Premier League - Season Preview

Premier League 2026-27 Season Preview — by BIGGG Sports

Season Expectations

The 2026-27 Premier League season kicks off later than usual, on Friday 21 August 2026, after the calendar was pushed back a week to accommodate the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Players return from international duty with the tournament still fresh in the legs, and clubs across the division have had less time than normal to bed in a genuinely startling amount of squad and dugout turnover. Our sports team has been across every angle of the summer, and we’ve pulled it all together here — who’s arrived, who’s left, and where we think each club is heading.

Arsenal head into the campaign as champions for the first time in 22 years, having finally got over the line last season after a string of near-misses, edging out Manchester City when City stumbled at Bournemouth in the run-in. Arteta’s side have never defended a Premier League title before, and we make them clear favourites to do it again, with City our next best fancied and Liverpool, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Chelsea rounding out the sides we see as credible contenders for the podium places.

What makes this season unusually hard to call is the sheer scale of managerial change at the top of the table. Pep Guardiola’s decade-long reign at Manchester City is over, with Enzo Maresca arriving from Chelsea to try to keep the lights on. Liverpool have moved on from Arne Slot after a difficult title defence, bringing in Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola for a transitional year that also has to absorb the departure of Mohamed Salah. Chelsea have turned to Xabi Alonso, fresh from Real Madrid, to build some stability after finishing tenth. Tottenham have hired Roberto De Zerbi to try to end back-to-back 17th-place finishes, Newcastle have gone for the relatively unproven Matthias Jaissle, and Manchester United have made Michael Carrick’s caretaker spell permanent after Ruben Amorim’s exit in January. In total, eight of the twenty clubs start the season with a new manager in the dugout — one of the biggest managerial shake-ups the division has seen, and reason enough on its own for us to expect a few surprises before Christmas.

At the bottom, the three teams promoted from the Championship are Coventry City (back in the top flight for the first time in 25 years under Frank Lampard), Ipswich Town (runners-up in the Championship, now managed by Gary O’Neil after Kieran McKenna’s departure) and Hull City (who won promotion via the play-offs against Southampton). They replace West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley, who all went down last season. We make Hull, Ipswich and Coventry the three most likely candidates to go straight back down, in that order, though all three insist they won’t be there to make up the numbers.

Elsewhere, Sunderland’s remarkable rise continues: after finishing seventh in their first season back in the Premier League, their best finish since 1999-2000, they begin a first European campaign in 53 years. Bournemouth (sixth) and Brighton (also sixth on goal difference ahead of Brentford) qualified for the Europa League and Conference League respectively, giving the traditional “big six” some unfamiliar company in Europe this season and thinning out the gap that used to separate the elite from everyone else.

Matchweek 1 Schedule

Arsenal open the defence of their title at home to newly promoted Coventry City on the Friday night, while both other promoted sides discover exactly what they’re back in for: Hull City travel to Manchester United and Ipswich Town host Sunderland. The standout fixture of the weekend is Newcastle United against Liverpool at St James’ Park on Sunday evening, pitting Andoni Iraola’s rebuilding Reds against a Newcastle side under a new manager of their own.

Friday 21 August

• Arsenal vs Coventry City — 21:00 CEST
  • Odds boost: Arsenal to win both halves 4.00 · Saka to score anytime 4.00 Saturday 22 August
• Hull City vs Manchester United — 13:30 CEST
  • Odds boost: Man United to win to nil 4.00 · Bruno Fernandes first goalscorer 10.00
• Everton vs Crystal Palace
  • Odds boost: Everton to win 4.00
• Ipswich Town vs Sunderland
  • Odds boost: Ipswich to win 5.00
• Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United
  • Odds boost: Leeds double chance (X2) 3.00
• Brentford vs Tottenham Hotspur — 18:30 CEST
  • Odds boost: Tottenham to win 5.00 Sunday 23 August
• Brighton & Hove Albion vs Aston Villa — 15:00 CEST
  • Odds boost: Aston Villa to win 5.00
• Manchester City vs AFC Bournemouth — 15:00 CEST
  • Odds boost: Manchester City to win to nil 5.00
• Newcastle United vs Liverpool — 17:30 CEST
  • Odds boost: Liverpool to win 4.00 Monday 24 August
• Fulham vs Chelsea — 21:00 CEST
  • Odds boost: Both teams to score 3.00

BIGGG opening-weekend promo: we’re celebrating the start of the Premier League season with Early Payout (EP) active on every Matchweek 1 fixture above, on top of the boosted odds listed. Keep an eye out for extra Golden Boosts landing throughout the weekend — each one goes live 48 hours before its match kicks off. Odds shown are as supplied at time of writing, are subject to change, and full BIGGG terms and conditions apply. 18+ only — please bet responsibly.

Club by Club

Arsenal — defending champions

Arteta’s squad enters the season as our clear favourites, backed by a defence that conceded just 27 goals last season and a midfield strengthened by the marquee signing of the summer: Bruno Guimarães, prised away from Newcastle for around £75m to give Arsenal a genuine box-to-box presence alongside Declan Rice. Christos Tzolis arrives from Club Brugge for further attacking depth, and Piero Hincapié’s loan from Bayer Leverkusen has been made permanent. Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, William Saliba and Gabriel remain the spine of a team that already has Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyökeres bedded in from last summer’s business. In our view the question isn’t whether Arsenal have the quality to win the league again, it’s whether they can shake a 22-year habit of falling just short when it matters most.

Manchester City — life after Pep

The post-Guardiola era begins with Enzo Maresca, who won the Champions League with Chelsea before making the short move across the Etihad car park. He inherits a squad missing a startling amount of experience: Bernardo Silva has gone to Real Madrid, Rodri to Barcelona for a fee reported around €76.5m (with add-ons potentially pushing the total well beyond that), and defensive stalwarts John Stones, Nathan Aké and Manuel Akanji have all left. Elliot Anderson arrives as a long-term Rodri successor, but City still have Erling Haaland, Josko Gvardiol, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Moisés Doku to fall back on. We can’t help but see echoes of United’s post-Ferguson slump here; our honest read is that City remain a very good side, but no longer automatically the best team in the country.

Liverpool — a transitional year under Iraola

Andoni Iraola’s switch from Bournemouth brings an attack-minded, high-intensity philosophy to Anfield, but he inherits a squad still adjusting to life without Mohamed Salah, who left at the end of last season, and without Ibrahima Konaté and Andy Robertson. New arrivals Jérémy Jacquet, Victor Muñoz and loanee Ronald Araújo add fresh legs, while Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak both need considerably better second seasons on Merseyside after difficult debut campaigns. Academy graduates Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni offer genuine promise. We’ve got Liverpool down for around fourth this season — a rebuilding year rather than a title assault.

Chelsea — Xabi Alonso’s rebuild

After a chastening tenth-place finish, Chelsea have turned to Xabi Alonso, straight off the back of his spell at Real Madrid, to restore some order. The club backed him heavily, headlined by a club-record £117m deal for Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, plus Geovany Quenda, Marco Palestra and free-transfer additions Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck for experience. João Pedro and Estêvão are ones we expect to kick on after strong debut campaigns, and 16-year-old Reggie Watson has already caught Alonso’s eye in pre-season. Fifth place is our realistic call this year, with genuine title contention still a year or two away.

Manchester United — Carrick’s first full season

Michael Carrick’s caretaker spell impressed enough that United made the appointment permanent, ditching Ruben Amorim’s rigid back three for a more pragmatic 4-2-3-1. Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos add control in midfield, while Rasmus Højlund and Casemiro have moved on. Bruno Fernandes, coming off a career-best 21 assists, remains the heartbeat of the side, with Benjamin Šeško and Matheus Cunha forming the attacking spearhead. We’ve got consolidating a top-four finish as United’s realistic target, though we wouldn’t treat Champions League progress beyond the group stage as a formality.

