Maresca and Frank have work to do - but for different reasonsplaceholder image
Maresca and Frank have work to do - but for different reasons | AFP via Getty Images
The latest predicted Premier League table has arrived, and it suggests Chelsea have some work to do.
The latest predicted Premier League table has dropped following Sunday’s results, and the biggest change from the weekend involves the top four race. There were some big results, over the weekend, with one of the most entertaining games involving Chelsea.
There was no change at the top, with Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa all winning to keep the title race as is. Elsewhere, Tottenham’s struggles continued with a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool that saw two Spurs players sent off - and that won’t help them over a busy festive period, with Xavi Simons and Cristian Romero now suspended.
Crystal Palace lost their second straight game, suffering a surprising defeat to Leeds United, and they dropped to eighth as a consequence. Brentford beat Wolves on Saturday, while Fulham don’t play until Monday night, taking on Nottingham Forest.
Updated predicted table
As ever, OPTA have updated their predicted final Premier League table after the weekend’s results, and as you would expect, the current top three is expected to finish in the same order, with Arsenal expected to win the league by just under five points, on average. The points totals are not exact round numbers due to them being an average from thousands of simulations.
The biggest shift sees Liverpool predicted to finish fourth and by just under three points ahead of Chelsea in fifth. Despite their recent wobble, Crystal Palace are expected to finish sixth, just under seven points below Chelsea and less than a point ahead of Manchester United.
Of course, we don’t yet know which place will mean what when it comes to the European race. As was the case last year, if English clubs are among the two best countries when it comes to European performance this year, it will mean fifth place becomes a Champions League spot, while sixth and seventh would be Europa League spots and eighth would be a Conference League spot, unless a team that finishes outside the top seven wins the FA Cup, in which case the FA Cup winners would take a Europa League spot.
Newcastle are currently expected to finish eighth, less than a point behind Manchester United, and that fate would represent a big regression for them after a top four finish last season.
At the other end of the table, Tottenham are on course to finish as low as 13th, according to the prediction, while West Ham are on course to be relegated, expected to finish around five points behind Leeds United in the final safe spot. Elsewhere, Brentford are expected to finish in 10th and Fulham in 15th.
The Bees would certainly be pleased with that, especially in their first season after losing long-serving boss Thomas Frank. It would be a step backwards for Fulham, but you wouldn’t put it past Marco Silva’s men to turn things around over the coming weeks.
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