Three teams to back for a season-long investment

Three different selections across Europe with varied ambitions offer a unique opportunity to capitalise on the early outright markets.

Odds courtesy of Bet9ja. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.

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Backing three different ambitions

With the 2026/27 season about a month away, we are looking at a three-part bet across three major European leagues. The Premier League, Championship, and La Liga offer significant value for three clubs with different ambitions.

After failing to win the league title in back-to-back seasons, Manchester City enter a new era under Enzo Maresca. He’s not a stranger to the club and is inheriting arguably the best squad in Europe. As a result, it’s challenging to bet against them finishing in the top two.

For a long while, Atletico Madrid has been the best team in La Liga behind Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, last season saw them finish fourth, which is something Diego Simeone will want to rectify. He has the squad to turn things around, especially since Ademola Lookman adapted to La Liga so quickly after his arrival in January.

Wolves also have a new manager after Rob Edwards left the club. Cesar Peixoto takes over a club outside Portugal for the first time in his career, meaning it could be a challenging season for him. However, they’ve made some smart signings, so they have a strong chance of bouncing straight back up to the Premier League.

Man City back where they belong?

On recent evidence, this is the strongest leg of the three, as Manchester City finished second in the 2025/26 Premier League with 78 points. Since the 2017/18 campaign, City have finished inside the top two in eight of nine seasons. As a result, the baseline here is already strong enough to support a top-two angle.

Manchester City's impressive home record in the Premier League will provide a solid foundation for the proposed selection. City took 45 points at the Etihad last season, winning 14, drawing three and losing only two of their 19 league matches there. City recorded an xG of 71.01 and overachieved on that by scoring 77 league goals. At home, the Cityzens averaged 2.02 goals per 90, which is one reason why they are one of the division’s most reliable season-long plays.

There is still a note of caution, as any early outright on City has to account for the possibility of a transitional period before their campaign settles down. That’s why this works as a price-sensitive pick rather than a certainty. However, a side that has just finished second and delivered a strong home return won’t require a dramatic leap to land in the top two again.

Signing Elliot Anderson could turn out to be a brilliant move. He’ll bring extra energy and strength to the midfield, which is really important over such a long season. However, we're basing our pick on how solid City were last season. They earned 78 points and had a fantastic home record. If the market still offers enough value for that profile, this leg makes plenty of sense.

Best of the rest again

Atletico are the more cautious pick in the treble, and the one that requires the most scrutiny. They finished fourth in La Liga last season largely because of their lack of prolificacy in the final third. Atleti scored 62 goals, 10 short of third-placed Villarreal and 33 short of Barcelona.

The good news is that they overperformed on their xG of 58.87, but their shot conversion rate of 12.45% is what let them down. For context, Villarreal’s 15.82% conversion rate was the best in La Liga, which is one of the reasons why they finished third instead of Atleti. That drop in Atleti’s firepower, combined with the possible loss of Julian Alvarez, is the most apparent reason not to treat any 'Winner Without' angle as automatic.

Still, there is a solid case underneath the warning signs. Their home form was encouraging, averaging 2.42 points per game, beaten only by the top two in that regard. That home platform usually gives you a real chance of finishing above the rest of the chasing pack, especially if their away form improves.

The attack may also seem slightly different by the time the season starts. After Antoine Griezmann’s departure, the team is definitely changing things up. Lee Kang-in will be a key part of that, but he can’t do it all on his own. Other players in the squad will need to step up, too. The case for Atleti is that they are only a year removed from finishing third and still boast home form that could help them bounce back.

For that reason, we would only play this leg if the available market genuinely matches the intended best-of-the-rest outcome and the price considers their fourth-place finish. If it does, Atletico are a fair early outright inclusion rather than a blind leap of faith.

Immediate return for Wolves?

Wolves are the most speculative leg, but they also offer the biggest upside if their rebuild clicks quickly. Their 2025/26 Premier League season was dreadful to say the least, as they recorded an xG of 35.52 but only scored 27 goals. The Molineux outfit recorded 370 shots in the league, but their conversion rate of 7.30% let them down, the worst rate in the division. Even their home record was poor, with an average of 0.74 points per game at Molineux.

Those numbers matter because relegation alone does not entitle any club to automatic promotion. Wolves need a genuine reset, not just a change of division, and that is why their summer business is central to the case here. Raul Jimenez and Kieran Trippier have arrived on free transfers, while Ladislav Krejci joined permanently, and Rafiki Said has become Cesar Peixoto's first acquisition.

Said, in particular, seems like a clear signal of what this Wolves team wants to become, with an emphasis on more pace, athleticism, and attacking threat. It’s exactly what a side with only 27 league goals needs after last season’s collapse. However, Joao Gomes has left for Aston Villa in a £38 million deal, which creates a gap in the midfield. This means we shouldn't assume they’ll automatically bounce back to the Premier League.

With that in mind, Wolves are an interesting pick only if the promotion market on offer provides sufficient value. They have the budget, their new signings look smart, and the league is well-suited for them to play an aggressive, attacking style. That is enough to make them a plausible final leg in an early treble, even if they are not one to back blindly.