West Bromwich Albion

West Bromwich Albion last won a trophy in 1968, when a Jeff Astle goal was enough to beat Everton 1-0 in the FA Cup final, but manager Tony Pulis has committed his future to the Baggies and said that he would like at least three or four years at the Hawthorns to move the club forward.

Despite several lacklustre performances in January and February, including failure to register a single shot on target against Aston Villa and Newcastle, who were both subsequently relegated from the Premier League, and a shock FA Cup fifth-round defeat by Championship side Reading, Albion recovered to finish 14^th in the Premier League.

Technical director Nicky Hammond, who joined the club at the end of April, has said that Tony Pulis will have the final say on transfers during the summer. Midfielder Stephane Sessegnon, 31, and striker Victor Anichebe, 28, have already left the Hawthorns after reaching the end of their contracts, but veteran defenders Gareth McAuley, 36, and Jonas Olsson, 33, have signed new one-year contract extensions.

Albion scored just 34 goals in the Premier League in 2014/15 – only bottom side Aston Villa scored fewer – so, while midfielder James Morrison is likely to sign a new contract, Pulis will, no doubt, be looking to bolster his attacking options during the summer. QPR winger Matt Phillips is one possible target, Middlesbrough striker Jordan Rhodes is another, and Palermo midfielder Franco Vazquez is yet another, although Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan are also interested in the latter.

West Brom are rank outsiders at 1,500/1 to win the Premier League title in 2015/16, and just 5/2 to be relegated but, with Pulis at the helm, a top six finish, at 50/1, doesn’t seem entirely out of the question and staying up, a 4/11, may well be a foregone conclusion.

Everton

Everton may have reached the semi-final stages of both domestic cup competitions in 2014/15 but, even without the distraction of Europa League football, their Premier League season was one to forget. After flirting briefly with relegation, the Toffees recovered to finish 11th in the Premier League table, but it was a case of too much too little too late for manager Roberto Martinez, who was sacked just before the end of the season.

Martinez has long been known for his positivity, but some of his rhetoric during the season, not to mention his team selections and substitutions, was bordering on the absurd. Following a 2-0 home defeat by Sunderland, he told journalists Everton ‘completely controlled the game’ and described them as ‘tactically outstanding’ in the second half of a home match against West Ham, in which they conceded three goals in the last 12 minutes to lose 3-2. His description of Gareth Barry as ‘one of the best English players ever’ was another gem in a season that saw the Toffees win just five home games in the Premier League.

Anyway, the Martinez era is over, with Everton confirming Ronald Koeman as their new manager. Former Dutch international Koeman, 53, takes over at Goodison Park after two years in charge of Southampton, who will receive around £5 million in compensation. Obviously, it’s early days for the new boss, bit on the way out of Goodison Park are Tony Hibbert, 35, Leon Osman, 35, and Steven Pienaar, 34. Of course, Everton still have plenty of talent to draw on, including Ross Barkley, John Stones, Luke Garbutt, Phil Jagielka and Romelu Lukaku, to name but a few.

In truth, the 125/1 on offer from Boylesports about the Blues winning the Premier League title is probably a true reflection of their chances but, with up to a rumoured £100 million in the transfer kitty, a top four place could be within reach and, after that, who knows?

Sunderland

Sunderland finally secured their place in the Premier League for 2016/17 with a comprehensive 3-0 defeat of Everton at the Stadium of Light in their penultimate fixture, but manager Sam Allardyce is determined to avoid another relegation fight next season. The Black Cats failed to win any of their opening eight fixtures of the 2015/16 campaign, leading to the resignation of former boss Dick Advocaat and the appointment of Sam Allardyce on a two-year contract.

A five-game losing streak at the end of 2015 once again put a tenth consecutive season in the Premier League in doubt, but Sunderland finished the season with just one defeat in their last 11 games. Allardyce was the first to acknowledge that his side were heavily reliant on former England striker Jermain Defoe, whose 15 Premier League goals made all the difference in the relegation struggle.

However, Defoe is now 33, Fabio Borini has been transformed into a winger, rather than an out-and-out centre forward and Steven Fletcher, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Marseille, has accepted that this Sunderland career is over. It’s no surprise that ‘Big Sam’ has spoken openly about his desire to add another striker to his squad and West Ham striker Diafra Sakho is likely to be high on the list of transfer targets he’s due to discuss with owner Ellis Short.

Sunderland have won the League Championship twice and the F.A. Cup twice, as well as finishing runner-up in the F.A. Cup and League Cup twice apiece. However, their only major trophy since World War II remains the F.A. Cup in 1973 when, as a Second Division team, they recorded a shock 1-0 win over Leeds United. Sam Allardyce has never been relegated and has said that the Black Cats must learn from their mistakes this season so, with consolidation the name of the game, 1,500/1 for the Premier League title is unlikely to see many takers. However, stranger things have happened, haven’t they?