Newcastle United — an unproven appointment

Matthias Jaissle arrives from Al-Ahli having previously managed largely in Austria, a considerable step up in profile from predecessor Eddie Howe’s era. Bazoumana Touré comes in from Hoffenheim to replace Anthony Gordon on the left, and academy midfielder Lewis Miley gets a chance to establish himself as Bruno Guimarães’s long-term successor now that Guimarães has departed for Arsenal. With Alexander Isak long gone (he left for Liverpool in a British-record deal last year) and a new manager still finding his feet in a very different league, we’ve pencilled Newcastle in for a bottom-half finish — a considerable comedown for a club that was competing for the top four not long ago.

Tottenham Hotspur — De Zerbi’s reset

Roberto De Zerbi’s arrival brings his trademark possession-heavy, press-baiting football to a Spurs side that finished 17th in back-to-back seasons. The club backed him significantly: Sandro Tonali arrives from Newcastle for around £100m, Mateus Fernandes joins from West Ham, and Andy Robertson signs on a free transfer, while Cristian Romero has left for Atlético Madrid. Archie Gray, goalkeeper Antonín Kinský and the combative Conor Gallagher are the names we’d be watching. Simply finishing in the top half would be a real step forward after two miserable campaigns, and we think there’s a genuine shot at European qualification if the rebuild clicks quickly.

Aston Villa — Emery again defying the odds

Unai Emery continues to punch above Villa’s financial weight, though this summer has been more about departures than arrivals: Morgan Rogers left for Chelsea in a club-record deal and Youri Tielemans moved to Manchester United, partially offset by João Gomes’ arrival from Wolves and a loan deal for Alejandro Garnacho from Chelsea. With rivals like Chelsea and Tottenham strengthening around them, Villa’s target of another top-six finish and a European run looks harder than it did twelve months ago in our eyes, but Emery’s knack for getting more out of a squad than looks possible on paper keeps our expectations relatively high.

Brighton & Hove Albion — back in Europe

Brighton edged Brentford on goal difference to finish sixth and qualify for the Conference League, and Fabian Hürzeler has made clear he intends to go for it in the competition. Luka Vušković arrives from Tottenham in a club-record deal, while Danny Welbeck’s departure to Chelsea leaves a scoring gap that Georginio Rutter is expected to fill. We see a mid-table finish domestically, somewhere in the 10th-to-15th range, alongside a genuine push in Europe, as the realistic season target.

AFC Bournemouth — the Marco Rose era

Bournemouth lost the architect of their rise, Andoni Iraola, to Liverpool, but the foundations he left behind — plus a first-ever Europa League campaign after finishing sixth — give Marco Rose a strong platform. Álvaro Rodríguez and Antonio Silva arrive to freshen the squad after top scorer Antoine Semenyo’s move to Manchester City, and Brazilian winger Rayan, now with a £130m release clause and a World Cup call-up to his name, is the breakout name our scouts have flagged. Managing a significantly heavier fixture list while staying in a European spot for a second straight season is the challenge we’ll be watching closely.

Brentford — chasing Europe again

Keith Andrews steadied the ship after a rocky start to his first season and came agonisingly close to European qualification. With Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa both long gone, the goalscoring burden now falls on Igor Thiago, who scored 25 times last season and earned a World Cup call-up with Brazil. Mikkel Damsgaard and a returning Josh Dasilva add creativity. We’d call this one hard to price: anywhere from a solid mid-table finish to another surprise tilt at Europe feels live to us.

Crystal Palace — continuity under Sage

Pierre Sage takes over from Oliver Glasner, who left for Nottingham Forest, and the club also lost sporting director Dougie Freedman over the summer, adding to the uncertainty. Anan Khalaili arrives from Union Saint-Gilloise to help fill the void left by Daniel Muñoz, while young centre-back Jaydee Canvot is expected to take on far more responsibility. We’d take a top-half finish combined with a solid Europa League run as a successful season, though we’re wary the summer’s recruitment could leave them more exposed than last year.

Everton — settling into Hill Dickinson Stadium

David Moyes’ side head into their second season at Hill Dickinson Stadium after home form that faded badly following a promising start. Hayden Hackney, Christian Nørgaard, Tyrique George and a swap deal bringing in Brennan Johnson (with Dwight McNeil going the other way to Crystal Palace) freshen the squad following the departures of Séamus Coleman and Idrissa Gueye. Iliman Ndiaye remains Everton’s most dangerous attacker, and we’ve got a 10th-place finish down as a realistic, if unspectacular, target as the club continues building toward genuine European ambitions.

