September 2017
Sporting Index predicts Manchester City to hit the net 97 times in the Premier League this season.
Manchester City have piled in the goals so far this season but will still fall short of their Premier League record of 102, according to leading spread betting firm Sporting Index.
Pep Guardiola's side have found the net 16 times this season, the same amount as city rivals Manchester United, and welcome bottom side Crystal Palace to the Etihad on Saturday afternoon.
With Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus notching ten goals between them in the first five Premier League outings, the Citizens front two will fancy adding to their impressive tally so far this season against Roy Hodgsons relegation-threatened side tomorrow.
However, despite City making a strong start to the season, Sporting Index predict that the title challengers will still come up short for their record Premier League amount, with a predicted total of 97.
City scored a club record 102 Premier League goals in the 2013-2014 season one short of the league record set by Chelsea in 2009/2010. In that season, Yaya Touré, Sergio Aguero and Edin Djeko grabbed 53 goals between them.
In the first five matches of that season City managed 12 goals compared to their 16 so far this campaign. But, despite arguably being on course for the record early on in the season, Sporting Index believe they'll just fall short of three figures come May.
Ed Fulton, trading spokesman for Sporting Index, said: "City have been firing on all cylinders in the first five matches of the season, and many expect them to score at will at home against bottom side Crystal Palace on Saturday."
"However, City's problem has been consistency in the last couple of seasons, and there's still a long way to go before they match their record set in the season they clinched the title from under the noses of Liverpool."
"Pep Guardiola's side's biggest test has come against the Reds, but they were fortunate with Sadio Mane's sending off and the goals flowed as a result. We think there are to be tougher games on the horizon, and there's still a lot of work to do to reach the highs of that club record-breaking season."
Eagles to wait over two weeks for first goal of the season (25th September 2017)
Sporting Index traders predict struggling Crystal Palace will finally break scoring duck against Chelsea.
Crystal Palace fans will have to sit through another 120 minutes of football before celebrating their teams first goal of the Premier League season, according to leading spread betting firm Sporting Index.
Roy Hodgson's side made the record books for all the wrong reasons as they became the first team in English Football League history to start a season with six defeats and no goals.
Now Sporting Index's traders believe the goal-shy side, who sit bottom of the Premier League table, will fail to the find the net for another 120 minutes taking them up to the 30th minute of their match against Chelsea at Selhurst Park in over two weeks.
First though, Palace must take on Manchester United at the weekend, with Jose Mourinho's side only conceding two in their opening six matches and scoring an impressive 17 goals.
With international World Cup qualifiers wedged in between the Man United and Chelsea fixtures, the wait for the elusive first Premier League goal of the season for the Eagles will be over in two weeks.
Ed Fulton, trading spokesman for Sporting Index, said: "Things just seem to go from bad to worse for Crystal Palace. Another heavy defeat at the Etihad took them to 13 goals conceded, and another game without a goal to their name."
Ed Fulton, trading spokesman for Sporting Index, said: "City have been firing on all cylinders in the first five matches of the season, and many expect them to score at will at home against bottom side Crystal Palace on Saturday."
"We think it'll be very unlikely that they'll grab their first goal of the season at Old Trafford, where United have still to concede a goal this season. However, we reckon Roy Hodgson will be able to work his magic in time for the Chelsea match at Selhurst Park in two weeks time."
No English clubs in the Champions League last four (26th September 2017)
There'll be no English teams in the UEFA Champions League semifinals this season, according to traders from Sporting Index, after research has found Premier League clubs have been on a downward spiral in Europe over the past five years.
Manchester City, the highest ranked team in the spread betting firm's Champions League Outright Index, only sit in fifth place in the market - meaning England will miss out on a representative in the last four for the second successive year.
Just four Premier League sides have made it beyond the round-of-16 in the past five years, compared to 14 in the five years before that - indicative of English struggles in Europe¿s premier club competition.
In the five years starting from the 2007/08 season, where Manchester United and Chelsea contested an all-English final, Liverpool made the semi-finals and Arsenal the quarters, England provided two winners of the competition, as well as three losing finalists.
However, there hasn't been any Premier League representation in a final since Chelsea won the trophy in 2012, with the Blues in 2014, and City in 2016 the only semi-finalists in the past five seasons.
In last season's competition, Champions League debutants Leicester City outperformed the likes of City, Arsenal and Tottenham but could only manage the quarter-final stages - where they were knocked out by Atletico Madrid. The worst performance in the past five years came in 2014/15, where Liverpool (beaten by Real Madrid and Basel) failed to qualify from the group before Arsenal, Chelsea and City were sent packing in the last 16.
Despite five clubs qualifying for the tournament this term, Sporting Index still think Britain will be making an early withdrawal from Europe, with United (6th), Chelsea (8th), Liverpool (9th), Tottenham (11th) and Celtic (28th) joining City as long-shots in the outright index.
Between 2007 and 2012, the Premier League saw two teams crowned as European champions, which included Chelsea's dramatic penalty shoot-out victory against Bayern Munich in their own back yard, where Didier Drogba equalised before slotting home the decisive spot-kick.
It could, however, have been much more successful for the English, and especially United, who were twice beaten in the final by Pep Guardiola's revolutionary Barcelona side in 2009 and 2011 - where Lionel Messi took centre stage.
Ed Fulton, trading spokesman for Sporting Index, said: "The decline is certainly something Premier League clubs should be worrying about. In 2012, English football was arguably at its strongest with two winners, three runners up and multiple all-English semi-finals in Champions League tournaments in five years. Now, in 2017, just two semi-final appearances in the last five years is a damning statistic."
"With all the money spent by English clubs in recent years, you'd expect repeat performances of 2008 and 2012, where we had two teams crowned the best in Europe. Leicester were the highlight last season, but they were punching well above their weight and they were found wanting at the highest level."
"With five teams in the competition this year, combined with the current form of both United and City, the English contingent will be expecting an impressive performance. However given the recent history, it's certainly not nailed-on."