PL 25/26 Prediction Pt. 1: The bottom 6
The 2025/26 season starts in just over a week, so here is the first of a 3-part PL preview, starting with the teams we think will be battling against relegation.
Will all the newly promoted teams go straight back down again? We suspect they might, but a PL season isn’t quite the same without a few surprises, and there are a few other teams that could easily end up struggling if one of the newcomers find their rhythm in the top division. Let’s take a look at the teams we predict for the 15.-20. place in the standings.
Read Part 2 of our Preview here.
Read Part 3 of our Preview here.
20) Sunderland
Key Players: Enzo Le Fee, Granit Xhaka
Transfer Window Summary:
Jobe Bellingham left for Borussia Dortmund, following in his brother’s footsteps, whereas Tom Watson went to Brighton. Bishop has left for Wimbledon, and it’s looking like Chris Rigg, the big 18-year-old talent, could be leaving as well before the new season kicks off.
Sunderland have also been busy bringing new players in, including Le Fee and Xhaka. In addition to them, they’ve secured Habib Diarra (Strasbourg), Noah Sadiki (Union St-Gilloise), Reinildo (Atlético Madrid), Chemsdine Talbi (Club Brugge), Simon Adingra (Brighton) and Robin Roefs (NEC Nijmegen).
Last Season: Promoted (via playoff)
Relegation: 1.33
Prediction:
Sunderland had a fantastic start to the 2024/25 season, winning 9 of their first 12 games before they went on a streak of 5 draws in a row. Let’s just say it is unlikely they’ll be anywhere close to that at the start of this season, with the PL obviously a huge step up after they secured promotion via the playoff final. The final at Wembley was a thriller against Sheffield United, which Sunderland won 2-1 after a dramatic late winner.
What can we expect from them this season? Well, as you can tell from our prediction, we’re not expecting too much. Sunderland will probably go back down again and could potentially end up at the bottom of the table, but football is a game of margins, meaning if they do hit their stride, and some of their new signings really hit the ground running, you never know.
Enzo Le Fee and Granit Xhaka feels like a midfield duo that could bring a lot of joy to the Sunderland fans. Ex-Roma and Rennes player Le Fee is an elegant presence in the midfield with great vision and passing. His transfer was made permanent after Sunderland confirmed their promotion, and the supporters will be happy to see the French midfielder put on the Sunderland shirt again for the coming season. Xhaka has a lot of PL experience, and the former Bayer Leverkusen and Arsenal player should slot in nicely in this Sunderland team.
Simon Adingra and Habib Diarra also seem like exciting additions to the squad, while questions remain regarding last season’s captain Dan Neil, who might not get the game time he’s looking for at this point of his career if he stays. He only has one year left of his contract, so he could be a potential sale for Sunderland this summer.
Marc Guiu looks like he will be added to the squad on loan from Chelsea as well, with the striker having struggled with game time at Chelsea last season, while still showing his attacking prowess when called upon. There’s still some time left before the season kicks off, but we think Sunderland will struggle to find consistency in the PL this season, despite some strong signings this summer. Unfortunately, we think this will be a short trip back to the top division for the Black Cats, and our prediction is 20th for Régis Le Bris’ team.
19) Leeds
Key Players: Daniel James, Wilfried Gnonto, Joel Piroe
Transfer Window Summary:
Rasmus Kristensen has left for Eintracht Frankfurt, while Snowdon, Firpo and Guilavogui have all been released or left on a free transfer. Gabriel Gudmundsson and Lucas Perri have arrived from France, namely Lille and Lyon, respectively. Midfielder Sean Longstaff has arrived from Newcastle, while Anton Stach (Hoffenheim), Sebastiaan Bornauw (Wolfsburg) and Lukas Nmecha (Wolfsburg) have all arrived from Germany. 26-year-old Bijol, who has 60+ caps for Slovenia seems like a potentially very smart signing for Leeds, with the defender having been brought in from Udinese.
Relegation: 1.90
Prediction:
Leeds is going down, but they should be strong enough to avoid the dreaded 20th place. Despite having made a few exciting signing, they don’t look like a team that can find the consistency needed to stay up in what is a very strong PL season on paper.
Jack Harrison is also back on loan from Everton, but despite starting in a recent friendly with Man Utd, there does not seem to be a future for him at Leeds.
Joel Piroe was top goal scorer last season, and he’ll be hoping for more of the same this season in the Dutch striker’s first PL season ever. Another key player is Daniel James, the former Man Utd player, who became player of the season last year. Other players to watch out for are Ao Tanaka, Leeds’ Japanese midfielder who came from Fortuna Düsseldorf in 2024 and Wilfried Gnonto. They will probably end up going down, but you never really know with Leeds. Can their home supporters give them the lift they need as they hunt for victories?
