PL Preview 25/26 Part 2: No Man’s Land
We’re less than a week away from the 2025/26 season, and it’s time to take a look at the teams we think will hover around the mid-table section of the standings. Keep an eye on our blog for the 3rd and final part soon, which covers the teams fighting for the title and the top spots, but first, let’s focus on the mid-table!
Read Part 1 of our PL Prediction here.
Read Part 3 of our PL Prediction here.
14) Crystal Palace
Key Players: Eze, Henderson, Wharton
Transfer Window Summary:
Crystal Palace have sold and released quite a few players this summer, including Schlupp, Ebiowei, Rob Holding, Louie Molden. More importantly, they’ve kept Eze, Henderson, Wharton and Mateta, for now at least. The summer transfer window is still open for a while longer, but there are certainly concerns regarding their squad depth, with Walter Benitez and Borna Sosa the only new arrivals so far. The former will be a back-up goalkeeper, while Sosa is a Croatian international and could be a good option on the left-back.
Last Season: 12th
To Finish Top Half: 2.60
To Finish Bottom Half: 1.44
Prediction:
Crystal Palace is a difficult team to meet for any PL team, and they finally won their first major title when they beat Man City in the cup final in mid-May. This also means they will enter the European competitions, with ECL qualifiers to come up at the start of the season.
Oliver Glasner will be worried about the aforementioned squad depth concerns, with the team feeling extremely vulnerable once injuries and suspensions start popping up during the season. Looking at the best potential starting eleven, you have a solid base throughout the team with Henderson between the sticks behind players like Munoz, Guehi and Richards, while Wharton and Kamada is a very solid midfield pairing. Sarr, who played in all of Crystal Palace’s league matches last season, will continue to create problems for the opposition, together with Eze and Mateta.
In addition to this, there is Nketiah, Edouard (returned from loan) and newcomer Sosa, but will it be enough to repeat last year’s success? We don’t think so, and we even feel that 14th could be optimistic, especially should Crystal Palace go far in the ECL. No relegation trouble for Crystal Palace, but probably no chance of finishing in a European spot either.
13) Wolves
Key Players: Jose Sá, Joao Gomes, André
Transfer Window Summary:
Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri have both gone to Manchester, with the former joining Man Utd and the latter their city rivals Man City. Goncalo Guedes have also left the club, but it’s the Manchester-bound players that will be missed the most at Wolverhampton. They have replaced both players, but it will probably take time for the new arrivals to get accustomed to the new league, and stepping into Cunha and Ait-Nouri’s shoes after their last season will be a tough task. Fer Lopez and Jhon Arias could be exciting players if they find consistency in the PL, but they might need some time.
Last Season: 16th
To Finish Top Half: 5.00
To Finish Bottom Half: 1.16
Prediction:
We’re optimistic about Wolves’ chances, despite having lost two of their most important players. Their lanky forward showed a lot of promise last season, and this might be a situation where other players step up once the “stars” leave.
Manager Vitor Pereira would probably have wanted a different opening match than an away fixture at Man City, but with Bournemouth (A) and Everton (H) coming up next, they will be hoping to grab a few points in their opening 3 matches and get some momentum.
Bellegarde is one of the players that need to step up this season and contribute more goals, but Jhon Arias comes into the season haven proven himself at the Club WC with Fluminense, and was even nominated for team of the tournament. Our prediction of Wolves is possibly an overly optimistic one, but you’d also think they have the means to strengthen the team further before the transfer window closes.
12) Brentford
Key Players: Mikkel Damsgaard, Caoimhin Kelleher, Kevin Schade
Transfer Window Summary:
Mbeumo (Man Utd), Mark Flekken (Bayer Leverkusen) and Christian Norgaard (Arsenal) are massive losses for Brentford, as is the loss of their manager Thomas Frank. They seem to have made some smart signings as well this summer, though, with Jordan Henderson brining routine to the pitch and dressing room, and Michael Kayode (Fiorentina) signed on permanently after his loan. Milambo, only 20, already got lots of game time last season at Feyenoord and could be an interesting prospect as well.
Last Season: 10th
To Finish Top Half: 4.50
To Finish Bottom Half: 1.16
Prediction:
Every season has at least one surprise, and we think Brentford might be one of those this season. They’ll still struggle a bit, but we think they’ll still hover around mid-table, despite having lost both their manager and several star players. Their starting eleven is still very solid, and Brentford have proven over the last few years that despite what anyone might think, they usually… know what they’re doing?
Keith Andrews is their new manager, and he has no previous experience as a first team manager, but he’s a familiar face for the Brentford board, having been a set piece coach there for about a year.
Kelleher will finally get the regular playing time he deserves at Brentford, and van den Berg, Henry and Collins are solid defenders, albeit not exceptional. Jensen and Yarmolyuk know each other well, and Damsgaard, who was player of the season last year, will hopefully continue where he left off.
There are question marks in attack, but Kevin Schade will hopefully make a good impact, while Wissa is likely on his way out the door.
11) West Ham
Key Players: Bowen, Paqueta, Ward-Prowse
Transfer Window Summary:
West Ham haven’t hade the craziest transfer summer, but Senegalese El Hadji Malick Diouf is an exciting left-back prospect, having arrived from Sparta Prague. Todibo has also been made permanent after his loan, and Callum Wilson brings a lot of PL experience and will be hoping to bang in the goals at West Ham. Losing Kudus to Spurs is a tough one, but losing him after this season was always expected as well. Coufal, Fabianski and Ings are amongst the other players that have left.
