Premier League relegation odds: Why the promoted sides aren’t the only teams at risk

The 2025-26 Premier League season roared into action on Gameweek 1 with promoted sides Sunderland and Leeds winning on their returns to the top flight.

Sunderland stunned West Ham with a thumping 3-0 victory at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, before a late Lukas Nmecha penalty saw Leeds overcome Everton 1-0 on Monday night.

The bookies have tipped the three teams coming up from the Championship for an immediate drop back down to the second tier, which has been the case in each of the last two seasons, but the weekend's results suggest it may not be as clear cut as that this time around.

Ladbrokes picks out why the promoted teams could defy the odds and survive - and why the likes of West Ham, Brentford and Wolves could be in trouble.

The Black Cats’ first Premier League outing in eight years couldn’t have gone much better. A raucous Stadium of Light witnessed a dominant 3-0 victory over West Ham, with Eliezer Mayenda and Daniel Ballard heading home before Wilson Isidor wrapped things up late on.

What’s more, seven of Sunderland’s summer signings featured from the off, highlighting just how much investment and momentum Regis Le Bris’ side are riding. With belief coursing through the squad, they don’t look like a team merely happy to make up the numbers.

Championship winners Leeds’ own Premier League return also got off to the perfect start. A gritty 1-0 win over Everton courtesy of a late Nmecha penalty proved they can scrap for points in tight encounters - an invaluable quality for any side looking to beat the drop and one that has been missing from the teams to come up in recent years.

While Daniel Farke’s men remain priced among the relegation favourites, early signs suggest they won’t be pushovers - particularly in home games with a hostile Elland Road roaring them on.

The only promoted team who didn't enjoy success on the opening day were Burnley, who were beaten 3-0 in a difficult away trip at a resurgent Tottenham.

While deservedly beaten, the game was closer than the scoreline might suggest and this Saturday's game at home to Sunderland might be a better show of how they will look in 2025/26. That said, the Clarets have now taken Sunderland's mantle of being the bookies' favourite for relegation.

On the other end of Sunderland's glorious Premier League return is a West Ham side who already seem only a few bad results from a crisis with only one game played.

The Hammers won only five of their 19 games under Graham Potter last season and a disappointing transfer window which has seen them lose Mohammed Kudus and fail to bring in too many players with real quality means there is a sour mood at the London Stadium.

Wolves, meanwhile, have flirted with relegation for several seasons and after losing star forward Matheus Cunha as well as Rayan Ait-Nouri this summer, it could be a long season.

Facing Manchester City in the season opener was never going to be easy but the manner of the 4-0 defeat at Molineux will have been disappointing for Vitor Pereira to see and, other than striker Jorgen Strand Larsen, it is hard to see where their goals will come from this season.

Brentford are also reeling from key departures, not least their manager Thomas Frank and talismanic forward Bryan Mbeumo.

The Bees' first game under new manager and former set-piece coach Keith Andrews against Nottingham Forest had some concerning signs, conceding from the first corner and going 3-0 down before half-time in an eventual 3-1 defeat, as they lacked the usual solidity they showed for years under their former boss.

Bookmakers still have Sunderland, Leeds and Burnley heading the relegation betting, but opening-day evidence hints at a wider survival fight.

West Ham’s collapse at Sunderland, Wolves’ defeat, and Brentford’s disappointing start all suggest punters could find better value away from the obvious picks.

While it is only one game and all three have shown they are capable of coming through relegation scraps in years gone by, the early signs suggest the battle against the drop will be much closer than in recent seasons - and as a result the savvy punters might consider picking one of the more established teams to go down.

Friday, August 22

• West Ham vs Chelsea (8pm)

Saturday, August 23

• Manchester City vs Tottenham (12:30pm)

• Bournemouth vs Wolves (3pm)

• Brentford vs Aston Villa (3pm)

• Burnley vs Sunderland (3pm)

• Arsenal vs Leeds (5:30pm)

Sunday, August 24

• Crystal Palace vs Nottingham (2pm)

• Everton vs Brighton (2pm)

• Fulham vs Manchester United (4:30pm)

Monday, August 25

• Newcastle vs Liverpool (8pm)

View the latest football odds.

All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.