It could be really tough to predict where Chelsea will finish in the upcoming Premier League season.
Chelsea snuck into fourth spot in last year’s Premier League, which was a success for Enzo Maresca during his first year in charge. Can they now follow it up in the new campaign?
The biggest uncertainty for the Blues is that they had an unusual summer, participating and winning in the Club World Cup tournament. It means that they’ve had a very short pre-season schedule, beating Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan last week in their only friendlies.
Chelsea’s target is another top-four finish because the owners are aware of the young squad building in the right direction.
Theo Walcott at the Premier League match between Brighton and Arsenal.
Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images
Theo Walcott and Ben Foster disagree on Chelsea predictions
Theo Walcott and Ben Foster, two former England internationals, have disagreed with their predictions for where Chelsea will finish in the upcoming 2025/26 Premier League season.
During a conversation on The Overlap US, Walcott tipped the Blues to finish fourth again in the league.
Position Club
1st Liverpool
2nd Manchester City
3rd Arsenal
4th Chelsea
Theo Walcott’s Premier League prediction for the 2025/26 season
Meanwhile, Foster said on his own YouTube channel that Chelsea will end up fifth in the Premier League.
Position Club
1st Arsenal
2nd Manchester City
3rd Liverpool
4th Manchester United
5th Chelsea
Ben Foster’s Premier League prediction for the 2025/26 season
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Like many pundits, Alan Shearer thinks Chelsea can compete for the Premier League. Therefore, the predictions above from Walcott and Foster feel quite underwhelming.
Ben Foster at a pre-season match between Wrexham and Los Angeles Galaxy II.
Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images
Enzo Maresca should be targeting quick start at Chelsea
If you look at Chelsea’s opening six league fixtures, they should feel optimistic that they can start the new season quickly.
Maresca’s side go into the campaign with huge momentum behind them, and they need to use that. As well as winning five of their last six league games to secure fourth spot last season, they also won the Club World Cup and Conference League.
Chelsea’s recent record on opening days isn’t that inspiring, so hopefully they can start quickly on Sunday at home against Crystal Palace.
If the Blues can start quickly, the next test will be whether they have the durability to mount a serious title challenge alongside competing in various cup competitions.