EPL 2022/23 - Top Four Smokey Tips

Every year the Premier League headlines are clogged up by the same six teams. 

Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea are pretty much the only sides who are ever in everyone's top four pre-season. 

Despite this, there is always a team that no one expects to be in the mix that are there at the business end of the season. 

So, let’s take a look at some teams that could upset the apple cart and make a genuine challenge to qualify for Champions League football next season. 

West Ham United

Top four probability: 11.1%

Top four odds via Sportsbet: $15

West Ham has perhaps overtaken Leicester in being the perennial bridesmaid. Finishing in sixth place two seasons ago, only two points off the top four, they took that form into last season as well.

West Ham were in the top six for the majority of the 2021-22 season, before a late-season collapse saw them just scrape seventh place.

David Moyes has this side ticking like very few before him, and with the signings of Gianluca Scamacca and Nayef Aguerd, they have made the needed additions to their side that could take them over the line. 

This West Ham squad is primed to be a genuine top four threat, and with the rebuilding nature of squads like Manchester United and Arsenal, this could be West Ham’s best chance to sneak at that coveted Champions League spot.

Last season, the Hammers showed that they can take it up to the best teams, taking points off both Manchester City and Chelsea. 

The added depth and quality that Scamacca and Aguerd add will provide invaluable come season's end, especially considering they they have also kept Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen (so far), both players who were in high demand. 

MORE: 2021/22 EPL Title Probabilities

Leicester City

Top four probability: 10.7%

Top four odds via Sportsbet: $15

The perineal challengers, Leicester have twice been in poll position to get Champions League football, and twice has lost it in heartbreaking circumstances. 

First, they fell to Tottenham and Manchester United in the final two matches of the season to gift Chelsea top four in 2020-21, before losing to Spurs on the final day the following season to once against gift Chelsea Champions League football. 

After a disappointing last 12 months, Leicester seems to be rejuvenated and ready to return to the upper echelon of the table. 

Despite not making any signings so far this season, the likes of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Paston Daka will provide a spark as they start to phase out some of the older players in the squad. 

Giving licence to these new players will add a layer of unpredictability around Leicester, something they capitalised on very well in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons. 

Manager Brendon Rodgers is also very capable of motivating a team to overachieve and defy the odds, and with the lack of spending and slight injury concerns, this might give his side the extra motivation that could propel them over the line.

RELATED: Leicester kicks off its season against Brentford on Sunday 7th August, at 11pm AEST.

Newcastle United

Top four probability: 4.5%

Top four odds via Sportsbet: $9.50

They couldn’t, could they? 

It seems that Newcastle's rise to prominence is all but inevitable. They have as close to infinite money as you could get, and with the fan base and history this club has, it feels almost certain that they will return to where they once were very soon. 

Soon after being appointed as manager, Eddie Howe turned Newcastle from a laughing stock to one of the forces of the English Premier League in a matter of months. 

The signings of Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn and Matt Targett completely transformed their defence, and Bruno Guimaraes was a revelation in midfield, adding some class and flair that Newcastle hasn't seen in a long time.  

The new signings of Nick Pope and Sven Botman show a clear transfer strategy. 

Rather than splashing the cash on risky signings that could turn out to be world-beaters or complete flops, they have made very clever and shrewd signings, using a regimented scouting plan to ensure that the signings they make fit Eddie Howe's plans like a glove. 

If the Toon can get it done, it would turn the football world upside down, announcing a brand new footballing force in the Premier League. 

MORE: Predictions and Tips For The EPL This Week

Brighton & Hove Albion

Top four probability: 3.6%

Top four odds via Sportsbet: $26

This year's hipster's choice, Brighton has flown under the radar in terms of its quality of late. 

After barely avoiding relegation for countless seasons, they have finally found their footing under Graham Potter. 

Playing disciplined yet exciting football, Brighton has become a team that now people fear whenever they see them as their next fixture. 

Able to turn over any team on any given day, Brighton will be eyeing up a European place this season, and with the ambition that Potter seems to have, it would come as no surprise to experts if Brighton is able to shock some people this season and compete with some of the EPL's elite clubs. 

Despite losing Marc Cucurella and Yves Bissouma in the transfer window, they have shown time and time again that they are very capable of buying very good players at a cut price.

Having one of the better recruiting systems in the league, expect to see Brighton unearth some gems over the next couple of years. 

It will be a very tough ask for them to reach Champions League football, however, stranger things have happened, and if any club can turn the table on its head, it's Brighton. 

RELATED: Brighton kicks off its season against Manchester United on Sunday 7th August, at 11pm AEST.