Premier League season preview: Focusing on the mid-table battlers

The 2022-23 Premier League season is almost here and it is time to preview the 20 teams battling it out this season.

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Focusing on the mid-table battlers, which four teams should be clear of the relegation battle with an outside chance of pushing for European qualification?

Below we look at all of the key factors, including their title and relegation odds, key new signings, what these teams are all about and much more.

Full odds provided by our partner, PointsBet – PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links

Odds to go down: +1400Odds to win title: +35000

Key new signings: Philippe Coutinho (permanent), Diego Carlos, Boubacar Kamara

The gaffer: Steven Gerrard is set for his first full season as a Premier League manager after arriving from Rangers to replace Dean Smith on Nov. 11. Gerrard’s first 27 PL games saw Aston Villa go 10W-5D-12L as they climbed out of 16th and into a comfortable mid-table place with a month of the season still remaining. From Gerrard’s appointment onward, Aston Villa were the 9th-best team in the Premier League, winning 35 points with a goal difference of +4. His presence at the club, given his name recognition as a generational talent himself not so long ago, can take Aston Villa the next step up the ladder as the club can convince bigger names and talents to come to the West Midlands.

Why you should watch them if your team isn’t playing: There’s attacking talent in spades at Villa Park, so much so that Emiliano Buendia and Leon Bailey — two of the club’s prize recruits from a summer ago, as the Jack Grealish money was aggressively re-invested —