PL Preview 25/26 Part 1: The Relegation Battle
It’s finally time for the 2025/26 PL season to kick off, and the anticipation is high after a hectic summer of transfers. Our prediction for the upcoming season sees two of the newly promoted sides go straight back down together with a London club that have struggled in the summer’s transfer market.
Read Part 2 of the Preview here.
Read Part 3 of the Preview here.
With only a short time left until kick-off, it’s time to look at the upcoming season with our prediction glasses on, and we’re starting at the bottom. Check back soon for part 2 and part 3 of our PL predictions, looking at the teams lost between no man’s land and European qualification in part 2 and the title contenders and challengers in part 3.
20) Leeds
Winner: 750.00
To get Relegated: 1.90
Players In: Jaka Bijol (Udinese), Sebastiaan Bornauw (Wolfsburg), Gabriel Gudmundsson (Lille), Sean Longstaff (Newcastle), Lukas Nmecha (Wolfsburg), Lucas Perri (Lyon), Anton Stach (Hoffenheim)
Back from Loan: Joe Gelhardt (Hull City), Sam Greenwood (Preston), Jack Harrison (Everton)
Players Out: Junior Firpo (Real Betis), Josuha Guilavogui (released), Rasmus Kristensen (Eintracht Frankfurt), Joe Snowdon (Swindon)
On Loan: Maximilian Wober (Werder Bremen)
Last Season: Promoted from Championship (1st place)
What can we expect?
Not much? Well, that might not be quite true, as Leeds definitely have the potential to cause an upset and defy the odds by staying up, but it will certainly not be easy for the Yorkshire club.
Leeds were an attacking force to be reckoned with last season, scoring 95 goals in the league. Finding the back of the net won’t be that easy in the PL, but the Leeds fans will be hoping to see some early goals from the likes of Daniel James and Joel Piroe, last season’s top scorer.
The star player for Leeds is the aforementioned James, however. The former Man Utd player won the player of the season award last season and helped his team to promotion with 12 goals and 9 assists in his 30 league matches. James will definitely be hungry to prove himself at the highest level after having struggled to find consistency previously in the PL.
Other players that are expected to make important contributions are captain Ampadu and Wilfried Gnonto, and possibly summer signing Sebastiaan Bornauw, with the latter having arrived from Wolfsburg where the Belgian defender racked up 88 league matches in four seasons. Leeds have a tendency to be unpredictable, and they could cause an upset in the PL in 25/26, but ultimately we think they’ll struggle especially away from home and end up at the bottom of the standings come May 2026.
19) