2026-27 Premier League predictions: our Expert Jury have all bases covered

Racing Post Sport football experts Aaron Ashley, Warren Ashurst, Joe Casey, Mark Langdon, Patrick Madden and Ian Wilkerson are on hand to answer the big questions in our Expert Jury.

What are you most looking forward to this season?

Aaron Ashley: I love the opening weeks of a campaign as every team is starting afresh and expectations have not yet been set. The ante-post favourites in the EFL may not be as strong as anticipated, while others have been underestimated and that provides an opportunity to find some early value.

Warren Ashurst: This could be the most fascinating Premier League we’ve had in some time, especially with so many new managers at the helm. The most intriguing sub-plot is how Manchester City deal with life after Pep Guardiola and whether Enzo Maresca makes big changes to the way the Citizens set up.

Joe Casey: The 2025-26 season felt like the end of an era in many ways, especially with Pep Guardiola leaving the Premier League. As well as Manchester City, eight other clubs will have a new manager in the dugout on the opening weekend and it will be intriguing to see which direction teams go in.

Mark Langdon: Being able to watch football in the right time zone again. My admiration went up for overseas Premier League observers during the World Cup as some late nights turned into a slog. Friday-Monday domestic football, Tuesday-Wednesday Champions League and rest on a Thursday with the Europa easily swerved.

Patrick Madden: Manchester United being back in the Champions League. Uefa might have ruined the format but it at least guarantees a few heavyweight fixtures in the group stage – Real Madrid or Barcelona at Old Trafford, please. Oh, and Gianni Infantino getting the boot.

Ian Wilkerson: A few new faces leading the fancied teams into battle. We’ll all be able to see just what effect Pep Guardiola had at Manchester City and whether it is just a case of spending big to guarantee success. Maybe Xabi Alonso will justify the hype at Chelsea as well. It promises to be an intriguing watch.

Will Arsenal go back-to-back in the Premier League?

AA: I’m willing to take a chance on Manchester City gaining revenge for last season, so no. Enzo Maresca is no Pep Guardiola but a change can sometimes be the thing that is required. Rodri leaving would be a huge blow but their squad is stacked and, on their day, I still believe they are the best team in England.

WA: Yes. The Gunners will rightly start as hot favourites, having been able to add further quality to their title-winning squad. The one big question mark is over the fitness of several key players, who looked exhausted at the World Cup after last season’s mammoth effort.

JC: Yes, and if they can add a top left winger they will be even harder to beat. Mikel Arteta saw the direction of travel a few years ago and his set-piece heavy, defence-first approach has become the recipe for success in the modern Premier League.

ML: Yes. There appears to be too much change at most of their probable rivals and the solid foundations Mikel Arteta has been building on for years should stand them in good stead. I don’t expect it to be a vintage title race and standing still could be enough for the Gunners.

PM: They look the likeliest winners. The Gunners have lifted a 22-year hoodoo and are strengthening the league’s best squad. Bruno Guimaraes is a fine addition and an elite left-sided forward would make Arsenal a formidable proposition, especially with all of their rivals in flux.

IW: There is a degree of risk in all the other big guns changing their manager and Manchester United are probably not the finished article, so the Gunners have a great chance. Ending their long wait to win the league last season will have been a huge relief and they are justifiably favourites.

Premier League: James Milton's top tips for the title 

Who do you think will make the top four?

AA: I expect Arsenal and Man City to fill the top two places. I’m unsure what to make of Liverpool under Andoni Iraola while Champions League football may stretch Manchester United. Chelsea have a wealth of depth and, like Tottenham, have no midweek engagements to distract them. Both have recruited well.

WA: I’m convinced the battle for Champions League qualification will go down to the final day of the season, with the top half of the table likely to be congested. I’ll go with Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea to fill the top-four positions.

JC: Arsenal and Manchester City are likely to slug it out for the title again, while Chelsea should kick on without the burden of European football. I like Andoni Iraola and I think Liverpool should be too strong for Tottenham and Manchester United. The Reds can round out the top four.

ML: Arsenal and Manchester City should have two spots locked down, but the other places – and let’s face it, the chances are there will be three other Champions League spots – look wide open. I don’t fancy United and I’m undecided on Liverpool, so Chelsea and Tottenham can take advantage of their free midweeks.

