No prizes for guessing what Harry Kane, Sergio Aguero, Luis Suarez, Robin van Persie, Dimitar Berbatov, Carlos Tevez and Didier Drogba have in common.

• Bet on Premier League Golden Boot winner

All of the above have won the Premier League top scorer prize this decade although these forwards managed this achievement by operating for a club who finished in the top four of the top flight in that respective season.

So while Liverpool haven’t typically been in the Champions League places recently, their near-miss during the 2013-14 season was powered by the goals of Barcelona-bound Suarez.

Indeed, you have to back to the 1999/2000 season to find the last time that a player outside the “top four” landed the top flight Golden Boot, with Kevin Phillips scoring in style for Sunderland that term.

Will the trend continue during the 2016/17 season?

Last season would suggest not. Harry Kane of third-placed Tottenham finished top of the pile with 25 goals, while Jamie Vardy of champions Leicester and Sergio Aguero of fourth-placed Manchester City were one behind him.

It naturally follows that if an individual player is managing such a substantial goal tally, then he’s likely to be operating for one of the better teams in the Premier League. Similarly, his goals are likely to be boosting the club in question as far as their results are concerned!

This time around, we have Mr Aguero having racked up three goals for City before the international break came around, even if an elbow to the jaw of Winston Reid saw the Argentine take a mini-break from playing duties.

We can assume (especially from looking at the odds) that the Citizens will be top-four material this season and that Aguero will be their main goal-getter providing that the injury-prone player gets enough game time.

Manchester United look like another team heavily likely to finish in the Champions League spots and they have the inimitable Zlatan Ibrahimovic taking free-kicks, scoring penalties and bagging from open play for them.

Ibrahimovic managed an incredible 38 goals in 31 Ligue 1 games for Paris Saint-Germain last season, something which meant the 34-year-old finished up on 113 goals in 122 appearances for the French giant.

Scoff all you like about the quality of the French league although it remains among the best in Europe and Zlatan has been prolific for respective clubs throughout an illustrious career.

Can any striker steal a march on Sergio and Zlatan?

There are a few candidates who might yet prevent the Premier League Golden Boot race from being a two-horse one. Diego Costa has started strongly for Chelsea despite the fact that the feisty forward could easily have received a red card during the Blues’ opener against West Ham and he dodged another bullet at Vicarage Road.

Costa will never deviate from playing on the edge and it might be something that Antonio Conte encourages, while the Spanish international is employed by a Premier League club with strong claims to a top-four spot in the English top flight this season.

With Eden Hazard, Willian and Nemanja Matic looking interested this season, Costa could be hitting the 20-goal mark as he did during the 2014/15 campaign although Michy Batshuayi arrived at Stamford Bridge for a big heap of cash and could yet usurp his older team-mate in attack.

Then there’s Harry Kane, much maligned in an England shirt after the sort of performances at Euro 2016 that had you calling for a nurse. Going from Three Lions hero to zero is nothing new however, with the Tottenham striker having delivered for his club during the previous two seasons.

It’s interesting to note that Kane struggled for form twelve months ago before a hat-trick at Bournemouth in October lit the blue touch paper, with strikers often needing that one inspirational game to get the confidence levels up and then they start firing regularly.

Kane clearly hasn’t turned into a bad or even average player overnight and the fact that he’s managed top flight tallies of 21 and then 25 in respective seasons illustrate he’s a class act. However, the prospect of a busy Champions League schedule combined with domestic duties might impact on his required game time.

Can Lukaku fire Everton into a top four spot?

After a recent 2-1 win at The Hawthorns, West Brom boss Tony Pulis remarked that Everton were a “top six” team and the Welshman is someone who knows a thing or two about the Premier League after managerial stints with Stoke City, Crystal Palace and the Baggies.

"When they are able to bring (Romelu) Lukaku, (Yannick) Bolasie and (Ashley) Williams on, there's a little bit of quality there," said Pulis.

"You've got to recognise with Everton, and they are going to spend more by the sound of things, they have a team, or are close to a team, which they think will finish in the top six. There's a difference, but you've got to make that up somehow".

Indeed, the Toffees made several notable signings during the summer transfer window although perhaps the best piece of business undertaken was Ronald Koeman managing to keep Lukaku at Goodison Park.

Everton fans had to endure the similar tones of last summer where Lukaku was linked to “top European clubs” and many of them still think that the Belgian’s first touch is mediocre, even if his finishing ability is unquestioned.

Eighteen goals last season represented a solid return and it shouldn’t worry Lukaku-backers that he failed to score before the international break. After all, his only start was against Stoke City (where he had a few chances) and his time with Belgium saw the forward score twice against Cyprus.

If Koeman is able to engineer a top-four finish this season, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise and would probably come about as a result of a tall muscular Belgian wearing his shooting boots for the majority of the campaign.

Will Jamie Vardy have another party?

The Leicester City striker has been nursing a wrist injury for the past couple of seasons, although Vardy nearly dislocated his own jaw in the 2016/17 opener at Hull after punching himself in the head after a bad miss.

The 29-year-old struck a happier figure two weeks later after finding the net against Swansea with a typical race through on goal and smart finish, with the former Fleetwood forward looking to replicate the 24 goals scored last season.

There are reasons to suggest that Vardy might not achieve this. Claudio Ranieri has changed the landscape by signing Islam Slimani and Ahmed Musa who will be looking to get among the goals and take the burden off their speedy team-mate.

This season’s Champions League campaign is vitally important for everyone connected to Leicester, not least as it might be the last time that the Foxes play in this competition for several seasons. Achieving a good Premier League position is important but it might play second fiddle if City can make headway against the European elite.

Similarly, it’s hard to see Riyad Mahrez emulating his 17 goals of last season. The Algerian will surely be rested for Premier League clashes this season, whereas last term saw Leicester simply needing to focus on domestic matters and it wasn’t as though Vardy and Mahrez were fielded too much in cup competitions either.

Liverpool players could share the wealth

Van Persie and Suarez were the last respective Arsenal and Liverpool players to shoot their way to the Premier League Golden Boot, with the two clubs struggling to find forwards with the same quality level since.

RVP was an absolute machine during his final campaign with the Gunners, racking 30 goals during the 2011/12 season before winning the same award with Manchester United a season later.

Similarly, Suarez was utterly brutal in 2013/14 to the extent that he managed 52 goals with striker partner Daniel Sturridge, although the latter has suffered badly with injury since that exciting adventure under Brendan Rodgers which nearly saw Liverpool crowned unlikely champions.

Odds of 33/1 illustrate how much Sturridge’s stock has fallen at Anfield, even if he can lay claim to still be the first-choice striker at the club providing he’s fit. However, Jurgen Klopp is wise not to depend on a player who is seemingly made of Weetabix and the German has a bunch of alternative goal-getters.

It should be remembered that Divock Origi is only 21-years-old, with the Belgian hoping to develop his game and follow in the footsteps of other Liverpool greats such as Suarez, Michael Owen and Robbie Fowler.

Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho are other players that can get themselves on the scoresheet regularly, with Firmino often fielded as a “false nine” although Liverpool’s top four aspirations can be bracketed more in the “hopeful” pigeonhole rather than the “confident” one.

Sanchez looking for another double-figure tally

Arsenal are the final team that can make the top four this season and Arsene Wenger has always been an attack-minded manager who has helped Thierry Henry and Robin van Persie scoop the Golden Boot award on multiple occasions.

The Gunners may well have the player who manages the most assists this term, with Mesut Ozil a wizard with the ball at his feet, especially if Olivier Giroud is operating in a centre forward position.

Despite receiving a fair share of criticism, the Frenchman has scored 16-14-16 in the past three seasons and will surely start racking up more game time after a suitable recovery from some impressive exploits at Euro 2016.

However, it could be the more dynamic Alexis Sanchez who provides the real cutting edge this term and he’s averaged nearly a goal per two Premier League appearances since arriving at the Emirates in the summer of 2014.

Sanchez managed to score in four consecutive top flight games during April 2016 and has all the attributes to be among the top scorers in the division, with the 27-year-old potentially reaching the peak of his powers and he’s surrounded by quality performers.

Granit Xhaka has arrived to be the henchman in midfield, with Santi Cazorla an underrated performer who can thread balls through the eye of the needle and we might even see Theo Walcott provide a willing foil so that Alexis can hit that magic 20-goal mark.

It’s still early days, but we can see which teams are set to go far this season, as well as those who look to crumble down the line. The table itself may not be overly revealing right now, but we’ve seen enough to gauge who the real title contenders are.

• Premier League Betting Odds

Manchester City - 5/4

Manchester City were always going to be a major threat this season. Last season they boasted one of the best sets of attacking players in the league, and they’ve since added some more. With Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero as the striking partnership – as if Aguero wasn’t enough on his own – the South American stars are fed all game by the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and David Silva every game, as well as their other big-money stars.

