It’s that time of year when all Premier League fans predict how the season is going to go ahead of the opening weekend.
So, talkSPORT’s Adrian Durham and Stuart Pearce have tried their hand at a few hot takes – and they’re outrageous.
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Arsenal break new boundaries
First up, we’ll start with something more tame, with both Durham and Pearce naming Arsenal as their champions again.
The Gunners lifted the Premier League title last season and they’ve been tipped to do so again, especially after they demolished Manchester City in the Community Shield last weekend.
But Durham thinks Mikel Arteta’s side are so good that they can make some history this term too, alongside their silverware.
“I think Arsenal will win the title by more than 20 points and that will be a new record for a margin of victory for title winners since the Premier League began,” he said live on talkSPORT.
“Liverpool were 18 points ahead of City in the COVID season, City finished 19 points ahead of United in 2018, that’s the record.
“Arsenal are so together as a club, they’ve built on the squad that they’ve had last season. They seem to have this confidence and air of authority the title win has brought them. And the lack of contenders to challenge them can make them even more confident.”
Brentford finish above Man City
Potential record-breaking Arsenal success could come from Man City struggling under new manager Enzo Maresca, as the post-Pep Guardiola era begins this season.
And Pearce thinks City are going to be in trouble – in fact, he thinks they are going to drop all the way down to seventh, with Brentford and Brighton remarkably finishing above them.
“I’m going to tell you who will finish in the top six… Brentford and Brighton,” the former England captain boldly predicted.
“Brentford have not lost any of their players and have Igor Thiago, the second-top scorer in the division last year.
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“He’s still at Brentford, which has astounded me with everyone clamouring for a goalscorer, he’s stayed there.
“Kevin Schade has improved, his first season was hit-and-miss… they’ve kept the nucleus and Keith Andrews, for me, was Manager of the Year last year, I thought he was outstanding.”
Pearce also added that he’s ‘not sure what’s to come’ for Man City under Maresca amid worries over the new boss.
Man United embarrassed by Leeds
Durham thinks City will finish second again this season and that their bitter rivals Manchester United will flop instead.
The Red Devils are heading into the new campaign with Michael Carrick as their permanent boss, but the talkSPORT host is concerned about them dealing with European football on the calendar.
And he clearly thinks Tottenham and Leeds are going to do very well, predicting: “I think Spurs will finish above Man United and that Leeds will finish above Man United.
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“I’m wondering what’s going on there at United defensively for a start… I’m a massive Michael Carrick fan, but they had 40 games last season and you can easily say they underachieved.
“So, how are they going to cope with more games and being expected to go deep in more competitions? They’re not expected to go out early in the Champions League.
“I’m struggling to see them perform to the levels in the Premier League that they did last season.
“I think Leeds is a bit of a rogue one and Spurs are a rogue one, bare in mind where they finished last season.”
Who will finish in the top seven?
After some controversial predictions for the upcoming season, Durham and Pearce then laid out their Premier League top sevens.
Both selected Arsenal as their champions, while they also picked Chelsea to finish third under new manager Xabi Alonso.
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But every other position was different, with Durham putting Man City second and Pearce choosing Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool, who don’t even make it into Durham’s top seven…
In fourth, Durham thinks Spurs will return to the top end of the table, while Pearce has Man United squeezing in.
Some optimistic predictions then come for fifth, as Brighton get the nod for Durham, while Brentford have Pearce’s backing.
The Seagulls will come sixth for Pearce, but Durham thinks Leeds, who finished 14th last year, will rise eight places.
And down in seventh, Pearce thinks Man City will have a major drop-off under Maresca, while Durham has United.
All of these teams would qualify for European football in 2027/28 if they end up finishing inside the top seven.
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Who will get relegated this season?
At the other end of the Premier League table, there are a lot fewer differing opinions, as two teams appear in every prediction.
Newly-promoted Ipswich and Hull have been tipped to go straight back down by Pearce, Durham and journalist Darren Lewis.
Fulham are also predicted to go down by Durham and Lewis, who don’t think new manager Alvaro Arbeloa will continue Marco Silva’s impressive work with the Cottagers.
As for Pearce, he thinks Sunderland are going to be relegated after a very strong first season back in the top-flight last term.
The Black Cats finished seventh in the table on their return, remarkably qualifying for European football.
However, could it be the busy schedule that has come from their success that becomes their downfall?
