you should be all over Chelsea at +9 on the handicap at 14/1 starsports.bet.

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⚽️ Season Goals Handicap

Another potential angle on the title race is goals scored.

Last season, Arsenal managed 17 fewer than Liverpool, which was the main factor in Mikel Arteta’s side once again having to settle for second place. Arteta has tried to address that issue by bringing in Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting and adding Noni Madueke to his options out wide.

The Gunners will have plenty of support to end their long wait to be crowned champions at
9/4 with starsports.bet, but again, if you are on the side of the north Londoners, this may be a more lucrative angle to take.

You have to go back to the Covid-affected season of 2019-20 for the last time the league champions were not the top-scorers.

You can back Arsenal +6 on the goals handicap at 14/1 with starsports.bet.

The other selection I like here is Manchester United +22, also available at 14/1 with starsports.bet Last season the Red Devils managed a meagre 44 league goals as they finished a lowly 15th, but Ruben Amorim has spent £200m to revamp his attack by bringing in Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and most-recently Benjamin Sesko.

United fans can expect to see a lot more goalmouth action, otherwise serious questions of Amorim are entitled to be asked.

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First Manager To Leave Post

The list of managers starting the season under pressure is pretty lengthy.

Even with a potentially tricky set of opening fixtures to navigate, Ruben Amorim (14/1) surely has to hit the ground running after last season’s Premier League debacle and Europa League final embarrassment. However, the United board seem determined to back their man, so I will divert my imaginary axe elsewhere.

I fear a bit for Keith Andrews (currently 4/1 favourite), parachuted in to replace the departed Thomas Frank at Brentford without last season’s star man Bryan Mbuemo, and probably Newcastle-bound, to call upon. But Bees owner Matthew Benham is usually loyal to his bosses so the price is a bit skinny for me.

I prefer Daniel Farke at 5/1 with starsports.bet.

Leeds’ owners considered parting company with Farke even in the immediate afterglow of promotion and his Premier League record is lamentable.

I do not see where the Elland Road outfit’s goals are coming from, so there is every chance they get off to a slow start, which could prove costly for Farke.

One other dart I’ll throw here is Graham Potter at 14/1 with starsports.bet.

Potter’s appointment mid-way through last season did not provide the upturn in fortunes the Hammers board will have wanted and it would not take much for their impatient fans to turn on the former Chelsea boss. The signing of Callum Wilson with his injury record is a risky one and the Eastenders also look a little lightweight in midfield.

Owner David Sullivan is not averse to pulling the trigger and Potter starts the campaign with his position under severe scrutiny.

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🟡 Race to 5 Yellow Cards

One of the more eye-catching signings of the summer so far has been Sunderland snapping up former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka.

Xhaka has enjoyed a brilliant couple of years at Bayer Leverkusen to convincing the now 32-year-old to join is a real coup for the Premier League new-boys.

The combative Swiss has clocked up well over 100 bookings over the course of his career, so I am all over Xhaka at 5/1 with starsports.bet to be the first player to pick up five yellow cards.

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RECOMMENDED BETS
BACK Chelsea +9 on Season Points Handicap 1pt at 14/1 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Arsenal +6 on Season Goals Handicap 1pt at 14/1 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Manchester United +22 on Season Goals Handicap 1pt at 14/1 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Daniel Farke to be the first manager to be sacked 1pt at 5/1 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Graham Potter to be the first manager to be sacked 0.5pts at 14/1 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Granit Xhaka to be the first player to receive five yellow cards 1.5pts at 5/1 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)

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PROFIT/LOSS (AUG 2025): -7.75 points

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