PM: Arsenal aside, it looks wide open. Manchester City have the squad to cope with the departure of Pep Guardiola and should finish second. If Manchester United sign well before the window closes they can match last season’s effort, while Chelsea’s absence from Europe could be of benefit to them.

IW: Arsenal are the team to beat and look a shoo-in for the top four. Liverpool can put their problems behind them and bounce back while Chelsea have a great chance if Alonso can be left to get on with the job. Manchester United might be able to get in on the act again as well.

Top-four finish: Who will seal Champions League football? 

Which three clubs are at the biggest risk of relegation?

AA: It may be a case of normal service resuming and the three promoted teams go straight back down. None can spend quite like Sunderland did last summer, and if the Black Cats are fourth favourites to go down then that shows the lack of viable candidates. There is too much ground to make up in a short space of time.

WA: It’s hard to see more than one of the promoted teams being good enough to survive and I think Coventry are the most likely to avoid the drop. Losing Marco Silva is a big setback for Fulham and they could be at risk of joining Ipswich and Hull in the Championship.

JC: I would be amazed if Hull managed to avoid finishing bottom, let alone stay up. Ipswich have lost Kieran McKenna, which is a big blow, but I’ll back one promoted side to survive and Coventry look the best placed of the three. There’s been a lot of change at Fulham and they could be vulnerable.

ML: It’s a decent bet for the promoted trio to be relegated. Hull look one of the worst teams ever to be promoted to the Premier League and Ipswich were out of their depth last time around. Coventry are more interesting, but you needed 40 points last season and I don’t see them getting that. 

PM: There is a reason why the three promoted clubs are odds-on to return to the Championship. Hull’s ascension to the top flight was a bit of a fluke and they look destined to finish bottom. Coventry and Ipswich look better equipped but it will be tough. Fulham, Newcastle and Leeds look most vulnerable otherwise.

IW: I find it difficult to look beyond the three teams who have come up – Coventry, Ipswich and Hull. Of those who struggled last year, Tottenham are unlikely to be involved while Nottingham Forest and Leeds finished last season relatively strongly. I just can’t see which of the established teams are going to get relegated.

Relegation: Jack Ogalbe looks at the battle to avoid the drop 

Joe Casey and Ian Wilkerson expect Andoni Iraola to do well at Liverpool

Which new manager will have the greatest impact?

AA: Enzo Maresca – but only because he has inherited an elite squad who are already primed to challenge for trophies. He isn’t Pep but I’m not sure he has to be. Who knows how the Chelsea board will treat Xabi Alonso while Andoni Iraola will be under far greater scrutiny than he ever encountered at Bournemouth.

WA: In Marco Rose, Bournemouth have a manager who says he wants to play “fast, dynamic and actively forward” football – remind you of another German former Premier League manager? The signs have been good in pre-season – scoring 19 goals in their first three friendlies – and they should be an entertaining watch.

JC: Liverpool had quickly gone stale under Arne Slot and I can see Andoni Iraola bringing a much more vibrant style of play to Anfield. The Reds might be open at the back but I fancy them to be strong enough at the other end of the pitch to secure a top-four spot.

ML: Oliver Glasner looks a sensible appointment for Nottingham Forest, assuming he gets enough time given the club went through four managers last season. Glasner worked wonders at Crystal Palace and the only way should be up for Forest without the distraction of the Europa League this time around.   

PM: With Guardiola gone the league lacks a box-office gaffer for the first time in a decade. Data-driven recruitment and styles mean it’s a case of plug in and play for some managers – Keith Andrews being an example – but Chelsea have backed Xabi Alonso heavily and allowed him to shape his own side.

IW: Andoni Iraola can give Liverpool the lift they need after their disappointing campaign, especially if he can get a tune out of Alexander Isak after his injury problems. With no Mohamed Salah to rely upon, they could embrace the team ethic to a greater degree and I anticipate a significant improvement.

Sack race: Which manager will be first to depart? 

What’s your hot take for the 2026-27 season?

AA: Real Madrid will win the Champions League. Jose Mourinho has had so much success in Europe and, despite being undercooked last season, Real still gave Bayern a scare in the quarters after seeing off Manchester City in the last 16. Madrid have significantly strengthened a defence which has often been their undoing.

WA: It’s been 18 years since Tottenham last won a domestic trophy, but I think Roberto De Zerbi can end that wait this season. There’s no Europe to worry about for Spurs, so they can put more focus on the cup competitions.

