Supercomputer predicts final Premier League table with Man Utd and Chelsea given surprise positions

The start of the new Premier League season is now just a few days away and excitement is building ahead of the opening game.

Manchester United will look to bounce back from their Community Shield defeat to rivals Manchester City when they host Fulham on Friday night in the first game of the 2024/25 campaign.

Defending champions City have been handed a tough task in their opening match, travelling to face a new-look Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Last season's runners-up Arsenal take on Wolves at the Emirates on Saturday, while Liverpool face newly-promoted Ipswich Town at Anfield earlier that day.

City are unsurprisingly favourites with the bookmakers to win the league for a fifth consecutive season.

And data experts Opta have also tipped Pep Guardiola's side to defend their crown.

They have predicted the top three to be the same as last season, with Arsenal once again finishing runners-up and Liverpool coming third.

City have been given an 82.2 per cent chance of winning the league, with Arsenal (12.2) and Liverpool (5.1) deemed to be the only other realistic challengers.

But there is something of a surprise with the fourth Champions League spot, with Chelsea tipped to take it under new manager Enzo Maresca.

That's despite their mixed results in pre-season, which included a draw with Wrexham and heavy defeats to both Celtic and City.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are being tipped to finish fifth ahead of big-spending Manchester United.

The Red Devils have already signed Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee this summer and are on the verge of adding Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui to Erik ten Hag's squad.

But Opta has given them zero chance of winning the league, and only a 1.2 per cent chance of finishing in the top two.

While at the other end of the table, promoted sides Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton are being tipped to go straight back down to the Championship – with Nottingham Forest deemed the next most likely to be relegated.

Opta's predicted Premier League table in full

1. Man City

2. Arsenal

3. Liverpool

4. Chelsea

5. Newcastle

6. Manchester United

7. Tottenham

8. Aston Villa

9. Crystal Palace

10. West Ham

11. Brighton

12. Fulham

13. Everton

14. Brentford

15. Bournemouth

16. Wolves

17. Nottingham Forest

18. Leicester

19. Ipswich

20. Southampton