EPL Standings
Introduction to EPL Standings
The amount of professional football teams and players in England is genuinely inconceivable. There are over eleven tiers of English football; however, none is more prestigious and historical than the top flight, the English Premier League.
The EPL hosts a seasonal 38 match week competition between the top twenty teams in England, three of whom differ each season.
After a season concludes, the bottom three teams in the EPL standings get “relegated”, or demoted to the 2nd division in England, the Championship, for the following season. Their spots are filled by that same season’s top three finishers in the Championship, all of whom get “promoted”.
The remaining seventeen sides fight season-long to either win the league, qualify for European competition, or just survive another season in England’s most coveted league.
While the Premier League consumes most of a team’s time and resources during a single season, there is always a desire to challenge other teams across Europe, not just in England. In order to do so, it is imperative to finish the season prior in a favorable position and, at minimum, in seventh place.
The UEFA Europa Conference League is now the third most and least prestigious European competition in football, and the Premier League side that finishes in seventh place in a given season qualifies for the following year’s competition.
Next, the squads that finish the EPL season in fifth and sixth qualify for the UEFA Europa League, the second-best European competition.
Finally, the most sought-after top-four finishes in the Premier League earn teams tickets to the Champions League, which is another massive competition with the best teams from around Europe.
Importance of EPL Standings for Bettors
The English Premier League standings are essential to understand, primarily when considering future EPL picks.
If you bet on a team to qualify for the Champions League, understand that they have to finish within the top four for that to happen.
If you bet on a team to qualify for the Europa League, understand that they have to finish fifth or sixth for that to happen.
If you bet on a team to get relegated, understand that for that to happen, they must finish within the bottom three sides, in eighteenth, nineteenth, or dead last, in twentieth.
As a bettor, it is also critical to understand these positions and know where each team lies before placing EPL picks. For example, a team in seventeenth fighting for survival will attack a game with more intensity than a team sitting comfortably in a lousy twelfth position.
While the team sitting in the twelfth may be better than the team in a relegation battle, the latter will do everything in their power to shock the world and leave bettors in shambles.
On the other hand, betting on these sides can be very profitable towards the lower end of the EPL standings, as upsets are not uncommon in this sport.
How EPL Season Works
The Premier League season is thirty-eight games long, making room for each team to face off against each other twice, one time at home and one time away.
A team receives three points for winning a match, one point for drawing, and zero points for losing.
The season begins in August and ends in May, making for a both mentally and physically challenging period of time.
Most games are played on weekends; however, there are also rare midweek games later in the season to make up for jam-packed schedules.
Towards the end of the season, the impact of matches piling up and priorities shifting is a stirred up and constantly evolving Premier League table. It’s vital to stay up to date with the EPL table’s changes, as the league is getting stronger and more unpredictable.
EPL Standings Frequently Asked Questions
When two Premier League teams end the season level on points, we look next to goal differential, which can be calculated by subtracting the number of goals a team concedes in a season from the number of goals they score. After this, we look at which team has scored more goals.
Since a team can receive one point for drawing a match, there are no extra time and eventual penalty shootouts in the EPL. Many people question this, as penalty shootouts and overtime can be entertaining; however, the beauty of this rule is that it allows teams to approach games from a third angle, coming into a contest and walking away with a point.
If a side that finishes outside of the top four in a Premier League season wins the Europa or Champions League that same season, that additional team will qualify. It does not impact the other four top finishers in the Premier League that season.
