Football Manager Daily

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As the 2018/19 Premier League season nears its climax, the race to finish as the league’s top scorer has never been closer. The total goal tallies are down on last season, but the usual suspects remain in the hunt for this year’s accolade, including Manchester City’s perennial striker Sergio Agüero and Liverpool’s Egyptian sensation Mohamed Salah.

Although Premier League betting on Betfair might have Manchester City as the favourites to win the league title again, don’t be surprised if Agüero misses out on the golden boot as the race is incredibly close this year.

The top eight

It is Liverpool’s Salah who currently leads the way on 21 goals, thanks to a brace against Huddersfield on Friday night. Both Agüero and Liverpool’s Sadio Mane have scored 20 goals so far this season, although Agüero has eight assists, while Mane has just one.

Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is keeping pace with the top three, and has scored 19 league goals for a struggling Arsenal side this season. Jamie Vardy is a dark horse for the golden boot and is currently on 18 league goals with a rejuvenated Leicester City side.

England stars Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling are both on 17, but with Kane’s season over, Sterling has the opportunity to move ahead of him. Chelsea’s Belgian star Eden Hazard also has the chance to overtake Tottenham Hotspur’s Kane, with Hazard just one goal behind the English striker.

Will the favourite win?

Although the favourite has changed multiple times this season, with just two games left to play, can the favourite, Mo Salah, claim a second golden boot in a row? Agüero is the current second favourite to win the race, the 30-year-old Argentinian has continued his incredible goal scoring statistics for City this season as they aim to win back-to-back Premier League titles. The club’s all-time top scorer has popped up with some big goals against the big teams this season, netting in the Manchester derby, the win over title rivals Liverpool, against Arsenal at the Etihad and a superb hat-trick in a 6-0 drubbing of Chelsea.

Salah isn’t just competing against the star striker of his title rivals, but also his own teammate, in the form of Sadio Mane. The Senegalese forward enjoyed a stellar start to the season, leading the way in the goal scoring charts before dropping off midway through.

He has picked up his goal scoring tally as of late and looks to have become the main man for the Reds this season as they bid to win their first Premier League title. If a bit of luck goes his way, don’t be surprised if he surpasses Salah’s total for this season.

Arsenal forward Aubameyang has also netted 19 times so far in the league, his penalty against Manchester United recently tied him at the top of the goalscoring charts with Agüero and Salah, but he has since fallen a way. The Gabonese striker has been consistent in front of goal all season, keeping Arsenal in the race for that coveted 4th place finish and Champions League football next season in what has otherwise been an underwhelming league campaign for the Gunners.

With two games left it’s all to play for. Although it’s likely to be a four-way race over the course of the final couple of matches, one hat-trick from an outsider could change those odds dramatically and provide as many twists as the title race itself.