"I think there could be a big surprise" - Michael Owen makes bold Premier League title predictions involving Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool
Football pundit Michael Owen has backed Arsenal to win the Premier League title this season, with Liverpool coming second. He boldly predicted that Manchester City would finish fourth, with Aston Villa edging them to the third spot.
Speaking to Casino Hawks, Owen claimed that Manchester City would drop significantly in the league this season. But he believes they will somehow manage to stay in the top four. He said:
"In terms of the order [of teams' finishes], my thought process is if City are not gonna win it, they could actually drop away a little bit. It's almost like if City are not gonna be really in the race after 10 games then their priority could go elsewhere - I think there could be a big surprise this season. I'm going to go for Arsenal first, Liverpool second, Aston Villa third and Manchester City fourth."
Manchester City have won the Premier League title in each of the last four seasons but have got tough competition from Arsenal in the last two years.
Michael Owen makes bold prediction for Manchester City
Michael Owen also claimed that Manchester City would either win the Premier League title or struggle to make the top four. He does not think Pep Guardiola's side will do well this season.
He told Casino Hawks:
"I think City will either win it or they'll drop away a few places and probably miraculously win the last 10 games to reach Champions League football next season or something strange like that. They'll probably end up winning the Champions League if they do fall away in the league, but on the other hand they could go and win it again.
"However, I've just got a funny feeling this year about Arsenal because they've just got so much desire in their ranks, having not won it for such a long period of time. I've just got a funny feeling they could do it. With City and their champion mindset, when it starts to get out of reach it will be quite hard to play for second and having other things on the table might take precedence. I think it will be all or nothing," he added.
Mikel Arteta's side finished second in the last two Premier League seasons and missed out by two points last season, compared to five in the 2022/23 season.