18) Burnley
Key Players: Hannibal Mejbri, Kyle Walker, Hartman
Transfer Window Summary:
Losing James Trafford to Man City will obviously be felt, but Max Weiss should be a decent replacement, while Jaiden Anthony (who was on loan at Burnley last season from Bournemouth), Marcus Edwards (Sporting) and Bashir Humphreys (Chelsea) also seem like smart signings. Kyle Walker will add tons of PL experience, while Hartman (Feyenoord) is an energetic and hard-working left-back that could become a big hit in Burnley. Tuanzebe has arrived from Ipswich, while Tchaouna is an exciting prospect on the right wing and up front.
Relegation: 1.35
Prediction:
Defensively, Hartman and Walker look like good signings, but losing Trafford might shake things up a bit. The biggest question mark however is their attack, where new signing Zian Flemming from Millwall arrives with zero PL experience, having played in Millwall for 3 seasons after spending his early career in the Netherlands. Jacob Bruun Larsen is back at Burnley after spending half a season at Stuttgart, and the Burnley supporters will be hoping for a bit more output from him this coming season.
Will it be enough, though? We don’t think so, as there are some serious questions regarding the strength in depth at Burnley, and there seems to be too many players lacking the PL experience to give them the extra boost they would need to stay up. Unfortunately for Burnley, they’re going straight back down again.
17) Fulham
Key Players: Alex Iwobi, Emile Smith Rowe, Antonee Robinson
Transfer Window Summary:
This is where things become worrisome for Fulham, as they’ve so far only signed one player, a back-up goalkeeper, Benjamin Lecomte. They’ve released several player, including Carlos Vinicius and Willian, and they would certainly do with a few more additions to the squad before the season kicks off.
Relegation: 8.00
Prediction:
Lack of depth is one of Fulham’s biggest worries this season. They exceeded expectations last season, finishing 11th, but we’re quite certain this season will roll along to a very different tune.
Manager Marco Silva will be hoping Robinson is back to full fitness again soon, with the full back a constant threat on the left side, where he contributes with plenty of assists. Kenny Tete will occupy the other side of the defense, with Andersen and Bassey a likely CB pairing. Their midfield looks fairly solid, with Lukic just one of the players who have now gained quite some experience in the PL.
Going forward, the Fulham faithful will be hoping Raul Jimenez can keep his injuries at bay, while Smith Rowe, Sessegnon and Iwobi will be supporting their striker with the passes he’s looking for.
It won’t be an easy season for Fulham, but they should be able to survive, unless they get any big injuries to any of their key players.
16) Everton
Key Players: Ndiaye, Gueye, Pickford
Transfer Window Summary:
Everton’s transfer window has been mostly dominated by the amount of released players or players leaving after having been loaned. This includes Ashley Young, Jack Harrison, Armando Broja, Neal Maupay and Asmir Begovic. They’ve added a few players to the team, namely Adam Aznou (Bayern Munich), Thierno Barry (Villarreal), Mark Travers (Bournemouth) and Charly Alcarez (Flamengo).
Relegation: 8.00
Prediction:
David Moyes did a good job after coming back to Everton in January, and he ultimately secured their place in the PL after the team was dangerously close (1 point) to the relegation zone at the time of his return.
Pickford, Tarkowski, Branthwaite and Mykolenko will be hoping their PL experience can help the side build a strong foundation from the back. Iliman Ndiaye, the Senegal international, will be hoping to continue his attacking contributions for Everton, having impressed last season after arriving from Marseille.
Another key player will be last season’s player of the season at Everton, Idrissa Gueye. His ability to win the ball back was key for Everton last season, and they’re hoping to see him at his best again this season, despite his age (he turns 36 in September).
Thierno Barry might be one of the more exciting of their summer signings, with the striker notching up 11 goals for Villarreal last season, his only season in Spain. Beto will probably have to find the back of the net early on this season if he is to keep the newcomer out of the team.
Everton is a difficult team to predict, and they’re not unfamiliar with fighting against relegation. We think this season could be similar, but that Moyes’ team will ultimately be safe from relegation in 25/26.
15) Bournemouth
Key Players: Kluivert, Semenyo, Truffert
Transfer Window Summary:
Eli Junior Kroupi, Adrien Truffert and Djordje Petrovic are the new faces at Bournemouth this summer, whilst the loss of especially Kerkez, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Dean Huijsen will be felt.
Relegation: 10.00
Prediction:
The loss of Kerkez will be felt, but new signing Truffert is expected to slot in nicely on the left back, and should be a good contributor going forward as well. Billing and Tavernier have both been linked away, but will be important players if they are to stay at the club, while Tyler Adams and Christie are expected to form the midfield duo.
Going forward, Bournemouth is looking very dangerous, with Kluivert, Semenyo and Tavernier (if he stays) a dangerous attacking trio to face for any PL team, and Senesi and Zabarnyi is a solid defensive pairing as well.
They had their best PL season ever last season, finishing 9th, but we think they’ll have a bit of a PL hangover this season and end up as one of the better teams not getting relegated, or at best, in no man’s land.
Last updated: 12.08.25
Odds might have changed since the writing and/or publication of this article.
