Are promoted clubs justifiably favourites for relegation?

Experienced Premier League boss Harry Redknapp will be looking to keep the Hoops in the top-flight

This weekend QPR, Burnley and Leicester City will make their returns to the Premier League, after various periods outside the top-flight.

As per usual at this point the trio are favourites for a return straight from where they came.

Favourites

It is almost an annual traditional that the three promoted clubs from the Championship to the Premier League are almost always made automatic favourites to be relegated. This season the bookmakers have not disappointed again.

Burnley are favourites to go down at odds of 4/7, while QPR are odds of 2/1 and Leicester are odds of 9/4, although the Foxes are the same odds as last season’s strugglers West Brom.

Burnley

Burnley have taken a similar approach to the last time they were in the top-flight in season 2009/2010, by not over-spending and keeping the clubs finances stable, which was a sensible approach for a club without massive resources.

The Clarets have brought in the likes of Steven Reid and Matthew Taylor, who have a lot of Premier League experience between them.

Other new signings Matthew Gilks, Lukas Jutkiewicz and Marvin Sordell are players more accustomed to life in lower divisions, while midfielder Michael Kightly has limited experience playing in the Premier League.

Clarets boss Sean Dyche did a fantastic job at Turf Moor last season guiding his team to promotion on a limited budget. The former-Watford boss has admitted that he has two or three deals in the pipeline.

The Clarets squad seems to lack any true top-flight experience apart from the new signings, but do have some talented younger players in the likes of Danny Ings and Kieran Trippier.

Burnley arguably punched above their weight last season, so the rise to the Premier League may just prove to be too much for the men from Lancashire.

QPR

The Hoops are back in the Premier League after just one season outside the top-flight. Harry Redknapp’s team did it the hard way by being promoted through the play-offs, going down to ten-men in the final, only to win the game 1-0 through a last-gasp goal from veteran striker Bobby Zamora.

The Hoops have the most experienced squad of any of the promoted clubs, with the likes of Joey Barton, Richard Dunne and Robert Green amongst the Hoops squad.

Redknapp’s men have brought in highly-rated centre-back Steven Caulker from Cardiff and experienced England international Rio Ferdinand on a free transfer from Manchester United. French striker Loic Remy has returned to the club after spending last season on-loan at Newcastle.

Midfielder Jordon Mutch has joined from Cardiff, while wing-back Mauricio Isla arrived at Loftus Road on-loan from Italian club Juventus.

QPR have also recently appointed former-England boss Glenn Hoddle as first team coach and look to have the best equip squad of players to deal with life in the Premier League.

Leicester

Leicester was promoted by winning the Championship last season under boss Nigel Pearson. The Foxes impressed in the second tier with keeper Kasper Schmeichel and striker David Nugent amongst their stars.

The Foxes have brought in Premier League experience in centre-back Matthew Upson and winger Marc Albrighton, while they also broke their transfer record by signing Leonardo Ulloa from Brighton for a fee in the region of £8million.

The Foxes have limited Premier League experience in their squad with left-back Paul Konchesky, Gary Taylor-Fletcher, David Nugent and Ritchie de Laet all having previously appeared in the top-flight.

The side from the Midlands have not been in the English top-flight for a decade, but have a steady financial backing and a highly-rated English boss at the helm.

Others

The team that most bookmakers and many pundits also believe will struggle this season is West Brom. The Baggies have taken what is seen as a risky managerial appointment by giving Premier League rookie Alan Irvine the opportunity to move the club forward.

Irvine has added eight players to a squad which was badly in need of quality and quantity this summer.

The likes of Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Hull are also rated as teams that could struggle in the Premier League this season. There is almost always a team that surprising gets dragged into the battle for the drop.

Unpredictable

The battle for Premier League survival is unpredictable. Last season, only one of the promoted clubs suffered the drop to the Championship. The relegation battle could be just as interesting as the battle at the top and could be even more dramatic.

Are promoted clubs justifiably favourites for relegation?