As strong as the team looks on paper, there is quite a glaring weakness waiting to be exploited: their defence. Liverpool had all of the right tools to expose City’s defensive set-up and potentially run riot, but the sending off of Sadio Mane thwarted that opportunity. Nicolas Otamendi has been getting all of the fundamentals spot-on, but the often-used back-three has looked disjointed trying to play Pep Guardiola’s football in the Premier League.

The team is deep in most areas and full of top-class players, so they should go quite far in the Champions League, which they are 11/1 to win. However, Vincent Kompany’s injury will no-doubt strain the defence because, as talented as Danilo is, the replacement does look out of place when not at right-back or defensive midfield. Europe’s top domestic competition should see City make it to the quarter-finals, and possibly beyond, with the Citizens expected to be the highest placing English club in the competition at 47/20.

When it comes to the Premier League, Manchester City will naturally drop points due to the nature of the league, but defensive injuries will play a major part. Goalkeeper Ederson picked up a nasty facial injury against Liverpool but is expected to get right back between the posts, which is great for City as Claudio Bravo proved to be rather unreliable last season.

They’ve got some close competition just over the road, but Manchester City have the squad strength to challenge for the title right to the very end and are worthy of the 5/4 favourites price. This could be boosted even further if they finally sign Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in the January transfer window. It will be interesting to see how they fare against full-strength title contenders down the line, but if they show up, they could well be a force to be reckoned with and well worthy of backing to win the division.

Manchester United - 11/4

Jose Mourinho’s men got off to an impeccable start to the season with three wins, three clean sheets, and ten goals scored. The signing of Romelu Lukaku added the brute force but mobile striking option that took the team to that next level offensively – with the big Belgian a great bet at 3/1 to win the golden boot this season – and transferring in Nemanja Matic from Chelsea looks to be one of the best signings of the summer already.

A back-four including Phil Jones at centre-back and Daley Blind or Matteo Darmian at left-back was never expected to last, and Stoke made them pay by simply bullying their way to two goals at home. Left-back will be a problem for the Red Devils all season, while a fit Chris Smalling or new signing Victor Lindelof present better options to accompany the erratic but clinical Eric Bailly at centre-back. Luckily Mourinho’s defensive tactics and the stalwart Serbian in midfield, Nemanja Matic, will help to keep David de Gea's workload down.

Hoping to go far in the Champions League, United are 11/1 to win but 5/2 to be eliminated in the quarter-finals. Mourinho dealt with his injury crisis last season and won the Europa League as well as two other trophies, but legitimately challenging for the Premier League as well as being expected to do well in the Champions League is a different matter altogether; another injury plague would hit the team hard this season.

Overall, United look to be the best team to challenge Manchester City for the Premier League crown this season, with 11/4 odds to back that up. They also have history on their side, with Mourinho never failing to win the league in his second season at any club that he’s managed. They’ll get Zlatan Ibrahimovic back in January for a bit of extra striking bite on the field as well as a mighty character in the dressing room on match day, which could kick this already very strong team into hyperspeed over the winter period. They’re a strong team with quite possibly the best title-winning manager in the league, so they’re well worth backing while they’re still second-favourites.

Chelsea - 9/2

There was word of turmoil with the defending champions throughout the transfer window, but even without their best player and top scorer of the last three seasons – Eden Hazard and Diego Costa, respectively – Chelsea have amassed three strong wins and an unfortunate loss.

With Costa’s situation grabbing most of the limelight, new striker Alvaro Morata has quietly pulled himself into the early golden boot running with three goals in four games, currently sitting at 6/1 to win the award. Despite losing Nemanja Matic, Chelsea have remained strong defensively at the back and in midfield. N’Golo Kante has been his usual world-class self, with the diminutive midfielder dominating midfield, and the wing-backs Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso have been as deadly as ever.

Chelsea are at rather long-odds of 17/1 to win the Champions League, but if Morata keeps knocking in the goals, it’s hard to see many teams not struggling against them. Elimination in the Round of Last 16 looks the most likely at 31/20 despite them being 5/4 favourites to win their group.

The team looks rather thin when considering the extra workload of the Champions League thrown in, but the late signings of Danny Drinkwater and Davide Zappacosta should help to carry the workload when the cup competitions add to the fixtures list. Despite winning the league last season, Chelsea don’t look to have made enough progress to compete with the Manchester clubs. But, this is the Premier League, so anything can happen; their 9/2 odds may prove to be a bargain for the dark-horse Chelsea.

