Writers update their 2025/26 predictions

Five football writers - Ninad Barbadikar (NB), Ben Bloom (BB), Adrian Clarke (AC), Daniel Edwards (DE) and Alex Keble (AK) - reveal their personal picks for champions, top scorer, player of the season and more for the remainder of 2025/26.

Predicted final tables - Premier League 2025/26

Scroll right to see all of our writers' predicted tables

Who will win the title? 

Ninad Barbadikar: Arsenal
Arsenal still have my vote to be the champions at the end of the season. Even though the new attacking additions are slowly finding their feet, it is the existing group of players who have carried the Gunners along thus far. Their prowess in set pieces is unmatched and once the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze find their feet, they will be hard to stop.

Ben Bloom: Manchester City
Arsenal’s recent run was extraordinary, but Man City sit only four points behind with an identical goal difference. They have been average at times, but if Erling Haaland stays fit, I’m backing the revival of Phil Foden to help City pip Arsenal to the title. But it will be close.

Adrian Clarke: Arsenal
I’m sticking with my pre-season pick because Mikel Arteta is building something really special. Their defensive record is phenomenal, and I do envisage Arsenal improving their attacking play now that some of the injured forwards are set to return from injury. Depth-wise, tactically, and mentally, everything is in place for Arsenal to finally become champions again.

Daniel Edwards: Arsenal
Arsenal have set the standard so high this season that a draw away to fourth-place Sunderland, a game in which they nonetheless played brilliantly, has been regarded as a slip-up that could allow chasers a pathway to victory. The truth is, the Gunners are simply a cut above all pursuers, and I expect them to make that abundantly clear when they face Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea after the international break. Remember, they still have the likes of Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Noni Madueke to come back into the team.

Alex Keble: Man City
I’m sticking with Man City. Their form has been ominously good of late and everything about the current incarnation reads like a classic Man City autumn; gearing up for acceleration in the spring. Arsenal will feel the pressure and the experienced Pep Guardiola will be there to pounce.

Verdict: Champions

Barbadikar - old prediction: Arsenal; new prediction: Arsenal
Bloom - old: Man City; new: Man City
Clarke - old: Arsenal; new: Arsenal
Edwards - old: Man City; new: Arsenal
Keble - old: Man City; new: Man City

Who will finish in the top four?

Ninad Barbadikar: Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool
Though Arne Slot’s Liverpool are looking shaky at the minute, they have enough in the ranks to recover and make the top four. The top two have firmly established themselves as the only two teams in the title race. Meanwhile, Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea are picking up results in steady fashion, despite the occasional bump.

Ben Bloom: Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea
The identity of my predicted top four teams has not changed since pre-season, but Arsenal’s excellent start has seen them leapfrog Liverpool and Chelsea to move up to second.

Adrian Clarke: Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea
Again, I am sticking with the order I had at the outset of this season. Man City’s young side are developing very well and they have Haaland in ridiculously prolific form. With so many changes, I expected the Liverpool dip, but they are too good not to recover to claim third place in my opinion, while Chelsea I view as the best of the rest. They will be inconsistent, but with so many good players they really should make the top four.

Daniel Edwards: Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea
Man City will be Arsenal’s closest challengers this season, but a great deal of improvement will need to be made out of possession if they are to go toe-to-toe – the Gunners are simply far harder to beat. Liverpool are doing a great impression of last season’s City side by succumbing to all of their deficiencies in one fell swoop, but they should recover in the new year. Chelsea will continue to improve, but their ever-changing central defence and the absence of Cole Palmer are hurdles for a title push.

Alex Keble: Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool
I don’t foresee Liverpool getting any worse and Slot’s side should stabilise enough to make the top four, while Chelsea have made clear strides forward over the summer and will only get better when Palmer returns.

Verdict: Top four

Barbadikar
Old prediction: Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea
New prediction: Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool

Bloom
Old: Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal
New: Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea

Clarke
Old: Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea
New: Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea

Edwards
Old: Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea
New: Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea

Keble
Old: Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea
New: Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool

Three teams to be relegated

Ninad Barbadikar: Burnley, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers
With Sunderland making a flying start to the season, it’s between Leeds United and Burnley to be one of the promoted teams to go down. I’m picking Burnley as Scott Parker’s side remain unconvincing in their top-flight exploits so far. As for West Ham United and Wolves, both teams have new managers who are likely to struggle to change things around, rooting them in the relegation battle for the rest of the season.

