Premier League: BBC Sport pundits predicts who go win & finish top four

BBC pundits

BBC Sport

Defending champions Manchester City dey go for hat-trick of titles dis season – but who fit stop dem from winning three in a row?

Dat na di next target for City boss Pep Guardiola, im don already achieve di feat for Spain (Barcelona, 2008-11) and Germany (Bayern Munich, 2013-16) e win a total of four league titles in six seasons at City.

Liverpool na City closest rivals last season, dem finish only one point behind, but di koko now na if odas fit challenge dem dis time around?

Dis na start of a new era for Manchester United under Erik ten Hag but, afta dem finish sixth last season, di big question na say if dem fit return to top four, or sustain a serious title bid for the first time since di last time dem become champions for 2013?

What about Chelsea chances to challenge for di title afta di wahala di club get off di pitch for 2021-22? And Tottenham chances to build on dia fourth-place finish? Then Arsenal to get back into the Champions League places for di first time since 2016? Or odas teams fit enta dis mix too?

We ask BBC TV and radio pundits to pick dia top four, and explain dia selections.

Dis predictions na onto how each squad dey as at Thursday, 4 August, wit more than three weeks to go until transfer window close at di end of August.

Pundits prediction table

BBC

Predictor

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Rob Green

Man City

Man Utd

Liverpool

Tottenham

Micah Richards

Man City

Liverpool

Tottenham

Arsenal

Rachel Brown-Finnis

Man City

Liverpool

Tottenham

Arsenal

Martin Keown

Man City

Liverpool

Tottenham

Arsenal

Sue Smith

Man City

Liverpool

Tottenham

Arsenal

Jonathan Woodgate

Man City

Liverpool

Tottenham

Chelsea

Leon Osman

Man City

Liverpool

Tottenham

Chelsea

Pat Nevin

Man City

Liverpool

Tottenham

Chelsea

Ashley Williams

Man City

Liverpool

Tottenham

Chelsea

Michael Brown

Man City

Liverpool

Tottenham

Chelsea

Izzy Christiansen

Man City

Liverpool

Chelsea

Tottenham

Danny Murphy

Man City

Liverpool

Chelsea

Tottenham

Lindsay Johnson

Man City

Liverpool

Chelsea

Tottenham

Dion Dublin

Liverpool

Man City

Chelsea

Man Utd

Glenn Murray

Liverpool

Man City

Tottenham

Arsenal

Jermaine Beckford

Liverpool

Man City

Tottenham

Arsenal

Matt Upson

Liverpool

Man City

Tottenham

Arsenal

Stephen Warnock

Liverpool

Man City

Tottenham

Arsenal

Jermaine Jenas

Liverpool

Man City

Tottenham

Chelsea

Fara Williams

Liverpool

Man City

Tottenham

Chelsea

Chris Sutton

Liverpool

Man City

Tottenham

Chelsea

Clinton Morrison

Liverpool

Man City

Tottenham

Chelsea

Nedum Onuoha

Liverpool

Man City

Tottenham

Man Utd

Na six teams feature for di forecasted top fours, but na only Manchester City and Liverpool feature for all 23.

In terms of who go win am, Manchester City na di favourites wit 13 votes. while Liverpool get di oda 10.

Pundit prediction

BBC

Overall predicted ranking, using all 22 BBC predictions

1. Man City

2. Liverpool

3. Tottenham

4. Chelsea

5. Arsenal

6. Man Utd

82 pts

78 pts

40 pts

17 pts

8 pts

5 pts

(we use di system of 4 pts for 1st place, 3 pts for 2nd, 2 pts for 3rd and 1 pt for 4th)

Martin Keown: Dis season go different from wetin we don experience before . E go dey in two halves.

Jermaine Jenas: A good start dey more important dis season because we no know yet how di World Cup go affect di players wey go, or di ones wey no go.

Stephen Warnock: E dey very hard to call di title race dis year. Imagine say you dey top and dey cruise at di start of November -dat normally na di start of your title charge – but dis time you fit see players pick up injury or lose form for Qatar and by di time you restart di season you don lose all your momentum.

