The Gunners won their first league title in 22 years last term, ending a run of three consecutive years where they were left looking up at one other side in the table.
They will be the favourites to become English champions once again, but the likes of City, now managed by Enzo Maresca after Pep Guardiola’s departure, Manchester United, Liverpool, and free-spenders Chelsea and Tottenham, will all have title aspirations of their own.
Ahead of the new Premier League season getting underway, Opta’s Supercomputer has predicted the final 2026-27 table – and it makes for fascinating reading. Let’s take a closer look..
Relegation Zone
Coventry City, who won the Championship title; Ipswich Town, who returned to the Premier League at the first time of asking, and Hull City, who beat Middlesbrough in the Championship play-off final, have secured their places in the Premier League. But the Supercomputer fears for their chances in England’s top flight and has predicted all of them to go down at the end of the 2026-27 campaign.
However, all three teams have an expected points return of 40 points or higher – which is often seen as the benchmark for securing Premier League survival. If correct, the 2026-27 Premier League campaign will be the most competitive we’ve ever seen.
Despite winning the Championship, Frank Lampard’s team are backed to finish 18th in the table with 44 points. Ipswich Town, who appointed Gary O’Neil over the summer after Kieran McKenna decided to step down from his position, have been predicted to put up a similarly spirited fight to avoid the drop. Even 20th-placed Hull City are predicted to secure 40 points, but that still won’t be enough for the trio to stay up.
It’s worth noting that all three promoted sides were also tipped to go straight back down in 2025-26, but only one of those sides (Burnley) went straight back to the Championship.
The Supercomputer believes Sunderland will struggle, despite qualifying for the Europa League via a seventh-place finish in 2025-26, which could be a nod towards their inability to juggle an extra competition. Also expected to finish near the bottom of the table, but just survive the drop, include Fulham, who are now managed by ex-Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa, and Leeds United.
| Position | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 15. | Leeds United | 46 |
| 16. | Fulham | 45 |
| 17. | Sunderland | 45 |
| 18. | Coventry City | 44 |
| 19. | Ipswich Town | 43 |
| 20. | Hull City | 40 |
Bottom Half
After narrowly missing out on European football last season, the Supercomputer has tipped Brentford to fall down the table to the bottom half of the league.
Crystal Palace are tipped to finish one place higher than last season, ending the 2026-27 campaign in 14th spot, while Nottingham Forest are expected to clinch 13th place after finishing 16th last term.
And Everton are backed to experience an extremely similar season to 2025-26. David Moyes’ men finished 13th with 49 points last season. This time around the Toffees are tipped to finish 11th with 50 points.
| Position | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | Everton | 50 |
| 12. | Brentford | 48 |
| 13. | Nottingham Forest | 48 |
| 14. | Crystal Palace | 47 |
Top Half
Bournemouth are in 10th spot. The Cherries lost arguably the greatest manager in their history, Andoni Iraola, to Liverpool this summer. The Spaniard has been replaced at the helm by Marco Rose. The Supercomputer doesn’t think they’ll replicate their success from the 2025-26 season, where they qualified for the Europa League via a sixth-place finish, and end the season in 10th on 50 points.
Aston Villa, who qualified for the Champions League through the league and won the Europa League in 2026, are expected to continue to upset the apple cart under Unai Emery and finish in the top five once more this time round.
The Supercomputer also rates Tottenham and Newcastle United’s chances next season after underwhelming campaigns, predicting top-half finishes for both clubs. That would represent a significant improvement for Spurs under Roberto De Zerbi after narrowly avoiding relegation.
| Position | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 5. | Aston Villa | 56 |
| 6. | Chelsea | 55 |
| 7. | Newcastle United | 53 |
| 8, | Tottenham Hotspur | 52 |
| 9. | Brighton & Hove Albion | 52 |
| 10. | Bournemouth | 50 |
Top Four
The 2025-26 Premier League campaign threw up some unexpected finishes, with favourites Liverpool finishing fifth under Arne Slot, who’d won the title in his first season after replacing Jurgen Klopp. The Reds, now managed by Iraola, are expected to finish third. While it would be an improvement on last campaign, they are still tipped to end the campaign behind the top two.
And the same applies to Manchester United, who improved dramatically in January after Michael Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford. The Red Devils must contend with Champions League football this season but have strengthened their midfield with the arrivals of Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos. Carlos Baleba is also poised to arrive from Brighton.
According to the Supercomputer, Arsenal and Manchester City will be involved in yet another title race. And they fancy the Gunners’ chances of retaining their Premier League title, predicting Mikel Arteta’s team to finish seven points clear of the Citizens, with their confident Community Shield win proving they are the most settled side in England’s top division right now.
| Position | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Arsenal | 73 |
| 2. | Manchester City | 66 |
| 3. | Liverpool | 60 |
| 4. | Manchester United | 59 |
The 2026-27 Premier League campaign gets underway on August 21 and ends on May 30, 2027.