Tottenham Hotspur - 12/1

Mauricio Pochettino’s team keeps edging closer and closer to a Premier League title, with them now seen as a shoo-in for a top-four place, but they just didn’t muster enough over the summer to be legitimate contenders just yet.

Centre-back Davinson Sanchez was an inspired signing; the Colombian should have been given the man of the match award in last year’s Europa League final against Manchester United because he was unplayable at times and will prove to be a great addition to Spurs’ already top-ranking defence.

Serge Aurier patched the not-so-gaping hole at right-back, and Fernando Llorente provides a trusted backup scoring option to back-to-back reigning golden boot winner Harry Kane – who is at a nice 3/1 to make it three years in a row as the league’s top scorer. There weren’t any real holes to patch in the Tottenham line-up, but depth was needed to improve their Champions League hopes.

Struggling at Wembley Stadium in recent years, it’s now their home, so hopefully Spurs will be familiar with the ground and pull-off some great performances in the Champions League this year. However, being third-favourites to win their group with 9/2 odds, the draw of Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund looks to be the killer. If they don’t progress to the knockout stages, an almost cameo appearance in the Europa League would be key if they wanted to make a surprise push for the Premier League, which they’re at long 12/1 odds to win.

Liverpool - 14/1

The front line of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, and Saido Mane presents possibly the best attacking trio in the Premier League, which will be enhanced even further if Philippe Coutinho returns to play just behind the striker. But looking back from there, the team looks less and less like title contenders.

The defence is meek, to say the least, and their goalkeeping tandem doesn’t belong anywhere near a team that hopes to challenge for the top-six, let alone the title. The middle of midfield, without Coutinho, lacks an attacking spark, but Emre Can has performed admirably to try to push some offence while being solid in-front of the defence. If Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is granted his wish, he could provide the forward-thinking play from further back in the middle of the park, but with Can playing so well and Henderson wearing the captain’s armband, it’s hard to see him getting a starting role when both Coutinho and Mane are available.

Escape from their Champions League group looks likely, but the Reds are expected to exit the competition in the following round with odds of 6/4. To cause a real upset in the Premier League, Liverpool will have to overcome 14/1 odds, but an early exit from Europe would help them stay fresh while their competitors tire. Right now, however, Liverpool don’t look like a contender that should be backed in this title race.

We’re only a small segment of our way through the season, and anything can happen in the Premier League, but as it stands, the title race looks to be the Battle of the Manchesters, with dark horses from London potentially popping up down the line. 

Gareth Southgate being installed as England’s caretaker manager for their next four fixtures has seen him chucked in as favourite for the permanent position. At evens with 888 Sport, Southgate’s continued insistence that he does not want the job seems to be doing little to stop his backers.

• England Manager Odds

Following Southgate in the stakes is the unemployed Steve Bruce. Bruce left his position at the helm of Hull’s ship when they hit choppy waters over summer and the ability to walk straight into Wembley without the strings of club management tying him down might tempt the FA. Sitting at 3/1, Bruce is a clear second favourite for the post.

A cluster of managers are sat at 12/1 with 888 Sport. Glenn Hoddle, who has not managed a team since 2006, will be touted by many an ex-player and pundit for the job but it is hard to imagine even the FA taking such a leap to a man with little recent experience.

Joining Hoddle at 12s is Arsene Wenger. Having reached landmark upon landmark as Arsenal gaffer recently, the Gunners’ icon would surely only be tempted into the role on a permanent basis if it could be worked alongside his club commitment. These odds seem a little short, particularly as both Eddie Howe and Alan Pardew are both at 12/1, too.

Howe, who has suffered a challenging start to the season, led Bournemouth to a comfortable, exciting first Premier League campaign last time around. As a young, unscarred manager, Howe might be favoured by the FA to take the post on a longer-term basis, but there is a distinct feeling that this step has come a little early in his career.

Pardew, however, is primed for the role. If the FA, as one would expect, are to stick to their policy of favouring British managers, Pardew’s odds of 12/1 are potentially excellent value. Despite a rocky 2016 with Crystal Palace, the travelled manager will certainly be in contention. However, after one PR disaster, Pardew might not be the smartest appointment.

If the decision makers at English football’s headquarters look further afield for Allardyce’s replacement, Roberto Mancini at 25/1, Rafael Benitez at 40/1 and Louis van Gaal at 30/1 could be worthwhile longshot bets.

