PITA's 2026/27 Premier League predictions: Title winners, top four & relegation
The 2026/27 Premier League season gets underway on Friday night and it's time for us to reveal how we at Pain In The Arsenal all think the forthcoming campaign will unfold.
As fans we all spend our days talking about the sport we love and every single supporter thinks they know best, but the PITA team do like to think we know just a little bit about football. We hope so anyway!
Our primary focus is on our beloved Arsenal as always, but as our favoured side go into the season as defending Premier League champions having ended a long 22-year wait to win the title in May, we want to share how we think the top flight will pan out over the next nine months.
We might regret publishing, but here it goes. Here's how we at Pain In The Arsenal predict the 2026/27 Premier League season going in terms of the title, chase for Europe, relegation and more.
Lennie Teague: Arsenal - Starting off strong here with no hint of bias or favouritism at all. We finally ended the long wait to win the league last season and I think we'll fully take the handbrake off this season, start playing some exciting football and will retain the title. I just don't think any other club will come close considering how many are going through transitional periods.
Kian Long: Arsenal - I have to go with Arsenal here. Arsenal are the most stable team, having broken the trophy hoodoo, and they are years into their project under Mikel Arteta. The closest thing to that in the Premier League right now is Unai Emery's Aston Villa, but I can't see them mounting a title challenge.
Hridyam Arora: Arsenal - Arsenal are the best team in the league, and that isn't up for debate. They have improved on some of their 'weaknesses', and coupled with the rest of the top teams being in such weird transitional changes, Arsenal will continue their dominance.
Ben Gray: Arsenal - Currently massively clear of everyone else, but have to guard against complacency and Saliba will be a huge miss.
Alfie Cairns Culshaw: Arsenal - With so much uncertainty around the other clubs who could feasibly in contention, you've got to stick with the reigning champions. It would take a lot going wrong and a surprise team having an unexpectedly great season for it not to be the Gunners once again.
Kenneth Daly: Arsenal - There are reasons to think otherwise: the team might not be as motivated this term, key players like Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka may need some rest in the first few weeks, and the club have still not bought a superstar forward. But the Gunners are more settled than their rivals and have kept most of the squad together over the summer – a squad which knows how to win a title.
Robert Wheeler: Arsenal - Defending champions already made a statement in the Community Shield.
Lennie Teague: Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea: I don't know how close any potential title race will be, but I do think City will still finish second despite a poor first performance under Enzo Maresca. New managers Andoni Iraola and Xabi Alonso will both lead their respective sides to top four finishes and Champions League qualification.
Kian Long: Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea - I can see Chelsea sneaking into the top four under Xabi Alonso with their lack of European football helping them out. The top three won't surprise anyone.
Hridyam Arora: Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City - It will be incredibly tight after Arsenal, but United have revamped their midfield enough to be in contention for top two. Liverpool and City have new coaches, and the latter are losing some of their best players after a very successful dynasty. It'll be tough to get back to being the second-best team in the league that quickly. United being second is a bit of a hot take, but that's what we're here for.
Ben Gray: Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool - Man City and Liverpool still have good squads and Chelsea will massively benefit from no Europe.
Alfie Cairns Culshaw: Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool - Even without Pep Guardiola, City's level shouldn't drop too dramatically. They still have the second best squad and the gap between them and the rest last term was substantial. There's not an awful lot to distinguish Chelsea, Liverpool and United heading into the new campaign, but the Blues' lack of European football and United's influx of fixtures gives enough of a reason to order like this.
Kenneth Daly: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City - You never know with Chelsea, but surely they have the on-field and managerial quality to make a mark, especially with no European football to distract them? Elsewhere, Andoni Iraola will breathe new life into Liverpool and should get a tune out of a recent title-winning group, while City might well fall off in their post-Pep/Rodri/Bernardo Silva era but are still a very strong team; top four should still be on the cards for them.
Robert Wheeler: Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea - United should build on a promising first season under Michael Carrick, Chelsea could be a dark horse under Xabi Alonso with no European football. Man City should still be thereabouts despite Enzo Maresca having big boots to fill.
Lennie Teague: Fulham, Ipswich Town, Hull City - I think the bottom two speak for themselves as I don't think they have enough to stay afloat in the Premier League, especially Hull. Fulham is a rogue shout, but I think losing Marco Silva is huge for them and Álvaro Arbeloa recruiting his former Real Madrid B players, and Shea Charles from Southampton won't be enough.
Kian Long: Hull City, Ipswich Town, Fulham - I know, Fulham. I think, for the second season in a row, we won't see all three promoted teams get relegated. I just can't see Álvaro Arbeloa working out.
Hridyam Arora: Coventry City, Ipswich Town, Hull City - The easy option, but the teams that survived in the league last season are too strong for any of the new ones to stay up.