Last Season: 14th
To Finish Top Half: 3.50
To Finish Bottom Half: 1.28
Prediction:
West Ham are unpredictable, but Potter will be hoping to see them get a good start against Sunderland away in the opening match. There is no Kudus anymore, but Potter will still have players like Aguerd, Soucek, Ward-Prowse, Bowen and Paqueta at his disposal this season, so West Ham should be a tough team to face for any PL club.
Füllkrug will have to compete with Wilson for the starting position, but considering Wilson’s injury problems, they’ll probably both still get decent time. Areola will have the aforementioned Aguerd and Todibo in front of him, while Wan-Bissaka and Diouf will probably take care of the runs on the right and left wing, respectively.
Bowen’s quality is no secret, and the West Ham supporters will be hoping to see him deliver another brilliant season, while Paqueta, Ward-Prowse and Soucek will hopefully ensure stability in midfield and the chances needed for Wilson and Füllkrug to grab the goals up front.
We have West Ham just on the bottom half of the table for the 25/26 season.
10) Nottingham Forest
Key Players: Gibbs-White, Wood, Milenkovic
Transfer Window Summary:
Dan Ndoye is the most exciting signing for Nottingham Forest this season, whereas they’ve lost a lot of players from what was admittedly a large squad. Elanga has left for Newcastle, while players like Matt Turner, Ramon Sosa and Lewis O’Brien have exited the gates as well.
Last Season: 7th
To Finish Top Half: 2.25
To Finish Bottom Half: 1.57
Prediction:
Nottingham Forest cause quite the upset last season when they finished 7th, and for a long time they were looking likely to grab a CL spot as well. We doubt that will happen again this year, but they could be back competing for Europe, as the squad looks fairly similar in strength.
Manager Nuno Espirito Santo will be hoping to see his team grab a win in the opener against Brentford at home, before they face Crystal Palace (A) and West Ham (H). Should they manage at least two wins here, that’s a positive start for a team that will also compete in Europe this season after their impressive form last season.
Gibbs-White, Jota Silva and Hudson-Odoi will try to create havoc up front behind Wood, while the solid Milenkovic and Murillo will be tasked with leading the defense ahead of Sels. Aina and Williams will likely be covering the fullback positions, and there’s no reason this team shouldn’t continue where they left off and fight for a European spot. We think they might fall a bit behind due to some of the other teams having strengthened more this summer, but they’ve proven us wrong before!
9) Brighton
Key Players: Mitoma, van Hecke, Welbeck
Transfer Window Summary:
The loss of Joao Pedro to Chelsea is a big one, and probably hurt even more seeing the immediate impact he had for the London club, but Brighton have been doing smart business for many years now. Oliver Boscagli has arrived from PSV, and the central defender brings plenty of experience from a team that has dominated Dutch football recently. Maxim De Cuyper has arrived from Club Brugge, and the left-back is expected to make an immediate impact, while Evan Ferguson has left on loan to Roma. Diego Coppola have been signed from Hellas Verona.
Last Season: 8th
To Finish Top Half: 1.80
To Finish Bottom Half: 1.90
Prediction:
Not quite good enough, but still… pretty good? Brighton finished 8th last season, and we think they’ll end up in a similar position this season. Last year’s Player of the Season van Hecke and Dunk will take the CB positions ahead of Verbruggen, with Wieffer and De Cuyper covering the fullbacks.
Baleba and Ayari are expected to start in midfield, with Minteh and Mitoma quality players in the attacking phase. Danny Welback is always ready for action, and Tom Watson seems like a very exciting prospect on the wing, having recently signed from Sunderland. Manager Fabian Hürzeler will not have an easy task at delivering another strong season for Brighton, but there’s definitely talent enough in this squad to beat the best on a good day. We have Brighton on 9th this season.
8) Tottenham
Key Players: Brennan Johnson, Vicario, Romero
Transfer Window Summary:
Kudus, Danso and Palhinha (on loan) should all be players that deliver an immediate impact, but the sale of Son will definitely be a tough one to recover from. Forster, Hojberg and Reguilon have also left the club, and all in all, the squad seems strengthened.
Last Season: 17th
To Finish Top Half: 1.22
To Finish Bottom Half: 4.00
Prediction:
Last season was a mixed bag for Spurs, with their league run an absolute disaster, but a trophy in the EL after beating Man Utd in the final. It wasn’t enough for ‘Big Ange’ to keep his job, and Thomas Frank has been brought in from Brentford to take Spurs to the next level.
Last season’s player of the year Brennan Johnson will be important once again, especially with Son gone and both Richarlison and Solanke struggling to find consistency in front of goal. Maddison’s injury in pre-season was a huge blog for both him and the club, and he is expected to miss most of the season.
Sarr will be hoping for another strong season behind Richarlison/Solanke, with Bergvall, Bentancur, Johnson and new signing Kudus also likely to start in the opening fixtures. Spurs’ defense is a strong one, with Romero, Van de Ven, Spence and Porro guarding the box ahead of Vicario.
Spurs have struggled with injury problems, and they still are now during pre-season, but they’ll be hoping to kick off the season with a win at home against Burnley before they visit Man City in game week 2.
We think Spurs will have a much stronger season in the league now, though Maddison’s injury is worrisome, and 8th place might be overly “optimistic” on their behalf.
Keep an eye on the blog for Part 3 of our PL Prediction Series, coming out soon!
Last updated: 12.08.25
Odds might have changed since the writing and/or publication of this article.
