The Premier League returns this weekend and we couldn’t be more excited!
Now the dust has settled, I think we can all admit the Euros didn’t quite live up to our expectations. That’s not to say the tournament was bad, but there’s nothing like club football, particularly Premier League football.
Manchester City are set to defend their title for an unprecedented fifth time, Ipswich are back in the top flight after a 12 year hiatus, Chelsea have a new manager (in other news, water is wet), and Andoni Iraola’s Bourneouth will enter the season without their top marksman Dominic Solanke, who joined Tottenham Hotspur for a record fee.
It’s around that time of the year where we all make our predictions. Who do we fancy to go down? Who will be playing in Europe next season? Your friends at Football Fixtures have put their necks on the line to bring you our Prem Predictions for the 24/25 season.
Prediction no.1 – Arsenal will win the title
Okay so admittedly, this isn’t the boldest of predictions, but we think this is Arsenal’s year to finally topple reigning champions Man City. Having come close in the last two seasons, Arsenal have strengthened their already excellent defence with Italy star Ricardo Calafiori.
William Saliba and Gabriel played almost every minute in the Premier League last season, it’s highly unlikely they’ll get that sort of luck again, so quality cover was a must. We expect Bukayo Saka to keep improving, Kai Havertz ended last season positively, and skipper Martin Odegaard has the quality to drive any team forward. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are a force to be reckoned with.
Prediction no.2 – Crystal Palace will get European football
There is a long running joke that Crystal Palace are the most boring team to support in the Premier League. They often finish between 10th and 14th, never really threaten to challenge for European football, and are never really threatened with relegation. But we think gaffer Oliver Glasner gives Palace fans a reason to be optimistic.
Having joined in February, Glasner had an impressive start to life in England, earning 21 points from 39 available, including a comprehensive 4-0 win over Manchester United. We think it’s time The Eagles went on a European tour and Glasner could be the man to make this happen. Despite losing fleet footed winger Michael Olise, we think this could be a season to remember at Selhurst Park.
Prediction no.3 – Ange Postecoglu will be the first manager sacked
This one hurts us to write, as we love Big Ange at Footy Fixtures. But something tells us he’s the wrong manager for Spurs.
The former Celtic boss plays excellent, high tempo football. Which is all well and good if you’ve got the right players, we’re not so sure he does with Spurs. Yes, they’ve just smashed their transfer record to bring in Solanke, but they have gaping holes in their squad that could get exposed this season. We know Postecoglu isn’t going to change his system, and fairplay to him, but Spurs have some tricky fixtures early doors and we can see it getting very dark, very quickly in North London.
Prediction no.4 – Aston Villa will drop out of the top four
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa had an excellent 2023/24 campaign, bringing Champions League football to Villa Park for the first time since the 80’s. But we can see them struggling to juggle their European exploits alongside the demands of the Premier League.
They have a strong squad, packed with some quality players. But losing Douglas Luiz is a blow, and we think Ollie Watkins will tail off somewhat this season. Emery is a fantastic manager, but we’ve seen him struggle in his second full season at some clubs. Unfortunately, for Villa fans, we can see history repeating itself.
Prediction no.5 – Ipswich will stay up
We did say we were putting our necks on the line. This is a huge shout but we at Footy Fixtures think The Tractor Boys will avoid the drop. Of course, on paper they don’t have the strongest squad, but we fancy them to make Portman Road a real fortress – which is key for any relegation-threatened side. Youngster Omari Hutchinson had a fantastic season for them in the Championship, he was integral to their promotion push. It will be interesting to see how he gets on in the top flight of English football.