Nedum Onuoha: You want your players to stay sharp, but not too tired. Selfishly, I imagine say most club managers go prefer for dia players to come back afta di group stage so dem fit get two or three weeks to prepare for di rest of di season.

Glenn Murray: E fit hinder City twice? Dem dey start slow sometimes for August, so e fit happun again for December. I don’t see it though. Everyone know say dis break go happen and dem go dey ready for am, especially di top teams.

Ashley Williams: Whoever handle dis di best go be a big factor for di title race, but di top two go into it wit so much detail about everything and dem dey normally get am right.

Man City – ‘Now get Haaland, E sure for dem’

Micah Richards: E go dey very tight wit Liverpool yet again, but I just feel say Erling Haaland and also Julian Alvarez fit be di difference for City.

Nedum Onuoha: Both players dey very good, but I feel say dis year maybe dey come too soon for dem. Di difference between City and Liverpool dey very small.

Jermaine Jenas: Wit Fernandinho leaving, dem don lose dia leader for dressing room and, overall, few uncertainties dey wit City than Liverpool. City get a lot of resting on players wey neva do am for dem yet and historically we know say e go take a while to fit into dia team. Haaland and Alvarez gats come in and blend in straight away, wit Raheem Sterling leaving, Jack Grealish gatz produce more dis season.

Michael Brown: City don already make some great signings and dem want get a left-back in too. With their strength in depth, dem suppose strong pass Liverpool.

Glenn Murray: I dey excited to see Haaland, of course. But I no know how e go work wit di way City dey play and dey pin teams in – especially against lesser sides for Etihad. I don dey for those games and sometimes you go get got 10 opposition players around dia own area. No space at all and im no go don face that problem before. City no dey put di ball inside di box, so wetin im go do?

Ashley Williams: E go take City time to figure out how im go fit in, but e go come. Whoever dem put down di middle last year bin get plenty chances, so di same go happen for Haaland, although e go dey patient because di ball no go come to am as quickly as im dey used to.

Izzy Christiansen: Haaland go give dem a more direct way of playing, e mean say dem go dey able to kill games off quicker.

Jonathan Woodgate: City bin win last year without a striker and now dem get Haaland, wey be world class. e sure for dem – dem don improve, so dem go win am again.

Liverpool – ‘Dey gingered afta dem miss out’

Jonathan Woodgate: Liverpool go miss Sadio Mane badly because im bring so much to di team wit im closing down as well as im goals. Without im, I no see how di title race go dey close as e bin dey last season – I feel say City go win di league by a much wider margin.

Martin Keown: Liverpool na di best pressers for world football, and Mane na best , so for dem to dey better without am e go hard for me to take on board. For City to dey better wit a proper centre-forward, I go accept. Dem no feed Haaland di ball for Community Shield, but dem get intelligent players and dem go adapt.

Jermaine Jenas: I bin dey think about Mane going and how big di loss be – dem don lose one of di best players for Premier League. But it freshens dia team up and dem no get anything to worry about squad-wise. I dey see Liverpool younger players like Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones to contribute a lot more dis season, and dem get di best defence for di league.

Sadio Mane

Getty Images
Dis na di best decision I don make for my career’

Leon Osman: Losing Mane fit dey big, but im replacement fit dey bigger – we just no know yet. Whatever happens wit Darwin Nunez, a front three of Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah go dey difficult to stop, but I still see dem falling short of City.

Matt Upson: Like City, Liverpool get new striker wit Nunez, but dem get a bit more clarity wit dia system. Dem dey use to playing di ball forward quickly, wey suit a centre-forward like him and dem dey more direct in di way dem dey cross, di balls ova di top and down di flanks.

Danny Murphy: I expect Haaland to settle quick pass Nunez, only because e get more experience, but dat probably dey a little bit unfair on Nunez because straight away im dey look like a real threat and like player wey get plenty energy. Dem dey go toe to toe wit City again.

Stephen Warnock: You only need to watch di quality and intensity on show for di Community Shield to see how good City and Liverpool dey – and why no-one go dey close to them again dis season. E dey between those two again and di big thing for me na how much City go miss Sterling and di influence and impact im get. E dey always pop up wit key goals and assists and dem for no win di last game of di season – or di title – if not for him.

