Supercomputer predicts where Arsenal and Liverpool will finish in PL season, makes shock prediction for Chelsea and Manchester United
Opta's supercomputer has interesting predictions for Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United in the Premier League title race this season.
After eight games, surprise leaders Tottenham Hotspur, with 20 points, lead the pack, ahead of second-placed Arsenal on goals scored. Manchester City, chasing an unprecedented four-peat, have fallen off the summit following consecutive away defeats to Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal before the international break.
Liverpool are fourth, just a point off City, but Manchester United and Chelsea find themselves at the wrong end of the standings. While Erik ten Hag's side are 10th in the standings with 12 points, Mauricio Pochettino's Blues are a place and a point behind.
In an updated analysis by Opta's supercomputer based on 10,000 match simulations (as per Daily Mail), City's chances of winning the Premier League have dropped by 20%. It's pertinent to note that Pep Guardiola's side have been the tost of English football, winning four of the last five titles, including the last three.
A 90.2% success rate of going all the way at the start of the season has dropped to 73.4% after the Wolves and Gunners losses. Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta's Arsenal are coming off their first league win over City in eight years but are only predicted to finish second, ahead of Jurgen Klopp's Reds.
Meanwhile, United and Chelsea are predicted to finish the Premier League in ninth and tenth respectively, up one place from their current standings. Their chances of finishing fourth are 3.4% and 0.6% respectively.
At the other end of the table, the two winless sides - 19th-placed Bournemouth and 20th-placed Sheffield United - are expected to finish there and get relegated. Seventeenth-placed Luton Town have been predicted to go down.
In other Opta predictions, Spurs - who were predicted to finish eighth - are now expected to finish in the top four. Ange Postecoglou's side have a 26.4% chance of doing so, which is just better than that of Newcastle United and Aston Villa.
Chelsea-Arsenal the marquee Premier League fixture of the weekend
In undoubtedly the Premier League fixture of the weekend, Mauricio Pochettino's resurgent Blues welcome the high-flying Gunners to Stamford Bridge on Saturday (October 21).
Chelsea have won only three of their eight league games this season but have won their last three outings across competitions, including two in the league. Meanwhile, the second-placed Gunners are buoyed following their 1-0 home win over City.
However, the Blues have lost six of their past seven Premier League meetings against Arsenal, including the last three. They haven't beaten the Gunners at home since a 4-1 win in 2019.