Premier League Prediction Thread 2025/2026

[Nheer]

City fans dont trust Enzo Maresca as they did with Pep Guardiola. Pep set a standard for them, and that standard has to remain, as the fans are used to winning trophies. However, Enzo Maresca has worked with Manchester City for a long time before becoming their manager. The City fans need to remember that he was once their own before leaving for Chelsea. Now that he is back, he deserves that trust and respect.

They are not used to changing coaches often so they might not be aware that why they want all coaches to meet up to Pep's standards. Pep is one of the best managers in the league and also in the world so they should know not everyone can meet up his standards especially not a young coach coming up. Maresca is a very talented coach but needs time to develop so putting too much expectations and pressure on him won't be wise. I believe if they can support Maresca financially just as they did with Guardiola then he can at least go closer to Pep's standards.

City's problem (and the secret to their success) isn't the manager, but whether they can spend significantly more than other clubs. In recent seasons the situation has evened out (even despite the incredible advantage that City had) and the titles have disappeared, hehe. The Pep era was a period when City reaped the fruits of their financial frauds, now that resource has been exhausted, so the demands on Maresca cannot be high. And if we fantasize a little and imagine that City will be punished for their antics, then City will definitely not be among the contenders for the title.

You're right but also the ability to spend must be backed with having a good manager to manage the team well. With Guardiola they had it both that was why they dominated easily. They spent so much during Pep's era and I don't think they can spend that much now so they can't expect too much from Maresca. If Maresca have the resources he will definitely do well. And you're right if we think about City being punished then i don't see them in the title race as well. If they want results they need to support Maresca financially.

[Accardo]

Rashford accepted a pay cut in order for him to continue playing in Barcelona but I don't know why they ain't interested in him because I see that, Rashford has given them everything and proved that he loves to be part of the club. Instead, they're pricing him lesser. Even if they price him lesser and he didn't cut down his pay isn't it still going to be problem for Barcelona to meet up with his wages. I don't think that's the problem.

Aside wages, 15% pay cut of his salary, gave out 48,750 euros, making it a better deal for the Spanish side, Barcelona lied to Rashford about his 30 million euros fees to be high, and could affect their spending limit via La Liga policy, but ended up, few moments later, purchasing Gordons for 80 million euros plus Add on following the amortization rule which was also applicable to Rashford's deal. I'd conclude that Rashford was desperate, it's better reason to why Barca came to low ball Man u with half the full price for the winger. Had Rashford stood his ground instead of giving up on his pay cut, and showed a certain standard of confidence, in the deal making, he would have closed the deal.

[Arenga pinnata]

Aside wages, 15% pay cut of his salary, gave out 48,750 euros, making it a better deal for the Spanish side, Barcelona lied to Rashford about his 30 million euros fees to be high, and could affect their spending limit via La Liga policy, but ended up, few moments later, purchasing Gordons for 80 million euros plus Add on following the amortization rule which was also applicable to Rashford's deal. I'd conclude that Rashford was desperate, it's better reason to why Barca came to low ball Man u with half the full price for the winger. Had Rashford stood his ground instead of giving up on his pay cut, and showing a certain standard of confidence, in the deal making, he would have closed the deal.

I’m sure Barcelona will regret their decision to sign Gordon instead of making Rashford’s move permanent. We’ll see. Even at the World Cup, we could see that Rashford’s quality is even better than Gordon’s. In fact, Gordon who was initially a starter has now been replaced by Rashford after the English team realized Rashford is far more reliable.

I’m still puzzled. Who advised Barcelona to go so far as to sign Gordon at a higher cost than Rashford? Gordon is certainly good, but I’m still convinced he’s not as good as Rashford. Rashford has proven himself to be great, not just last season when he was on loan to Barcelona, but at Manchester United as well, where he’s always been the biggest contributor. Even when he was on loan to Aston Villa, we can clearly recall how he quickly adapted to the Aston Villa squad at the time. Ah, I really don’t understand what Barcelona is doing.

[giorgione]

I heard that Guardiola did not completely leave Manchester City and is still involved with the club, even though he is no longer the head coach. If that is true, his experience  could help Maresca succeed well.