Jermaine Jenas: As good as Liverpool season be last time, dem bin suffer a lot of pain as well towards di end and dat kind of stuff go ginger you up for di new season. We see am happen afta dem miss out to City in 2018-19 and dem come back flying. This time, I think those memories of missing out on di title and losing di Champions League final dey di mind of these players as well. Dat hunger fit be di thing wey go get dem over di line.

Tottenham – ‘Dem go dey hard to beat’

Glenn Murray: We don already see Tottenham progress since Antonio Conte take charge for November and you know say im go make sure say dem work hard again. Dia firepower dey almost unmatchable and im style of play dey very structured – dem no go concede many goals.

Pat Nevin: If anyone dey capable of breaking out of di pack na Spurs because of how well dem buy players.

Brazil forward Richarlison

PA Media
Richarlison na Tottenham biggest summer signing so far, joining from Everton for a fee of around £60m

Michael Brown: Di squad Spurs get now dey very good. Di only question I get n about dia three centre-backs and whether dem dey strong enough defensively ova di course of di season.

Leon Osman: Dem fit be di dark horses dis year if dem sort out dia defensive issues. Di addition of Richarlison to dia attack make dem more balanced side. Someone oda than Son Heung-min to run in behind make dem rival any attacking team for di league. Add for di leadership of Conte and dem fit make a fist of am – if dem fit figure out a way not to be so ‘Spursy’.

Sue Smith: Dem buy a lot of strong and aggressive players so dem go dey tough dis season. Dem go dey hard to beat.

Jermaine Jenas: Conte signings don elevate dis team to another level.e depend on dem if dem fit find di performances and di rhythm dem bin get last year, but I dey predict a reasonably comfortable third-placed finish for Spurs. Di only reason I dey put them on di title race na because, unlike City and Liverpool, I no sure if dem fit win 14 or so games in a row. Dem fit stay unbeaten for dat long, but I no see dem go on a run wia dem dey win every match

Antonio Rudiger

Getty Images
Germany defender Antonio Rudiger leave Chelsea dis summer to join Real Madrid on a free transfer

Chelsea – ‘A bit of uncertainty dey around dem’

Matt Upson: Chelsea dey rebuild wit change of ownership and lot of movement for dia squad. A bit of uncertainty dey around dem.

Martin Keown: Last season top four go take some shifting, but potentially Chelsea look di most likely to fall out of sake of di players wey don comot . Antonio Rudiger na massive loss for back.

Stephen Warnock: Chelsea need a striker and dat na di reason dem no dey my top four.

Pat Nevin: For Chelsea to get good season, dem need three things to happen: Kai Havertz need to play well and their full-backs gatz stay fit – Reece James and Ben Chilwell bin dey out for long periods last season and dem bin miss dem badly because dat na where plenty of dia creativity dey come from. The third thing na say dem need to sign another major centre-back to go with Kalidou Koulibaly. Na wetin dem dey try do, but if dem no get one, dem no go fit compete.

Izzy Christiansen: With Thomas Tuchel in charge, I see Chelsea dey struggle wit dia form. Sterling na smart signing e go give dem sometin different.

Danny Murphy: Dem get some new faces and e go take a while to settle but I be big fan of Tuchel and I feel say im be very intelligent manager. I still tink dia squad dey full of quality players and I no think dem go get di same bad spell like last season, so I feel say dem go do beta dis time. Dem sign some good players, I expect dem to sign more.

Jermaine Jenas: E hard to go against Chelsea finishing for di top four. but if dem bring in Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona as well as Marc Cucurella, things go start to look very different. Whoever come in, dem go get wetin dem need for di transfer market and Tuchel go make dem play di way im want.

Snapshot of di way di top of di Premier League finish last season: 1st Man City, 2nd Liverpool, 3rd Chelsea, 4th Tottenham, 5th Arsenal & 6th Man Utd

BBC Sport

Man Utd – ‘Ego dey difficult for Ten Hag’

Dion Dublin: E bin dey very close to call between dem and Tottenham for fourth, I don speak to di new United manager, things go dey very different there. Dem go come good soon.

