Premier League 2025/26 Season Preview
Contenders and Pretenders, our Premier League experts break down the likely top and bottom teams for the 2025/26 Premier League season.
The 2025/26 Premier League Season kicks off with a Friday night showdown between defending champions Liverpool FC and last season’s 9th place finishers AFC Bournemouth at Anfield. Our Premier League experts are back to preview the upcoming season, give their picks for who could be hoisting the trophy at the end of the year and which teams have the best odds of being relegated to the Championship this season.
Top 3 Contenders
Pre-season odds are about as predictable as you’d expect. Liverpool +190 is the favorite to repeat as champions and surpass Manchester United for the record of most Premier League titles. The Reds are still mourning the tragic loss of Forward Diogo Jota, and will have to rely on Mohamed Salah and his goal-scoring prowess to turn back their tough challengers.
Arsenal +210 and Man City +290 round out the top 3, all of whom have been very active during the transfer window. According to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, "Winning trophies is about being in the right moment in the right place", and many pundits believe that Arteta is putting all his eggs in one basket with the goal of bringing home hardware this season. After three seasons in a row of finishing second in the league table, Arsenal seem to be investing in seasoned “older” players to help them get over the hump, rather than their previous strategy of developing chemistry over time with younger players.
As for Manchester City, much of the off-season drama stems from their manager Pep Guardiola and the defensive vulnerabilities that his strategy creates. Ignore the fact that the Blues have won over 70% of their matches under his leadership, including 6 of the last 8 Premier League championships, many are pointing to a “disappointing” 3rd place finish last season, their worst finish since 2016-17, as a cause for alarm. After an early exit from the Club World Cup, the Citizens have plenty of time to shore up any weaknesses they may or may not have.
Top 3 Pretenders
Relegation Odds: Sunderland -340, Burnley -310 and Leeds United -120
All three teams were just promoted from the Championship. Last season was only the third time in English men's top flight history, where all three promoted teams were relegated after just one season, so they’ll be fighting hard not to repeat. All 3 freshly promoted teams have actually won the top league championship in the past, but only Leeds United has actually had a top 3 finish in the Premier League era.
Sunderland back in the Premier League for the first time in 8 years after finishing 4th last year in the Championship. The Black Cats under Head Coach Régis Le Bris and had to battle their way through the playoffs to gain promotion. With a squad full of largely younger players, if Sunderland can avoid relegation and gel as a team they may be able to have an extended run in the Premier League.
Burnley have flip flopped between the Championship and the Premier League for the last 5 years. They finished 2nd last season and went on a 33 match unbeaten run. If they can take the cohesion they’ve developed as a team last season, Burnley manager Scott Parker and newly acquired Kyle Walker could finally break the cycle and keep The Clarets in the EPL for more than just a single season.
Leeds won the Championship last season after two years in the division. They’ve shown in the past that they know what to do to avoid relegation and were able to finish in the top half of the table after being promoted in the 2020/21 season. Daniel Farke will attempt to lead his team to achieving their former glory, but realistically a mid-table finish this year would be a huge accomplishment.