Fulham — replacing Marco Silva

Álvaro Arbeloa steps in after Marco Silva’s five-year spell ended with a move to Benfica, bringing a possession-based, high-intensity approach. Gonzalo García arrives from Real Madrid’s academy after a prolific season for Castilla, tasked with replacing the goals of Raúl Jiménez and Harry Wilson. Oscar Bobb, signed from Manchester City in January, is our tip for a breakout campaign on the wing. After finishing on 52 points last season, matching that tally again looks like a stretch to us, though a top-half finish remains possible if their poor away form improves.

Nottingham Forest — Glasner’s high-wire act

Oliver Glasner arrives from Crystal Palace after Nuno Espírito Santo’s public fallout with ownership brought his tenure to an abrupt end. Ousmane Diomande, a £34m centre-back, anchors a new-look back three, and winger Dan Ndoye gets a fresh role as a number 10 to justify his own big-money move. After a Europa League-distracted slide down the table last season, we’d call a top-half finish the realistic aim, with a case for another European push if Glasner can avoid the off-field turbulence that undid his predecessor.

Sunderland — building on a historic return

Regis Le Bris’s counter-attacking Sunderland finished seventh last season, their best finish since 1999-2000, and now embark on a first European campaign in 53 years. Business has been notably quiet: veteran Thomas Meunier arrived on a free transfer, and crucially captain Granit Xhaka rebuffed interest from Chelsea to stay. Dan Ballard, Brian Brobbey and Chemsdine Talbi were central to last season’s overachievement. With a thin squad now facing two competitions and Premier League rivals strengthening around them, we think the challenge is simply not sliding back down the table while balancing Europa League football.

Leeds United — building for the top half

Daniel Farke’s switch to a 3-5-2 formation mid-season helped secure survival, and Leeds backed him significantly over the summer: goalkeeper James Trafford arrives in a club-record deal from Manchester City, alongside centre-back Tarik Muharemović, winger Harry Wilson on a free transfer, and defender Nico Elvedi. Dominic Calvert-Lewin (14 goals last season) leads the attack, with Ethan Ampadu marshalling things from midfield. Leeds’ away form was dismal last season (two wins from 18), and fixing that is the key, in our view, to turning ambition into an actual push for a top-half or even European finish.

Coventry City — promoted, aiming to stay up

Frank Lampard’s Coventry return to the top flight for the first time in a quarter of a century playing an expansive, possession-based game built around quick transitions. Aurèle Amenda arrives from Eintracht Frankfurt to add composure at centre-back, while Haji Wright, who scored 18 goals in the Championship with five teammates also reaching double figures, leads a well-distributed attack. Survival is the only target that matters, and we think Lampard’s side will hope their attacking balance translates against stiffer Premier League opposition.

Hull City — back after a long absence

Sergej Jakirović’s Hull won promotion via the play-offs against Southampton and set up with a pragmatic 4-2-3-1 built to sit deep and counter. Goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis and free-transfer additions Matt Targett and Jack Butland bring much-needed experience, alongside midfielder Hidemasa Morita. Oli McBurnie, Liam Millar, Charlie Hughes and Ryan Giles carry the attacking and defensive responsibility. We make Hull the most likely of the promoted trio, and arguably the whole division, to go straight back down, but the squad is determined not to be written off before a ball is kicked.

Ipswich Town — a fresh start under O’Neil

Ipswich return to the Premier League as Championship runners-up, but do so with a new manager: Gary O’Neil replaces Kieran McKenna, who departed for Strasbourg, bringing a data-driven approach backed by expanded scouting and new training facilities. Daizen Maeda arrives from Celtic, Abdul Fatawu from Leicester, and Emersonn from Toulouse to freshen the forward line, while Player of the Year Azor Matusiwa anchors midfield. We think Ipswich are better equipped than during their previous relegation campaign, but the managerial change so close to kickoff adds a layer of uncertainty to their survival hopes.

Note: our sports team put this preview together in the run-up to kickoff, and team news, injuries and late transfer business can and will shift some of this before matches are played.