Arsenal are the team to beat in 2026-27. Sky Sports has fired up its supercomputer ahead of the new Premier League season, and after 10,000 simulations factoring in historic performance, transfer business and betting odds, the model has the Gunners as champions for a second year running, with Manchester United predicted to finish fourth.
Arsenal predicted champions: the supercomputer's verdict
The predicted table has Arsenal champions for a second successive season. The Gunners, who won the title for the first time in 22 years last season, are tipped to become only the fourth side in Premier League history to retain the crown, after Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea. Their expected points total of 85.2 is almost identical to their title-winning 85-point haul last season and puts them nearly four points clear of the chasing pack.
The forecast comes from Between the Lines, the Sky Sports strand that unpicks the data behind the biggest stories in football. With 215 games to be shown live on Sky Sports this season, the prediction sets the narrative for a campaign in which the champions start as favourites to do it all again.
Why Arsenal can retain the crown
Back-to-back titles are rare in the Premier League era for a reason: only three clubs have ever managed it. The supercomputer's faith in Arsenal rests on the same foundations that delivered last season's breakthrough, an expected points total of 85.2 that suggests last year's 85-point haul was no fluke. Consistency of performance, rather than a single spectacular run, is what the model rewards, and Arsenal's data profile now looks like that of a genuine dynasty side.
Retaining the title would put the Gunners in truly elite company. Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are the only clubs to have won consecutive Premier League crowns; joining that list would confirm that last season's triumph, 22 years in the making, was the start of an era rather than a one-off.
Arsenal's rivals: City, Liverpool, United and Chelsea
Manchester City are predicted to finish as runners-up again, nearly four points behind Arsenal, as they begin a new era following Pep Guardiola's departure. City, who have signed Elliot Anderson for a club-record 116 million pound fee, are expected to finish closer to the champions than last season, when they lagged seven points behind. The supercomputer sees improvement, but not enough to close the gap.
Liverpool are predicted to climb two places to third, with an expected points total of 76.8. Andoni Iraola has taken over at Anfield following a fifth-placed finish under Arne Slot, and the model expects the new manager bounce to restore the Reds to the Champions League places, just ahead of Manchester United. United are predicted to drop a place to fourth despite finishing last season strongly under Michael Carrick, a verdict that will sting at Old Trafford.
Chelsea, whose summer signings include the 117 million pound capture of Morgan Rogers, along with a new manager in Xabi Alonso, are predicted to climb five places to fifth. Sixth-placed Spurs are tipped to climb 11 places following a summer of transfer spending, while Aston Villa are predicted to drop out of the Champions League places and finish seventh. Bournemouth, Brighton and Brentford complete the predicted top half.
What the prediction means for the new season
Projections are not promises, and the supercomputer has been wrong before. But the shape of the forecast tells a story: a clear top two, a chasing pack led by a resurgent Liverpool, and a Manchester United side tipped to take a small step back even after a strong finish under Carrick. If the champions deliver anything like 85 points again, the numbers say the title stays in north London.
The new season will test every assumption in the model, from Guardiola's succession at City to Iraola's rebuild at Liverpool and Alonso's project at Chelsea. For now, though, the data has spoken. Arsenal top, Manchester United fourth, and a fascinating nine months ahead.