I didn't hear about that but i do believe that pep will still be involved in Manchester city probably backing Enzo Maresca up so with that i think Manchester city performance will still remains at top level
Although if it happens to be that pep Guardiola is not involved in Manchester city i personally do expect some decline in performance from Manchester city because i did not expect to see immediate results as soon as Enzo Mareaca takes over

even if involved in the club he cannot interfere in any way with the team, being part of the club does not necessarily imply being able to give indications or commands to the new coach or to the club, certainly if his advice is good it is always worth listening to it, because in any case he is a man who knows the club well and has experience.

[Joeboy]

The defensive strategy works arteta but that's not sustainable enough and I think they figured that out when they played against psg In the champions league.

Currently Arsenal is having one of the best defense right now, and it really helped them last season. It was just so difficult for their opponents to penetrate into their defense and it really helped them. Actually Arsenal will have to work on their attack also, they have a good attack, but they will have to improve it, they have to be scoring goals in matches also.

Defensive match which Arsenal played against PSG was the reason why they couldn’t get a win in the match, if they had attacked in the match, am sure Arsenal will have won the champions league also, so they just have to work on their attack also.

In football, the balance has to be there otherwise it could seriously affect the team that is concerned.. Meaning that Arsenal in this case have to keep their attack strong and functional, while also having a strong defense.. For Arsenal their defender already are doing well, but the attacker really need to be more alert in giving out intelligent passes and also penetrating their opposition defenses.. Arsenal have good attacker, so what they need is for them to be placed in positions that they can function very well..

[Accardo]

I’m sure Barcelona will regret their decision to sign Gordon instead of making Rashford’s move permanent. We’ll see. Even at the World Cup, we could see that Rashford’s quality is even better than Gordon’s. In fact, Gordon who was initially a starter has now been replaced by Rashford after the English team realized Rashford is far more reliable.

Barca was actually looking out in Gordon a young player who could in the long term be a perfect dynamic replacement for Lewandowski, switching from Lewandowski's static position in the forward, to a mobile striker who can dress back, and create opportunity for a counter attack, Hansi wants such change for Barca, but whether or not the 25 year old would be capable to achieve this milestone is a question that should be delayed answering until the new season commence.

[9ja Amaka]

I’m sure Barcelona will regret their decision to sign Gordon instead of making Rashford’s move permanent. We’ll see. Even at the World Cup, we could see that Rashford’s quality is even better than Gordon’s. In fact, Gordon who was initially a starter has now been replaced by Rashford after the English team realized Rashford is far more reliable.

I don't think Barcelona will regret it, because I think Anthony Gordon is a decent player and I expect him to perform well at Barcelona. I wanted Barcelona to sign Rashford,  but I think they were considering his age and chose to get a younger player. Rashford is a good player and would have done well at Barcelona,  but I also think that signing Anthony Gordon is not a mistake, because I also think he will come out food for them.

[Youngrebel]

I’m sure Barcelona will regret their decision to sign Gordon instead of making Rashford’s move permanent. We’ll see. Even at the World Cup, we could see that Rashford’s quality is even better than Gordon’s. In fact, Gordon who was initially a starter has now been replaced by Rashford after the English team realized Rashford is far more reliable.

I’m still puzzled. Who advised Barcelona to go so far as to sign Gordon at a higher cost than Rashford? Gordon is certainly good, but I’m still convinced he’s not as good as Rashford. Rashford has proven himself to be great, not just last season when he was on loan to Barcelona, but at Manchester United as well, where he’s always been the biggest contributor. Even when he was on loan to Aston Villa, we can clearly recall how he quickly adapted to the Aston Villa squad at the time. Ah, I really don’t understand what Barcelona is doing.

I think I understand why you prefer Rashford. And I also think Gordon is younger, and also very consistent, and he will actually be good to go for the long term style they are trying to build currently but then I still feel like Bacar decision was based on what they believe fits them in their long run plans than on who is the better player right now snd even tho we all know that Rashfrod is good and he has already shown he can perform at the very well in any level, but Gordon is younger and can also dominate well even tho for now no one knows if it was the right decision yet but as next season stars I believe we will see results.

