In just a matter of hours, Liverpool and Bournemouth will raise the curtain on the Premier League season at Anfield, where the champions host the Cherries on Friday evening.
While the Reds only have their eyes on the title prize, and the Cherries may be hopeful of sneaking into the top half in spite of losing multiple key defenders, other teams have more modest ambitions.
Indeed, the scrap for survival could see all of Leeds United, Sunderland and Burnley embroiled in a demotion dogfight, potentially leading to all three promoted teams going straight back down for the third year running.
However, Brentford losing key players and staff could spell danger, while Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United may also be a few people's picks to play Championship football in 2026-27.
Ahead of the start of the new season, the Sports Mole team predicts which three sides will be relegated from the 2025-26 Premier League.
Barney Corkhill, Editor - Leeds, Sunderland, Burnley
I really tried to find a way not to pick all three promoted teams to go straight back down for a third successive season, but in the end I just could not see any of last season's Premier League teams finishing below them.
There are a lot of question marks lingering over some of those clubs, the answers to which could be the difference between pushing for the top half or finding themselves in a relegation battle. How many of Eberechi Eze, Adam Wharton and Marc Guehi can Crystal Palace keep hold of? How will Bournemouth cope with losing pretty much their entire defence? Can Nottingham Forest juggle European football with Premier League commitments? Could Man United still get even worse?!
The two I think might be most vulnerable are Wolves and Brentford, the latter of whom have seen their best players and their inspirational manager leave this summer. The system at the club makes you think that they should be able to build again, but that is a lot of change, and they have taken a big gamble on an untested new boss to lead that rebuild. Wolves have also lost some key players and weren't convincing for much of 2024-25.
All that said, they all still seem more Premier League-ready than the three promoted teams, naturally. Burnley relied on an incredible defensive record last season but can't expect to do the same with the superior quality of the Premier League, especially having also lost their goalkeeper.
Leeds were excellent last term and look like the promoted team most capable of staying up, but the question mark for me would be whether they are better than three other teams in the division - I suspect not.
Sunderland have spent a lot of money, but the only player with significant Premier League experience they have bought is a 32-year-old Granit Xhaka, and they also finished a whopping 24 points behind the other two promoted teams in the Championship last season - that is an enormous chasm to make up to just their fellow new boys, yet alone the rest of the top flight.
It would be great to see one or more of the promoted teams stay up, but unfortunately I fear it will be another season where they will be noticeably worse than those who have been in the league for a few years now.
Matt Law, Football Editor - Leeds, Sunderland, Burnley
Burnley head coach Scott Parker on November 30, 2024
Brentford could be in trouble this season, while Wolves and West Ham may be in and around the bottom three for stages of the campaign, but I'm struggling to pick teams other than Sunderland, Leeds and Burnley.
I like a lot of Sunderland's transfer business, and I'm giving them the best chance out of the three promoted clubs to avoid the drop, but I think that the Black Cats will ultimately drop back down to the Championship.
Looking at the squads that belong to Burnley and Leeds, I'm just not seeing enough quality to finish outside of the bottom three, and it could be a very tough 2025-26 campaign for both of those clubs.
Oliver Thomas, Senior Reporter - Burnley, Leeds, Brentford
Recent history suggests that newly-promoted clubs will be the favourites for relegation in a fiercely competitive Premier League, with Leeds United, Burnley and Sunderland all likely to be up against it this season.
Accumulating 100 points to win the Championship title is no mean feat and Leeds will hope to kick on and establish themselves back in the big time. However, Daniel Farke is yet to prove himself as a Premier League manager and few would be surprised to see his job under threat if the Whites fail to make a promising start.
Burnley also reached triple figures for points last season and boasted an impressive defensive record, but it is difficult to see Scott Parker’s side having the same success in the top flight against significantly stronger opposition. Two key players from their backline last season - goalkeeper James Trafford and defender CJ Egan-Riley - have also left the club this summer.
Some will argue that last season’s Championship playoff winners Sunderland will find it challenging to adapt to life back in the Premier League, but Regis Le Bris has been backed in the summer transfer market and is building an exciting squad, mixed with youth and experience, that has the potential to surprise many.
I am backing the Black Cats to narrowly avoid the drop, and it could be Brentford who suffer relegation along with Leeds and Burnley this term. The Bees have deservedly received plenty of plaudits for their rise under Thomas Frank in recent years, but new head coach Keith Andrews is now jumping into the unknown at this level and the spine of his team has almost been wiped out.
