The Premier League should get increased online wagering attention this season since ESPN will be televising some of the games. The network reached an agreement with Fox Soccer Channel to televise up to 74 matches in each of the next three seasons. Gamblers who are wagering online will be able to watch Premier League matches on ESPN 2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3.com and ESPN Mobile TV.
Online wagering odds are on the board with the season set to begin on Saturday. Last season the ESPN family of networks televised 46 matches but this year that total goes up substantially. ESPN’s first telecast this season will be on Saturday when Manchester City visits Tottenham. Whenever games are on television they attract more attention and that should be the case with ESPN 2 showing more games this year.
The Premier League title race this season should be interesting to watch for fans and interesting for gamblers who are wagering online with Chelsea a slight favorite over Manchester United. Chelsea is the defending league champion and they look poised to repeat in 2010. The team added Yossi Benayoun, and Ramires to what was already a talented squad. The team did lose Joe Cole, Michael Ballack and Deco so it will not be easy for Chelsea this season.
Manchester United will be trying to keep Chelsea from a repeat. United still has Wayne Rooney but they are definitely getting old. Veterans Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville may be on borrowed time. Manchester United really needs Javier Hernandez to contribute in his first season with the club.
Not to be left out of the title race are Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City. Last season was a disappointment for Arsenal as they finished in third place. Liverpool was even more of a bust last year as they finished in 7th place. They got Joe Cole from United and he could make a big difference this season and Milan Jovanovic should be worth watching. Manchester City has gotten some action on the futures board as they added Yaya Toure, David Silva and Jerome Boateng. If Silva can have a big season then Manchester City could be the team that challenges Chelsea and Manchester United for the league title. The action begins on Saturday as the Premier League season begins.