[len01]

The City fans need to remember that he was once their own before leaving for Chelsea. Now that he is back, he deserves that trust and respect.

I know he deserves some respect, but what's the point of giving a coach so much respect when we don't even know if he'll be able to deliver? Like I said before, he was Guardiola's assistant, but being an assistant and being the head coach are two completely different jobs. Managing players and implementing your own tactics is a different challenge altogether.

So for now, City fans are just looking forward to the new season to see what Enzo Maresca's hard work will bring.

[Antotena]

In football, the balance has to be there otherwise it could seriously affect the team that is concerned.. Meaning that Arsenal in this case have to keep their attack strong and functional, while also having a strong defense.. For Arsenal their defender already are doing well, but the attacker really need to be more alert in giving out intelligent passes and also penetrating their opposition defenses.. Arsenal have good attacker, so what they need is for them to be placed in positions that they can function very well..

Arsenal might not even have problems like you highlighted, infact Saka is already a good place side of the wing that anytime he is not with the team, the team suffered his absent and Martinelli is doing well too. I don't know for the strikers but it has been a very long time they were been recommended to sign Osimehn when he was struggling in Napoli and was looking for release clause, there is absolutely nothing they didn't do for Arsenal to sign him but they refused.

If they have signed him now, it will be one of their biggest competition in the Premier League, I don't think Haaland will be what they will fear now, he is going to be the new giant they are going to fear but Arsenal wasted the opportunity. If they are going to get something of that type now in any club, they will be spending more than what's required to have a better player, they are going to be spending huge amount of money to get better striker.

[Bobrox]

I agree , Rashford looked much more confident when he was getting regular minutes and you could see his quality in both his goals and overall play, sitting on the bench won't help him rediscover his best form, at this stage of his career joining a team where he's trusted and plays constantly seems like the smartest move it will be interesting to see what decisions he makes if the perfect opportunity comes along the way.

For awhile, do not know the future of Rashford with Manchester United for possibility next season get more minutes playing or not under Michael Carrick but not close any option leaving Manchester United and joining with other premier league club. Seeing his performance this season with Barcelona I think Rashford still good players with consistent performance and ability scoring goal if get more minutes playing.

The future of Rashford will know after World Cup 2026 and so far he get more minutes playing with England team, Michael Carrick as Manchester United manager likely waiting until World Cup end announce the future of Rashford. How bigger possibility staying with Manchester United and get more minutes playing or the management have option loan him again to other club.

[GiftedMAN]

The City fans need to remember that he was once their own before leaving for Chelsea. Now that he is back, he deserves that trust and respect.

I know he deserves some respect, but what's the point of giving a coach so much respect when we don't even know if he'll be able to deliver? Like I said before, he was Guardiola's assistant, but being an assistant and being the head coach are two completely different jobs. Managing players and implementing your own tactics is a different challenge altogether.

So for now, City fans are just looking forward to the new season to see what Enzo Maresca's hard work will bring.

You don reach need to know of he'll deliver or not go give him the respect he deserves. Enzo Maresca has been a big Manchester City faithful, the main reason he handed Chelsea a transfer request in January after the Manchester City management came calling.
He might not start by winning trophies immediately but with what we saw him do at Chelsea especially by helping them win the FIFA Club World Cup, I think it's safe to say that he has all it takes to succeed at Manchester City

[KingsDen]

The problem now would be turning that growth into trophies, because to me I really want arsenal to fall out with both the premier and champions league throphy next season.

Arsenal is a strong, and complete team, they have the best attackers, the best defence, and even a good manager. I am certain that Arsenal will contend for more than one title next season, but I doubt the fact that they will win both the UCL and EPL for next season. We can speak of them winning the EPL or domestic title, but they still haven't improved when it comes to UCL finals. If you look at their UCL fixtures (both the group stage and K/O), you will notice that they didn't play against any tough opponent, that's why they made it to the finals.