Goalkeeper Mark Flekken, midfielder and captain Christian Norgaard and star attacker Bryan Mbeumo have all departed, while Yoane Wissa also look likely to leave this summer. Just over 59% of Brentford’s goals were scored by both Mbeumo (20) and Wissa (19) last season and a lot is now riding on Igor Thiago to deliver in the final third. If the Bees struggle to pose a regular goal threat, then they may slip down the table and out of the league this season.
Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter - Leeds, Burnley, Brentford
Manager of Brentford Keith Andrews after his side's match against Queens Park Rangers, on August 2, 2025
Both head and heart played a role in this decision - I could not bear to pick all three promoted clubs after the events of the last two seasons, and I genuinely believe that Regis Le Bris's Sunderland have what it takes to cement themselves as a top-tier side, for at least one season.
Yes, the Black Cats may have been well off the pace set by Leeds and Burnley last season, but their astute transfer business cannot be ignored.
The signing of Bundesliga Invincible Xhaka speaks for itself, while Reinildo is a Ligue 1 winner with Lille, Habib Diarra and Enzo Le Fee have shown plenty of promise in midfield, and Simon Adingra is a particularly exciting acquisition up front too.
Add in a reliable shot-stopper in Anthony Patterson and the exciting Chris Rigg, and Sunderland's individual quality may just see them over the dotted line, which is more than can be said for a Brentford side who have lost the devastating Wissa-Mbeumo partnership, the presence of Norgaard in midfield and Frank's tactical brain.
Meanwhile, Burnley have made some key signings at the back and in attack, but they could be overrun in the middle of the park, while Leeds' offensive options do not stand out to me either.
Joel Lefevre, Reporter - Burnley, Leeds, Sunderland
It’s become increasingly difficult for newly promoted sides to find a foothold in the Premier League as they are often overmatched at that level.
Sadly, I believe we will see all three promoted clubs from last season Burnley, Leeds United and Sunderland get relegated by the end of this campaign.
Neither have the tools nor experience needed to compete at this level, while none of those teams’ coaches boast a great record as Premier League managers or in top-flight competitions.
Regis Le Bris had a small bit of success in Ligue 1 at Lorient, but it didn’t last long, and I don’t think this experience will for him or the long-suffering Sunderland fans.
Daniel Farke seemed completely overwhelmed at Norwich City in the top flight, failing to keep them around for longer than a season, while his side found ways to lose time and again, something I don’t believe will change at Leeds.
Scott Parker hasn’t exactly been a stellar Premier League coach either, showing he can get teams to the top-flight consistently, but the Championship seems to be his ceiling.
I don’t believe Graham Potter can do much at West Ham, and I’m concerned Brentford may lose an edge without their fearless leader Thomas Frank, but those clubs have managed to escape tough situations at this level, and that should enable them to survive.
Andrew Delaney, Reporter - Leeds, Sunderland, Burnley
Leeds United manager Daniel Farke pictured on May 3, 2025
While it would be remarkable to see all three promoted sides go down for the third successive season, it’s tough to see any of them surviving.
Even though Brentford, Wolves and West Ham have had a difficult summer, the gulf in class between the Premier League and the Championship means the promoted trio need a minor miracle, and heaps more investment in their squads, if they even want to break the 30-point barrier.
Anthony Nolan, Reporter - Wolves, Leeds, Burnley
Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Vitor Pereira on April 13, 2025
The promoted teams have struggled in recent seasons, with all of the sides making the jump from the Championship failing to survive in the last two campaigns.
This time around, Sunderland could buck the trend thanks to their impressive recruitment, with Wolves taking their place in the bottom three after losing key players such as Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri.
Anthony Brown, Reporter - Brentford, West Ham, Sunderland
West Ham United manager Graham Potter on May 18, 2025
While lazily opting for the promoted sides after the events of the previous two seasons seems logical, Brentford's managerial change and the loss of Bryan Mbeumo, along with the potential sale of Yoane Wissa, mean that the Bees could lose their top-flight status this season.
They could be joined by West Ham United — who have frankly been underwhelming for a while now, have lost Mohammed Kudus and no longer have David Moyes to call upon — and Sunderland, whose signings are arguably mid-table quality on paper, but so many changes could also prove counterproductive.
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