Check out all the latest England manager betting odds here: https://www.888sport.com/football/football-betting.htm#/filter/football/specials/managers

Gareth Southgate being installed as England’s caretaker manager for their next four fixtures has seen him chucked in as favourite for the permanent position. At evens with 888 Sport, Southgate’s continued insistence that he does not want the job seems to be doing little to stop his backers.

• England Manager Odds

Following Southgate in the stakes is the unemployed Steve Bruce. Bruce left his position at the helm of Hull’s ship when they hit choppy waters over summer and the ability to walk straight into Wembley without the strings of club management tying him down might tempt the FA. Sitting at 3/1, Bruce is a clear second favourite for the post.

A cluster of managers are sat at 12/1 with 888 Sport. Glenn Hoddle, who has not managed a team since 2006, will be touted by many an ex-player and pundit for the job but it is hard to imagine even the FA taking such a leap to a man with little recent experience.

Joining Hoddle at 12s is Arsene Wenger. Having reached landmark upon landmark as Arsenal gaffer recently, the Gunners’ icon would surely only be tempted into the role on a permanent basis if it could be worked alongside his club commitment. These odds seem a little short, particularly as both Eddie Howe and Alan Pardew are both at 12/1, too.

Howe, who has suffered a challenging start to the season, led Bournemouth to a comfortable, exciting first Premier League campaign last time around. As a young, unscarred manager, Howe might be favoured by the FA to take the post on a longer-term basis, but there is a distinct feeling that this step has come a little early in his career.

Pardew, however, is primed for the role. If the FA, as one would expect, are to stick to their policy of favouring British managers, Pardew’s odds of 12/1 are potentially excellent value. Despite a rocky 2016 with Crystal Palace, the travelled manager will certainly be in contention. However, after one PR disaster, Pardew might not be the smartest appointment.

If the decision makers at English football’s headquarters look further afield for Allardyce’s replacement, Roberto Mancini at 25/1, Rafael Benitez at 40/1 and Louis van Gaal at 30/1 could be worthwhile longshot bets.

Check out all the latest England manager betting odds here: https://www.888sport.com/football/football-betting.htm#/filter/football/specials/managers

Everton to beat Stoke City and over 2.5 goals

Ronald Koeman’s Everton showed the sort of determination that they lacked under Roberto Martinez as they came from a goal down to win 2-1 against West Brom last weekend. Both of these sides still have weaknesses defensively, but Koeman’s tried and tested 3-5-2 seems to be fixing this, at least temporarily, for Everton.

• Premier League Betting on 888sport

Stoke, on the other hand, don’t seem to be addressing their defensive frailties. Ryan Shawcross’ poor form is a worry and there is a lack of midfield protection. Peter Crouch may start this game after netting a midweek hat-trick against Stevenage, too, if Crouch is left out, Stoke will probably opt for Bojan at false nine in a 4-3-3.

On paper, it’s hard to see how this clash won’t have goals. Over 2.5 goals at 21/20 is a must-bet, even if Stoke are without Xherdan Shaqiri. Whatever shape the game takes, Everton should just pip the slow-starting Potters to the three points.

Tottenham to beat Liverpool

Liverpool have started this season with the consistent inconsistency that blighted their 2015/16 season. Spurs, meanwhile, have not played with quite the same gusto as their nearly-campaign last time around.

Mauricio Pochettino’s team wore down Crystal Palace to snatch a late win last week, but they may find they get significantly more opportunities against this leaky Liverpool defence. Spurs have averaged 16.5 shots per game in their opening two fixtures and will continue to shoot freely against the error-prone Simon Mignolet.

Liverpool’s midfield may struggle to cope with Spurs’ Dier and Wanyama pivot, whilst the Reds’ lack of a natural holding player will leave plenty of space for Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen to operate. Although Liverpool possess potent attacking options and will have energetic runners from midfield, Tottenham’s defensive pairing of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen should be able to limit the Reds’ positive attacking situations with the support of their energetic full-backs. 

The Lilywhites aren’t setting the world alight right now, but their organisation and plethora of consistent performers makes them understandable favourites at 34/25.

Southampton to beat Sunderland and over 2.5 goals

Southampton haven’t started this campaign brilliantly, but they have looked significantly better than their opponents this weekend, Sunderland. The Saints looked limp in their Friday Night Football defeat to Manchester United, but did offer a threat on the counter-attack through Shane Long and Nathan Redmond.

David Moyes’ Sunderland, however, were the weaker side by far when they faced Middlesbrough last Sunday. Boro’s fluid front line terrorised their shaky defence and that’s exactly why an over 2.5 goals bet at 23/20, looks excellent value.