Arsenal I know very well is an attacking team, I was surprised seeing them scoring one goal and decided to defend PSG. They still don't have the momentum on how to handle finals. Arsenal needs to improve with their decision making at crucial moments or they might go trophless next season.

[ITExpert]

What do you mean by danger? Rashford is already doing well in Barcelona so I don't even know why he's saying he wants to return back to Manchester united after leaving the team in a critical condition, I will suggest or advise he just stay there in Barcelona because I don't think he will do great in Manchester united again and secondly he has been replaced by some players already also the Barcelona he is, if Raphinha is not in injury he won't start match.

Marcus Rashford is a young and talented English player who was the part of Manchester United team but he left the team while the team was not in a stable position. And now Marcus  Rashford is playing from the team Barcelona and he spent this year for Barcelona to make the team able or to help them win the trophy. And I think if the rumors are happening that Marcus Rashford will be go back to the Manchester United than I think it will happen. Because Rashford is a good player and he also has the potential to do the best and now Micheal Carrick is coaching the team and make the team to stand in a stable position. So the coach may have any planning or policy to get back Rashford and do more great work for the team's favour. And i think if it becomes reality Manchester United will get more stronger and capable.

[Shineup]

City fans dont trust Enzo Maresca as they did with Pep Guardiola. Pep set a standard for them, and that standard has to remain, as the fans are used to winning trophies. However, Enzo Maresca has worked with Manchester City for a long time before becoming their manager. The City fans need to remember that he was once their own before leaving for Chelsea. Now that he is back, he deserves that trust and respect.

They are not used to changing coaches often so they might not be aware that why they want all coaches to meet up to Pep's standards. Pep is one of the best managers in the league and also in the world so they should know not everyone can meet up his standards especially not a young coach coming up. Maresca is a very talented coach but needs time to develop so putting too much expectations and pressure on him won't be wise. I believe if they can support Maresca financially just as they did with Guardiola then he can at least go closer to Pep's standards.

City's problem (and the secret to their success) isn't the manager, but whether they can spend significantly more than other clubs. In recent seasons the situation has evened out (even despite the incredible advantage that City had) and the titles have disappeared, hehe. The Pep era was a period when City reaped the fruits of their financial frauds, now that resource has been exhausted, so the demands on Maresca cannot be high. And if we fantasize a little and imagine that City will be punished for their antics, then City will definitely not be among the contenders for the title.

You're right but also the ability to spend must be backed with having a good manager to manage the team well. With Guardiola they had it both that was why they dominated easily. They spent so much during Pep's era and I don't think they can spend that much now so they can't expect too much from Maresca. If Maresca have the resources he will definitely do well. And you're right if we think about City being punished then i don't see them in the title race as well. If they want results they need to support Maresca financially.

Supporting Enzo Maresca is not really the problem here, as we all know they are capable of that, but the question is how far can he go with those spendings if it's actually spent, Enzo Maresca might be good no doubt but the issue is this is a new challenge and he's moved to a team where they always want to win as it is used to them, so it not just all about spending, the question is after the spendings can you really make use of them, because we've seen so many situations where spending alone didn't save a team.

[Slow death]

Brentford managed to get Michael Kayode to sign a new contract until June 2032, a very long contract, and hopefully the player won't be interested in another club so soon and then remember that he has a long-term contract that prevents him from leaving the club if they don't agree to sell him. We've seen cases like this happen with some popular players. Michael Kayode is a very young player; he still has plenty of time to develop and shine at Brentford.

Chelsea signed 17-year-old Alfie Osborne, I don't know why they keep looking to the future and not the present. Maybe they're not interested in winning the Premier League but rather in buying cheap players to then sell them and make a profit. I don't know what's going on in the heads of Chelsea's management.

[MAAManda]

I’m sure Barcelona will regret their decision to sign Gordon instead of making Rashford’s move permanent. We’ll see. Even at the World Cup, we could see that Rashford’s quality is even better than Gordon’s. In fact, Gordon who was initially a starter has now been replaced by Rashford after the English team realized Rashford is far more reliable.