Nedum Onuoha: United basically fall apart for di second half of last season, but e dey look like dem dey in di right direction now wey Ten Hag dey in charge.

Jermaine Jenas: United dey depend on players wey don dey quiet for dem so far, players like Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford – wey bin no dey form last season – but you gtaz realise say dem bin no dey organised for most of last season. Dem bin no get set way of playing, but Ten Hag and im assistant Steve McClaren go change am and make sure each player know wetin dia job be. When footballers get dat clarity, good things go start to happun. Dem go dey in the mix for fourth but, compared to everyone else, I no think say dia squad dey good enough to make am

Glenn Murray: I dey expect improvement from United, but dem still dey far from di Champions League places.

Chris Sutton: Na bigger job to get dem into di top four than for oda team going for those places.

Jermaine Beckford: Dem go dey extremely fortunate to make a European spot through di Europa League.

Jonathan Woodgate: E go dey difficult for Ten Hag. Di Cristiano Ronaldo situation dey go on one side and e go affect di squad. E no go dey on dia pre-season tour and e no go dey 100% fit for di start of di season. Will Ronaldo settle to sidon for bench? I no think so…

Leon Osman: United get alot of ground to make up, but Ten Hag fit be di man to do am. Ronaldo fit dey key – or e fit leave. Ten Hag need to decide quickly as im need a united camp without distractions.

Stephen Warnock: If United keep Ronaldo, I feel say dem go struggle. E go just cause problems because I no think e go play for Ten Hag system. Dia top-four chances dey hang on dat.

Jermaine Jenas: Dis no be Ronaldo for di peak of im powers, like wen im bin win di Champions League wit United for 2008 then im bin dey indispensable and get so much influence on di team. But dis Ronaldo dey vital in terms of im goal contribution to United. If dem lose di 24 goals im bin score for them last season, who go score them? Nobody else dey that team wey I go back to reach 20 goals on dia own, so dat go be my biggest concern if im go.

Arsenal – ‘Dem fit surprise everyone’

Jermaine Beckford: Arsenal just look like dem get a really good pre-season and look like dem dey happy and energised, wey dey vital.

Matt Upson: I consider West Ham as well, and whether dem fit progress again afta last season, but I go for Arsenal to finish fourth because dem don dey rebuild for much longer.

Gabriel Jesus and Mikel Arteta hold shirt

Getty Images
Mikel Arteta bin work wit Gabriel Jesus for Manchester City

Ashley Williams: Arsenal dey look stronger and stronger. Yes a team like Aston Villa fit hit a golden patch and challenge and I think Everton fit do well dis season too – Always one team go surprise everyone – but Gunners na di most likely team to break into di top four.

Jonathan Woodgate: I love di players Arsenal buy and dem go dey close to di top four again dis season. I no see West Ham doing as well dis time and although pipo fit talk about Newcastle if dem start well, I feel say dem go make Europa League – dat go be successful season for dem.

Michael Brown: Arsenal dey good form and wit dia new signings. I no think dia squad dey strong as di teams wey bin finish above dem dis time, but dem fit surprise everyone dis season.

Stephen Warnock: I be huge fan of Gabriel Jesus. Im fit be di signing of di season.

Nedum Onuoha: Jesus arrive wit a point to prove because im bin dey di background a bit for City. Im be di main man now and I expect am to do very well. If im fit lead di line and pass on di experience of wetin e take to dey successful for Premier League, den Arsenal go dey very competitive dis year.

Leon Osman: Signing Jesus fit be di game-changer for dem. A guy wey go do well at di top of dat young developing team. But dat na di issue – dem still dey grow and I no dey sure if dem don ripe yet.

Jermaine Jenas: Dem look like a team wey dey go in di right direction, but dem still neva convince me. I feel like dem go start well. A lot of pipo dey concerned about dia first game for Crystal Palace and I feel say dem go win, but I no dey sure if dem get enough to sustain di momentum for di season?

Martin Keown: I dey worried say di pre-season bin go too well for Arsenal. If Arsenal lose dat first game, all of dia good work for preseason don go.