Tottenham Hotspur

Of course, the 2015-16 Premier League season was all about Leicester City, but the Foxes’ exploits overshadowed Spurs’ best finishing position since the start of the Premier League era. Indeed, Mauricio Pochettino’s side were title contenders with only a few weeks of the season remaining and, despite a bizarre 5-1 defeat by ten-man Newcastle United at St.James’s Park in their final fixture, the Lilywhites have plenty to look forward to next season.

Their third place finish in the Premier League means that they automatically qualify for the Champions League group stage, albeit not as a seeded team, and they have reached a deal to play their Champions League home games at Wembley next season.

Since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, Tottenham have won the Football League Cup twice and finished runner-up in the same competition three times but, two years into a five-year contract, Pochettino must surely have his sights set on more prestigious silverware next season.

The former Argentine centre-back has built a team full of energy and desire, with Harry Kane, who scored 28 goals in all competitions in 2015-16, well on his way to establishing himself as England’s first-choice striker. The emergence of Dele Alli who, at the age of 20, set a Premier League record by becoming the youngest midfielder to score 10 goals in a single season, provides further cause for optimism. It’s no secret that Pochettino wants more attacking options, but the club is well positioned to attract the crème de la crème of striking talent.

At the other end of the pitch, the addition of Belgian international Toby Alderweireld to an erstwhile ‘leaky’ back four had the desired effect, with Tottenham conceding 0.92 goals per game, against a league average of 1.35.

None of Pochettino’s first-team players are out of contract so, if he can secure the services of the striker he wants, the 9/1 available with Paddy Power for Spurs’ to win the Premier League might prove a little generous.

UEFA Champions’ League Final Preview

So, after a qualifying campaign stretching back to last July, three months’ of group games and the knockout stages, the UEFA Champions’ League essentially boils down to a Madrid derby, albeit played on neutral territory at Stadio San Siro in Milan, on Saturday.

Both teams topped their respective qualifying groups, but Real had to overcome a 2-0 first-leg deficit against VfL Wolfsburg at the Bernabeu in their quarter-final, while Atletico also trailed Barcelona 2-1 after their quarter final first-leg at the Camp Nou. The sides finished second and third in the Spanish Primera, separated by just two points, so the repeat of the 2014 final, which Real won 4-1 after extra-time, could be a tense, tight affair.

The bookmakers, understandably, make Real Madrid – the most successful team in the history of the competition – favourites (6/4) to lift the trophy for an eleventh time against Los Colchoneros (23/10), who’ve yet to win it at all.

Los Blancos’ boss Zinedine Zidane will be without French international centre-back Raphael Varane because of a thigh injury but, while Zizou has acknowledged that Real face a difficult task to overcome their old rivals, it’s hard not to fancy any side that includes Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Toni Kroos, to name but a few.

Of course, Atletico drew 1-1 at the Vincente Calderon Stadium back in October and won 1-0 at the Bernabeu in February, so clearly all is not lost for Diego Simeone’s side, but Zidane has steadied the ship at Real since taking over from Rafa Benitez in January and must have every chance of becoming the sixth man to lift the Champions’ League trophy as a player and a manager. In search of a little value, let’s try both teams to score and Real Madrid to win at 5/1 with Bet 365.

Selection: Both teams to score and Real Madrid to win (5/1 with Bet365)

Liverpool versus Sevilla, Wednesday, May 19

A 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns on Sunday means that Liverpool must beat Sevilla in the Europa League final in Basel on Wednesday if they are secure European football next season. Sevilla seek not only to guarantee their own place in the group stages of the Champions League, but also to win the Europa League trophy for an unprecedented third year in a row. 

Having beaten Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund and, more recently, Villareal en route to the final, it’s difficult to argue that Jurgen Klopp’s side are worthy favourites to lift the trophy they last won in 2000/01. Sevilla lost their last three matches in La Liga, to eventually finish seventh but, with so much at stake, it’s likely to be an emotional, intense encounter with little to choose between the sides. Let’s try both teams to score and Liverpool to win at 4/1 with Bet365.

Selection: Both teams to score and Liverpool to win (4/1 with Bet365)

Sunderland versus Everton, Wednesday, May 11th

Even the eternally optimistic Roberto Martinez had to admit that the Toffees’ 3-1 defeat by Leicester City at the King Power Stadium last Saturday evening was ‘incredibly disappointing’ and, with little left to play for, his side is in danger of being overshadowed again by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday. The Black Cats climbed out of the bottom three by beating Chelsea 3-2 on Saturday and, if they win again on Wednesday, will secure their own Premier League survival at the expense of Newcastle United and Norwich City.

Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce praised the character, determination and desire of his side, which twice came from behind against Chelsea, and a similar performance may be good enough against an Everton side that has managed just one win in ten Premier League matches and still looks frail defensively. The Black Cats have relied on goals from Jermain Defoe all season, so let’s try the former England frontman to score the opener at 5/1 with Coral.

Selection: Jermain Defoe to score first goal (5/1 with Coral)