Hansi Flick knows what the team needs, I don't think Barcelona will regret that decision. I'm not familiar with the quality of Gordon, though I know people speak of him because of the talent he possesses. On the other side, I'm well aware of Rashford's quality, it is excellent. However, returning to the first point, Hansi Flick knows what the team needs.

[slapper]

There is no way to say that Rashford's performance at Barcelona was very bad. He played well enough despite the limited  opportunities. If he had enough opportunities, we would have seen  more goals and assists from him. Even then, Barcelona is not interested in rashford. I think the reason for this is Rashford's high wages. Rashford's wages are higher than Yamal, Olmo and raphinha. Barcelona is not interested in paying such high wages. If Rashford is  willing to reduce his wages, then maybe Barcelona can add rashford to the squad.

You're absolutely right, my friend, because it's true that Rashford's performance at Barcelona was undoubtedly quite good. Because on several occasions he was also able to score goals and assists, which was clearly an extraordinary achievement in my opinion. Because basically Rashford could be said to be a new player at Barcelona at that time, but amazingly he seemed to have adapted very well at that time. So I think it's really a shame that Rashford was not bought by Barcelona.

Because basically at Barcelona he was clearly given quite a good playing time, but now if Manchester United, I think Rashford will sit back on the bench again. So that's why I hope that Rashford can find a team that is interested in him at this time. Because currently the only way for Rashford to improve his career is to go to another team and play well there. But currently I haven't heard of Rashford being interested in any team, so I also don't know what Rashford's fate will be like now.

Romano already confirmed that Carrick reached out directly to Rashford's people. Apparently both sides are trying to go again? Which I certainly did not expect, but here we are. And the reason he looked finished at United was not him. It was Amorim. There was no room in that tight system for a wide forward! Do not expect a guy who is used to attacking from the left touchline to play as an inside forward in a back three, then show surprise when it does not work.

Barcelona provided him with a width. Gave him fullbacks that overlapped. He was basically used as a winger once more by flick. And suddenly he is dangerous. Like night and day.

Arsenal and Villa are reportedly keeping a close eye on them. He has a release clause there if anybody wants him.

[Oluwa-btc]

Chalobah is the big name most likely heading out of the Premier League Competition. There are talks with Inter Milan currently ongoing  between his management and Inter Milan. I don't think he is currently needed as part of Xabi Alonso's ahead of the new season so it is wise to see that he is swinging into the Seria A where the Champions League competition will be sure.

Aston Villa and their delayed plans in the transfer window. The earlier they start supporting the manager Unai Emery, the better his chances of still qualifying for the Champions League competition with Aston Villa next season.  I can not wait to see how they play in the super cup though.

[ejikeme24]

The defensive strategy works arteta but that's not sustainable enough and I think they figured that out when they played against psg In the champions league.

Currently Arsenal is having one of the best defense right now, and it really helped them last season. It was just so difficult for their opponents to penetrate into their defense and it really helped them. Actually Arsenal will have to work on their attack also, they have a good attack, but they will have to improve it, they have to be scoring goals in matches also.

Defensive match which Arsenal played against PSG was the reason why they couldn’t get a win in the match, if they had attacked in the match, am sure Arsenal will have won the champions league also, so they just have to work on their attack also.

In football, the balance has to be there otherwise it could seriously affect the team that is concerned.. Meaning that Arsenal in this case have to keep their attack strong and functional, while also having a strong defense.. For Arsenal their defender already are doing well, but the attacker really need to be more alert in giving out intelligent passes and also penetrating their opposition defenses.. Arsenal have good attacker, so what they need is for them to be placed in positions that they can function very well..

Speaking of arsenal, I just hope they have introduce a new scoring pattern because that set piece they have been using for some seasons is no longer effective as it used to as alot of teams have discovered that Thier pattern/ method of scoring. However, I can see that they have new signings Plus the available ones, with this it's almost certain that they would go far this coming season.  Of course they are expected to go for, if possible they do it back to back just as Manchester city did LoL . but aside from Manchester city it's very hard for any premier league team to win the premier league title back to back.