Ben Bloom: Leeds, Burnley, Wolves
With Sunderland upsetting all pre-season relegation predictions in these early stages, it is Leeds and Burnley I expect to join Wolves, who are doomed. West Ham are no certainties to avoid the drop though.

Adrian Clarke: Leeds, Wolves, Burnley
Only Burnley remain from my original picks. Parker’s side are doing fine, but I just don’t think they have the attacking firepower to survive. Wolves have had a nightmare start, and I do wonder if they have left themselves too much to do under Rob Edwards. Their talent pool is severely diminished compared to previous years and although I expect improvement, they don’t have a deep enough squad. I fear Leeds' poor away form may cost them, and they have some difficult fixtures to come. Just two of their first 11 matches have been against top-eight teams.

Daniel Edwards: Wolves, Burnley, Leeds
No side has ever avoided relegation with Wolves’ return of two points from 11 games, and I don’t expect Edwards to be the man to change that, despite the obvious quality that resides among their squad. Burnley will not go down without a fight but the defensive nous they showcased last season was their best chance of avoiding relegation, and with 22 goals conceded already, they have been unable to replicate any of that stability. Leeds are capable of challenging any side at Elland Road, but their away form is concerning, as is their attacking play. Daniel Farke’s side have only scored more goals than Wolves this season and the German is in desperate need of reinforcements to his front three if he is to keep the Whites in the division.

Alex Keble: Leeds, Burnley, Wolves
Burnley have only beaten Sunderland, Leeds, and Wolves so far, while Leeds’ wins have been against Everton, Wolves, and West Ham. Neither have shown enough against the stronger teams to suggest they can stay above the recovering Nottingham Forest and West Ham.

Verdict: Three teams to be relegated

Barbadikar
Old prediction: Burnley, Brentford, Wolves
New prediction: Leeds, Burnley, Wolves

Bloom
Old: Burnley, Brentford, Sunderland
New: Leeds, Burnley, Wolves

Clarke
Old: Brentford, Burnley, Sunderland
New: Leeds, Wolves, Burnley

Edwards
Old: Burnley, Brentford, Leeds
New: Wolves, Burnley, Leeds

Keble
Old: Brentford, Burnley, Leeds
New: Leeds, Burnley, Wolves

Who will be the top scorer?

Ninad Barbadikar: Erling Haaland
With 14 goals and counting, Haaland is set to potentially have a record-breaking season. He looks sharper and stronger than ever, further strengthening his chemistry with Rayan Cherki. For all the talk of Man City’s over-reliance on his goals, the Norway international seems to have no problem in finding the back of the net, week after week.

Ben Bloom: Erling Haaland
No change whatsoever from my pre-season prediction. As he has already shown this season, Haaland is the best striker in the Premier League by a considerable margin.

Adrian Clarke: Erling Haaland
When I went for Haaland in the summer I didn’t expect him to have netted 14 times already! He’s looking sharper than ever, and the only thing that could stop him winning the Golden Boot is injury.

Daniel Edwards: Erling Haaland
This is less a race for the Golden Boot and more a race to see who can come second to Haaland, with Igor Thiago (eight goals) currently trailing Haaland by six goals. The largest gap between the two highest scorers in a single season is 10 goals, courtesy of Luis Suarez (31) and Daniel Sturridge (21) in 2013/14. Could Haaland top that?

Alex Keble: Erling Haaland
Haaland probably needs another two or three goals to secure the Golden Boot. His sights are on his own record of 36 goals in a single season which, on current form, he will obliterate.

Verdict: Top scorer

Barbadikar - Old prediction: Haaland; New prediction: Haaland
Bloom - Old: Haaland; new: Haaland
Clarke - Old: Haaland; new: Haaland
Edwards - Old: Haaland; new: Haaland
Keble - Old: Haaland; new: Haaland

Who will be the top assister?