JC: Manchester United are a terrible price to win the title and to finish in the top four. They played just 40 games last season and their rivals all look set to improve. United’s midfield lacks physicality and Michael Carrick is not experienced at this level. I expect the Red Devils to regress with their increased fixture pressure.

ML: Harry Kane looks a vulnerable odds-on favourite to win the Ballon d’Or given he has never finished higher than tenth previously. Rodri (10.5) and Erling Haaland (180) are more fun bets to be had on the Betfair Exchange in that market.

PM: This is less of a hot take than it was a few weeks ago but Newcastle have had a tumultuous summer, have an inexperienced manager at the helm and the leadership group put in place by Eddie Howe has been decimated. Too good to go down? We’ll certainly find out . . .

IW: Manchester City are far from guaranteed a place in the top four. Enzo Maresca’s appointment is pinned on there being a smooth transition to a Guardiola devotee. If Erling Haaland has a poor campaign or picks up a significant injury, City may find they are not in next season’s Champions League.

Give us a Yankee for the top four English leagues

AA: I’m going for Man City in the Premier League at the prices and I’ll side with Wolves in the Championship. Luton finished last season strongly and can land League One honours while Port Vale have done some shrewd business and their boss Jon Brady guided Northampton to promotion from the basement in 2022-23.

WA: It’s Arsenal in the top flight and I’m going for Middlesbrough in the Championship. Luton finished strongly last season and their squad, which includes ex-top-flight players, can challenge for top spot in League One. Bristol Rovers finished last term unbeaten in nine and are my pick to take the League Two title. 

JC: Hull to finish bottom of the Premier League. They just don’t look up to it. Wolves can bounce back at the first attempt in the Championship, while Leicester should be winning League One. Chesterfield went close in League Two last term and have made some eye-catching summer signings.

ML: Arsenal for the Prem and my strongest fancy would be big-spending Salford to make up for their playoff final loss in League Two. Middlesbrough to be promoted is the Championship pick, while Luton, who finished the last League One season strongly, are more settled than Leicester and Sheffield Wednesday. 

PM: Premier League – Arsenal; Championship – Wolves; League One – Leicester; League Two – Salford.

IW: Arsenal look a solid selection in the top flight and I would be surprised if Southampton did not bounce back from their expulsion from the Championship playoffs. Plymouth can build on a strong finish in League One which saw them lose just two of their final 16 games, while Grimsby look well set to finish top in the bottom division. 

What’s your best bet in any ante-post market?

AA: There are plenty out there. City to be top north-west club ahead of United and Liverpool looks a steal at 7-5. In League One, Stockport are a similar price in the same market, which looks well wide of the mark. The Hatters have finished third in the last two third-tier campaigns and are a superior side to Blackpool and Wigan.

WA: I feel Fulham will struggle. Losing a manager with Premier League knowhow and replacing him with an inexperienced option is risky. They will be relying on young players to make an impact and you can get 10-11 about the Cottagers, who finished last season with 52 points, taking home fewer than 46.

JC: I think Hull to finish bottom of the Premier League is a cracking price. They finished second-bottom of the Championship’s expected-points table last season and it was a miracle they managed to get promoted. Their summer arrivals have hardly moved the needle, either.

ML: David Raya at odds-against to win the Golden Glove. He easily triumphed with 19 clean sheets last term and also won it in 2023-24 with 16 shutouts and shared the award with Matz Sels in 2024-25. Arsenal’s xG against last season was 28.3 and nobody else was under 44. 

PM: Paris Saint-Germain to win a third Champions League in a row. Luis Enrique is the best manager in the world and the format allows him to keep his powder dry until the spring. They were unplayable at times last season and the absence of much competition in Ligue 1 means they are fresher at the business end.

IW: With four each-way places available in the Premier League Golden Boot market, I’ll take Alexander Isak, who should be back at the top of his game after an injury-hit first season at Anfield and could flourish in Salah’s absence as the Reds’ main man. I expect the Swede to bounce back strongly after last year’s disappointment.

Read more on the Premier League:

Premier League: James Milton's top tips for the title 

Top-four finish: Who will seal Champions League football? 

Top goalscorer: The 20-1 shot who could outshine Haaland 

Relegation: Jack Ogalbe looks at the battle to avoid the drop 

Sack race: Which manager will be first to leave? 

Season specials: 12-1, 18-1, 50-1 and 80-1 Premier League tips   

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