Newcastle are the bookies’ favourites to win the Championship but relegated clubs have a very poor record of bouncing straight back – Simon Hopper analyses the best ante-post bets ahead of the new season.

Bayern Munich President Franz Beckenbauer has set midfielder Franck Ribery’s price tag at around €94m, prompting fresh speculation that the French midfielder may still move to Real Madrid.

“All this noise is not necessary,” Beckenbauer told Sport Bild. ”Especially not when you have a new coach coming into the team, who wants to prepare it in a calm way and not having to deal with the Ribery issue every day.

“But should Bayern just give Ribery away? We naturally want what the market demands and if a Cristiano Ronaldo is worth €94m then Ribery is worth a similar amount.

“And if this is not being offered then he will just have to stay with us as he has a contract until 2011,” Beckenbauer said.

Bayern bosses Uli Hoeness and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge have maintained the club intend to keep Ribery.

“Just like in the board game Monopoly, Mayfair is not for sale, if you own it,” Hoeness said last week.

Ribery has been out injured for the past two weeks and will not take part in a mini-tournament on Wednesday and Thursday between Bayern, Boca Juniors, Milan and Manchester United. He could also miss the start of the season on Aug. 7.

Newcastle are the bookies’ favourites to win the Championship but relegated clubs have a very poor record of bouncing straight back – Simon Hopper analyses the best ante-post bets ahead of the new season.

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