Ben Gray: Ipswich, Coventry City, Hull City - Sad to say, because it's terrible for the league when the 3 promoted clubs go straight back down, but they all look along way off competing.
Alfie Cairns Culshaw: Sunderland, Ipswich, Hull City - The underlying numbers had Hull as one of the worst teams in the Championship last season and they've not done much to improve their squad. It would be remarkable if they even finish 19th. Ipswich probably don't have enough either in a highly-competitive league. Sunderland probably should be good enough to oust Coventry, by my heart wants one of the promoted teams to stay up. The Black Cats' numbers suggest they were incredibly lucky to finish 7th last term, and so the addition of European football means they could very easily be in danger.
Kenneth Daly: Coventry City, Ipswich, Hull City - BORING! Yes, it is boring, but I suspect that all three of the promoted teams will go straight back down. Frank Lampard has struggled in his recent PL jobs (Everton and Chelsea) as has Gary O’Neil at Ipswich, while Hull are a bit of a surprise package to have even come up in the first place.
Robert Wheeler: Newcastle, Hull City, Nottingham Forest - Forest and Newcastle have both sold their best players and Hull City will find it difficult after being promoted via the playoffs.
Lennie Teague: Coventry City - They won't do a Sunderland (I called that by the way!) and get Europe, but so many seem to have wrote Coventry off instantly and I really don't think that will be the case. They won't do anything special, but they will secure survival and that would be a huge surprise if other predictions are anything to go by.
Kian Long: Newcastle - I'll say it, Newcastle. They're flying under the radar in a lot of people's predictions and understandably so given how they performed last time out, along with Howe and their entire squad leaving. The Newcastle we all love to get annoyed by work best when they're out of the spotlight, and they've got that again this season.
Hridyam Arora: Fulham - Alvaro Arbeloa is an exciting coach, and has brought in a couple of Real Madrid's youngsters with him. It'll be an interesting watch, especially if he starts playing the style of football all of his Real Madrid academy teams / Castilla used to play.
Ben Gray: Newcastle - Don't think they'll fall apart as many are forecasting. Jaissle seems like a good manager and they've signed some talented players.
Alfie Cairns Culshaw: Brighton - This is a prediction made with absolutely no conviction, as there's so little to split the Premier League's middle class at the moment. That said, Brighton are one of the clubs going into the new campaign with marginally more stability than others, and their xG difference per 90 last season was among the best six or seven in the league, so there's little reason to believe they get any worse, where as several other potential candidates for this category could easily fall off a cliff.
Kenneth Daly: Leeds United - After a few tough spells at Norwich City and hovering near the drop for much of last season, Daniel Farke seemed to find a strong PL formula at the end of 2025/26. Add to that how Leeds have bought well this summer and it is possible that the German could guide them to a top-half finish, or maybe more. Europa League, anyone?
Robert Wheeler: Coventry City - Frank Lampard has a point to prove and momentum after a very good promotion campaign.
Lennie Teague: Tottenham - It's hard to do anything other than get relegated if you're going to underperform after finishing 17th in the last two seasons. Spurs will avoid the drop, but some seem to think they'll be winning the league or at least mounting a title challenge. That will not be the case and if we're considering the expectations of some, they will underperform and finish nearer the bottom of the European spots.
Kian Long: Manchester City - They can only get worse after Pep Guardiola.
Hridyam Arora: Aston Villa - Due to the number of key losses in midfield and defence, they just won't be able to hit the same numbers as before. They have signed some good players, but at the moment, it just does not seem likely that they will get into the Champions League spots again. They'd still be good - but maybe not good enough to finish in the top five spots.
Ben Gray: Aston Villa - Selling Rogers, Tielemans and Digne is a lot of change and Garnacho isn't going to really help solve that
Alfie Cairns Culshaw: Aston Villa - There is an expectation now for Villa for them to just comfortably finish in the top six or seven every season now. However, with Champions League football to contend with, with Ollie Watkins potentially declining and without Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers, there is scope for a bit of a fall-off. That's not even to mention they ran very hot from a finishing standpoint for much of last term.
Kenneth Daly: Aston Villa - Unai Emery is doing well at Aston Villa but they are yet to kick on from top-four conversations into title talk, despite being in that mix by Christmas in recent years. This year, they have UCL to contend with again and will do so without Morgan Rogers or Youri Tielemans; if they do not spend big before the window shuts, they could end next season around the mid-table zone.
Robert Wheeler: Liverpool - Could struggle with Andoni Iraola in his first job at a big club.
Lennie Teague: Erling Haaland - Yes, I know, it is boring, but who else is going to stop him? He scores goals for fun and he'll do it again this year, even if City don't win the league for the third season running.
Kian Long: Erling Haaland - He might not save Enzo Maresca his job, though!
