In Premier League betting, the title race often takes centre stage, but very often it boils down to a two or maybe three-horse race between familiar candidates. The race for a Top 4 finish, however, is typically a lot more competitive and open.

With twists and turns happening throughout the season that affect the top four odds, the places may not get decided until the very final day of the season. The battle for a top-four finish is one of the most exciting ones that takes place in the English top flight, and William Hill has the football betting markets to cover it all. 

The Top 4 odds in Premier League betting focus on the race for Champions League football. Even if one team is a short-priced favourite in Premier League winner odds and that team is running away with the title, there’s still a lot of interest in what is going on directly behind them. While a team doesn’t get silverware for finishing second, third or fourth, there is still a windfall for them. 

The top four finishers in the English top flight automatically book their spot in the following season’s Champions League, and for a team that narrowly misses out on the title race, it’s often a big consolation. By the same token, finishing in the top four is also a big prize for teams who are not considered to ever be in the title race.

The favourites in Premier League winner odds will also naturally be among the leading contenders in the Top 4 betting market. With strong teams like Manchester City and Liverpool who are expected to be in the top four most seasons, that typically cuts down the number of spots that are in play for top 4 betting. 

But it’s that unpredictability of who will get the extra places that is often the most fascinating. Will it be one of the expected teams, or will there be a major shake-up to the normal order and an outsider breaks into the picture? 

At William Hill, a team can be backed in top 4 odds to get a place in those coveted spots and which position it is, doesn’t matter. The Premier League Top 4 betting market remains fairly dynamic as the season rolls on, and the betting odds will change as the race unfolds and teams go in and out of form. Sometimes the race in the top four betting is an unpredictable rollercoaster. 

There are other variations on this type of football betting option as well, beyond the top four places. Punters can explore other options like a Top 6, Top 8 and Top Half Of The Table Finish and even a more narrow view of a Top 2 Finish option for football betting at William Hill. All of that, too, is just part of an extensive range of Premier League betting markets available in the sportsbook.

The prize of reaching the UEFA Champions League is so great that the January transfer window can have a big bearing on Top 4 Finish odds. If a team has been hanging around the top six for the first half of the season, they may recognise the opportunity to try and land a top four spot. 

That could be reflected by their action in the January transfer window in making big-money splashes on players that can potentially help them secure a finish. So along with the top four odds, player transfers can be focused on for football betting during the January window.

Injuries have to be watched throughout the season, of course, because a contending team that loses their main striker could have difficulty getting across the line. Consider a team’s depth overall to gauge their probability of getting to the top four.

Another good factor to check out is the end-of-season run-in. If a team is in contention but has a difficult run where their final six matches are all against teams in the top eight, that could make things difficult for them. 

A possible influencing factor as well is how many competitions a team is still involved in towards the end of the season. If a team that’s also pushing for a top-four finish is still involved in other tournaments like the FA Cup, EFL Cup or even the Europa League or Champions League, then that can be difficult because of a busy schedule.

Explore all the latest odds for every fixture in the race for the Premier League Top 4 at William Hill as well as the title race and relegation odds. We have extensive pre-match and live in-play betting markets for every single fixture from the top flight season, along with fantastic features like bonuses, cash out and our popular bet builder feature where bets can be fine-tuned.