Ninad Barbadikar: Jeremy Doku
Going hand-in-hand with Haaland’s goals, Man City’s Belgian speedster Jeremy Doku has my backing to be the top assister. Guardiola has found new ways of maximising his talents this term. He already has three assists and sits second in the assist rankings, tied with a few other names in the league. Expect his assists tally to trump everyone else’s come May.

Ben Bloom: Bukayo Saka
I’m seeing it as nothing more than a quirk that Bukayo Saka is yet to provide a single Premier League assist this season. With no one currently on more than four assists, the Arsenal man can reel in those above.

Adrian Clarke: Jeremy Doku
Maybe it’s recency bias but Doku's amazing performance against Liverpool showed what a fearsome winger the Man City star has become. Statistically, the Belgian is creating the most chances and big chances per 90 minutes, so he could end up supplying Haaland with plenty more goals.

Daniel Edwards: Mohamed Salah
My pre-season pick for this category was Mohamed Salah and I’m sticking with him, despite the Egyptian’s obvious struggles this season. Liverpool simply have too much quality in attack to not produce a high goal return, with Alexander Isak still waiting to make his mark. Salah’s innate creativity will be key to Slot’s rebalancing of the attack.

Alex Keble: Jeremy Doku
The Man City winger, who already has three assists, has added a final ball to his game and looks set to be a guaranteed starter for Guardiola throughout the season, meaning plenty of chances to set up Haaland.

Verdict: Top assister

Barbadikar - Old prediction: Wirtz; new prediction: Doku
Bloom - Old: Saka; new: Saka
Clarke - Old: Saka; new: Doku
Edwards - Old: Salah; new: Salah
Keble - Old: Salah; new: Doku

Watch: Doku's best moments for Man City v Liverpool

Which goalkeeper will keep the most clean sheets?

Ninad Barbadikar: David Raya
David Raya is the clear favourite for this one. With a defence that seems impenetrable on most days, the Spaniard is likely to retain the Golden Glove he shared with Nott'm Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels last season.

Ben Bloom: David Raya
It has to be Raya, right? Until Arsenal’s last game against Sunderland, they had conceded only three goals in 10 Premier League games. Their back five is brilliant.

Adrian Clarke: David Raya
Raya was the obvious pick in pre-season and nothing has happened to change my mind. The Gunners have the best defence by far.

Daniel Edwards: David Raya
Arsenal are by far the best defensive team in the Premier League this season, and they are equipped to challenge for the title of the best defensive team in the competition’s history, with Chelsea’s record of 15 goals conceded in 2004/05 potentially under threat. Raya doesn’t just happen to be the goalkeeper who benefits from their rigidity - he is a key component.

Alex Keble: David Raya
Even if Arsenal finish second, they are likely to concede the fewest goals this season. Raya is already on seven clean sheets from 11 games, an incredible record that probably won’t drop enough to let Robert Sanchez or Gianluigi Donnarumma in.

Verdict: Most clean sheets

Barbadikar - old prediction: Raya; new prediction: Raya
Bloom - old: Raya; new: Raya
Clarke - old: Raya; new: Raya
Edwards - old: Raya; new: Raya
Keble - old: Raya; new: Raya

Who will be the Player of the Season?

Ninad Barbadikar: Erling Haaland
Haaland is the one I back here once again, his numbers speak for themselves and if Man City can find a way to spoil Arsenal’s title charge along the way, no doubt Haaland will have a lot of say in making that happen.

Ben Bloom: Erling Haaland
A number of Arsenal players are potential candidates – notably Gabriel Magalhaes and Declan Rice – while Antoine Semenyo and Granit Xhaka have been talismanic for their clubs. But if Man City win the league, it will be down to Haaland's ridiculous goal tally.

Adrian Clarke: Gabriel Magalhaes
If Man City win the title, Haaland is nailed on, but should it be Arsenal, I can see Gabriel being a leading contender. The Brazilian plays with so much personality, and has been in brilliant form all season. His set-piece prowess is also seriously eye catching. Not many defenders win it, but big Gabby can. His team-mate Rice won’t be far away either.

Daniel Edwards: Erling Haaland
Salah set a competition record in 2017/18 by outscoring three different Premier League teams on the way to a 32-goal season and the Player of the Season award. Haaland is currently outscoring eight teams, while matching the output of three others. While Arsenal have a number of stars in contention for the award, it’s clear who is top dog at Man City.

Alex Keble: Erling Haaland
The rate of goals he’s scoring at will make it very difficult for anyone else to take the prize off him, especially in a season when – so far – there hasn’t been a standout player for any of the title challengers.

Verdict: Player of the season

Barbadikar - old prediction: Wirtz; new prediction: Haaland
Bloom - old: Palmer; new: Haaland
Clarke - old: Rice; new: Gabriel
Edwards - old: Haaland; new: Haaland
Keble - old: Haaland; new: Haaland

Who will be the Manager of the Season?

Ninad Barbadikar: Regis Le Bris
The Sunderland boss has impressed many with his team’s performances, giving teams above them many a headache. If they can secure a top-10 finish, I think the acclaim belongs to the Frenchman.

Ben Bloom: Pep Guardiola
Only once in the last 11 seasons has the title-winning manager not won this award, so I’ll go for Guardiola. If Arsenal win then Arteta is a certainty, and if Sunderland finish in the top eight it should, without doubt, be Le Bris.

Adrian Clarke: Mikel Arteta
If Arsenal go on to win the title, on the back of three runners-up finishes, I believe Arteta will deserve the accolade. He is doing a tremendous job. Le Bris is a major rival for that prize at the moment, but I feel it’s a huge ask for Sunderland to maintain their current level of form.

Daniel Edwards: Regis Le Bris
Andoni Iraola and Keith Andrews deserve huge credit for the work they have done this season despite losing a multitude of key players at AFC Bournemouth and Brentford respectively, but it’s impossible to look beyond Regis Le Bris for this award. Sunderland finished 24 points behind both Leeds and Burnley in the Championship last season, and yet they sit fourth in the Premier League at current with no signs of slowing down.

Alex Keble: Regis Le Bris
This award tends to go to the manager who wins the Premier League title, meaning Guardiola. But in terms of which manager will have made the biggest impact, then it’s Le Bris, whose Sunderland side are the best promoted team in years.

Verdict: Manager of the season

Barbadikar - old prediction: Thomas Frank; new prediction - Le Bris
Bloom - old: Farke; new: Guardiola
Clarke - old: Ruben Amorim; new: Arteta
Edwards - old: Frank; new: Le Bris
Keble - old: Guardiola; new: Le Bris

Who will be the Young Player of the Season?

Ninad Barbadikar: Nico O’Reilly
Man City youngster Nico O’Reilly has already had more starts this season than he had last season and looks more impressive with each passing week. With three goal contributions to his name already, the prodigious full-back is my favourite to be the Young Player of the Season.

Ben Bloom: Estevao
Used sparingly by Maresca – a decision befitting of his meagre years – Estevao looks to be an unbelievable talent. Whether he receives enough game time to win this award remains to be seen. If not then Adam Wharton and Cherki are candidates, or Michael Kayode purely for his lethal long throws.

Adrian Clarke: Nico O’Reilly
I have been so impressed with O'Reilly's development. He has locked down City’s left-back spot and is growing stronger week by week. Talented, skilful, quick and strong, he has it all.

Daniel Edwards: Alejandro Garnacho
He can prove frustrating for fans and coaches alike, but when Alejandro Garnacho gets it right, he looks a world beater. The Argentine winger terrorised Wolves’ defence when laying on two assists last time out and he can make the left-wing spot his own at Chelsea this season if he knuckles down and takes on board the knowledge of those around him.

Alex Keble: Nico O’Reilly
I expect O’Reilly to be England’s first-choice left-back by the end of the season, cementing his talent in the minds of even those who don’t regularly watch Man City play. O’Reilly already has a goal and two assists, so if keeps up those goal contributions he’ll earn plenty more plaudits.

Verdict: Young Player of the Season

Barbadikar - old prediction: Mainoo; new prediction: O’Reilly
Bloom - old: Lewis-Skelly; new: Estevao
Clarke - old: Wharton; new: O’Reilly
Edwards - old: Cherki; new: Garnacho - new
Keble - old: Baleba; new: O’Reilly

Writers' predictions: Premier League top and bottom

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Writers' predictions: Top scorer, top assister, most clean sheets

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Writers' predictions: Player, Young Player and Manager of the Year awards

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