Leicester City stunned the football world by winning the Premier League last season.
The Foxes were widely touted for relegation to the Championship after surviving by the skin of their teeth in the previous campaign.
Claudio Ranieri’s men were so unfancied for the top-flight crown that they were backed at 5000-1 to lift the trophy with several leading bookmakers.
Many loyal Foxes supporters backed their side, with bets ranging from £1 to £100 in the vain hope of procuring a huge payday.
As a result of their unlikely success one punter matched the triumphs of those seen in bgo’s list of top international bets as he won over £200,000 after backing Ranieri’s side.
Others also won large sums of cash upwards of £50,000, meaning bgo could have had a separate list just for Leicester fans.
Bookmakers have adjusted their odds for the new campaign, leaving the Foxes well in the mix to repeat their triumph. However, could another lowly side pull off a similar feat?
Sunderland barely escaped relegation last season, surging towards safety in the final few weeks of the term by recording victories over Norwich City, Chelsea and Everton.
It was the fifth time on the spin that the Black Cats had pulled themselves out of the mire, but this time Sam Allardyce appeared to have a plan in place for solidity in the Premier League.
However, the 61-year-old was announced as the replacement for Roy Hodgson following England’s ill-fated Euro 2016 campaign, leaving Sunderland managerless for a day before David Moyes arrived at the Stadium of Light.
The Black Cats find themselves in a similar situation to Leicester last season, who replaced Nigel Pearson who guided them to safety with Ranieri.
Leicester proved last term that team bonding is more important than having quality all over the pitch, although the displays of Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kanté were crucial in delivering the crown.
The leadership of Kasper Schmeichel and Wes Morgan at the back was vital to their success, as the team always came first ahead of individual achievements. This helped the Foxes boast the joint second-best defensive unit in the league, with Schmeichel starring between the sticks.
Moyes always seemed to bring a strong unity to his squads at Everton, who were a model of consistency during his 11-year tenure at Goodison Park.
On the surface Sunderland have a good spine running through their team, with keeper Vito Mannone finding form towards the end of last season in front of Lamine Koné and Younès Kaboul.
Jermain Defoe’s 15 goals kept the Black Cats in the Premier League, while there is also quality around the veteran forward in Wahbi Khazri, Fabio Borini and Jan Kirchhoff.
The Black Cats are vast outsiders for the Premier League crown with 10Bet and 888Bet.com given their struggles in the top flight since their return to the division in 2007.
However, with Moyes installed at the helm and newfound confidence built at the end of last season, Sunderland could yet well be the next club to trouble the bookmakers.
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