Hridyam Arora: Erling Haaland - It will be tough to see anyone fight Erling Haaland for the golden boot title. You would hope that it is an Arsenal player, but it likely won't be.
Ben Gray: Erling Haaland - No matter how good, bad or indifferent Man City are, Haaland will score goals.
Alfie Cairns Culshaw: Erling Haaland - Realistically, who else?
Kenneth Daly: Erling Haaland - Is there any point in betting against him? Even if City are not quite as good as usual, Haaland will be amongst the goals. He managed 22 league goals in 2024/25 when City struggled badly and he missed bits of the campaign, while he never needs many touches to get on the scoresheet. Let him take the golden boot and Arsenal can claim the title.
Robert Wheeler: Joao Pedro - Will have the service of both Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer.
Lennie Teague: Declan Rice - He really should have won the award last year, but Bruno Fernandes and his assists got in his way. That won't be the case this season as Rice will lay claim to the prize.
Kian Long: Martin Odegaard - He's my early contender. A great end to last season, splendid World Cup, and he was on fire in the Community Shield. Let's see how that translates.
Hridyam Arora: Martin Odegaard - Arsenal's captain has not been in the best of forms in the last couple of years. This will be his redemption arc. With Bruno Guimaraes joining Rice in midfield, Odegaard will be able to move the ball around in more dangerous areas. If he is able to get that creative spark back, and start taking risks again, there aren't many midfielders in the league that are better than him.
Ben Gray: Gabriel - Could have won it last year and without Saliba he will be even more important than before.
Kenneth Daly: David Raya - It is unlikely that a goalkeeper would win the award (only Peter Schmeichel has done it) and if last year was not enough to win it, then you might think David Raya has absolutely no chance. But a repeat of his 2025/26 efforts will put him in contention and, this time, there is no one-game-a-week Bruno Fernandes to take it from him. Declan Rice will be too tired to hit the same heights as last term.
Robert Wheeler: Declan Rice - Should be in line for an even better season now he has Bruno Guimaraes alongside him.
Lennie Teague: Christos Tzolis - His pre-season for Arsenal was brilliant and he will continue that throughout the term. If another left winger comes in, there could be a case for this to change, but if Tzolis is starting, he will impress.
Kian Long: Split decision - If we're talking what he'll bring, Elliot Anderson. If we're talking sheer value for money, it has to be Bruno Guimaraes.
Hridyam Arora: Christos Tzolis - He has looked amazing in an Arsenal shirt so far, and I expect him to hit double figures in goals as well as assists. Great, underrated signing that will surprise a lot of people. For non-Arsenal players, Youri Tielemans is a good signing for Manchester United, but I'll stick with Tzolis.
Ben Gray: Jérémy Jacquet - Will need time to get up to speed at Liverpool but could be a game-changer in their defence
Alfie Cairns Culshaw: Bruno Guimaraes - It had to be a signing from the team I've tipped to win the title, and Guimaraes is the statement addition so far for the Gunners. If Arsenal cruise towards retaining their title, rather than grinding to it like last season, he'll be the major difference from last term.
Kenneth Daly: Christos Tzolis - Some Arsenal bias here! A marquee addition before the window shuts might dampen this dream, but Tzolis was an output machine for Club Brugge and has excelled in pre-season. Keep up that form in 2026/27 and soon his £34m price tag might look a steal.
Robert Wheeler: Christos Tzolis - Has already impressed with a star performance in the Community Shield.
Yes, we're drifting away from the Premier League for this last one, but I just wanted to see what the team think will happen in Europe's premier competition.
Lennie Teague: Arsenal - There's been a pattern for Arsenal since their return to the Champions League. Quarter-finals, semi-finals, runners-up. This year is their year to win it.
Kian Long: Arsenal - We've earned the right to get shamelessly deluded now... Not that it's ever stopped us before.
Hridyam Arora: Real Madrid - Apologies Arsenal fans, but Real Madrid are taking the 16th to the Bernabeu.
Ben Gray: Bayern Munich - Can't see PSG pulling off a three-peat, but they have proven that, in an era of so many games, dominating your domestic league is such a massive help, plus their attack is outrageously good
Alfie Cairns Culshaw: PSG - Arsenal will be in the mix once again, but PSG will have the exact same elite team to roll out and they'll likely manage all of their stars' minutes extremely cautiously again until crunch time.
Kenneth Daly: Arsenal - Okay, maybe I am getting carried away here! PSG will be tough to dethrone but Arsenal seem to get stronger and stronger every year. I expect that the title win was a huge weight off their shoulders and, now, they are ready to play with the sort of freedom and arrogance that will help them go one step further in Europe.
Robert Wheeler: Arsenal - Were agonisingly close last season, and will be difficult for PSG to win three on the bounce.
Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations
