Chelsea clinched fourth spot in the Premier League on the final day of last season. What position will Enzo Maresca’s side finish in during the upcoming 2025/26 campaign, though?
The Blues showed inconsistent form throughout the previous season, but winning away at Nottingham Forest on the final day secured fourth and Champions League qualification.
After two years outside the top four of the Premier League, Chelsea’s young squad took a step in the right direction last season. They won the Club World Cup and Conference League to build a winning mentality, too.
Chelsea’s main objective is another top-four finish in the new league season because the owners are refusing to get too carried away.
The Premier League trophy on display ahead of Chelsea v Sunderland - Premier League
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
Opta Supercomputer predicts the 2025/26 Premier League
According to the Opta Supercomputer, Chelsea are most likely to finish fourth in the Premier League during the upcoming season.
Apparently, the Blues have an 8.4% chance of winning the league title, which would be for the first time since the 2016/17 season. Opta claims the current Chelsea team have a 10.9% chance of finishing fourth again.
Position Club
1 Liverpool
2 Arsenal
3 Manchester City
4 Chelsea
5 Aston Villa
6 Newcastle United
7 Crystal Palace
8 Brighton
9 Bournemouth
10 Brentford
11 Nottingham Forest
12 Manchester United
13 Everton
14 Tottenham
15 Fulham
16 West Ham
17 Wolverhampton Wanderers
18 Burnley
19 Leeds United
20 Sunderland
Even though Alan Shearer thinks Chelsea can challenge for the Premier League, it would be a major ask for them to truly compete with Liverpool, Arsenal and Man City.
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If the Blues had failed on the final day of last season, they could be viewed very differently by everyone. While Maresca deserves immense credit for steering the club in the right direction, it feels like there is still a lot of work to be done with a young group.
Blues legend John Terry doubts Chelsea are ready for the Premier League title, which is quite a clear indicator.
Enzo Maresca talks to Cole Palmer during Chelsea against Fulham in the Premier League.
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Have Chelsea’s summer signings made them stronger?
On paper, Chelsea do look like a stronger squad than last year, so we would hope to see the team land a top-four finish fairly comfortably.
The additions of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap feel like quite significant upgrades to the attacking options. Despite the fact Noni Madueke has left, Estevao Willian and Jamie Gittens have also arrived at Stamford Bridge.
Elsewhere, the group looks bulkier with the introduction of versatile defender Jorrel Hato, who covers both left-back and centre-half. We’re super excited to see what Andrey Santos can add to the midfield after an excellent loan at Strasbourg, too.
We agree it’s too much to ask this current Chelsea team to win a league title in their current state, but the pressure and expectation should be high because they are full of so much talent in the dressing room.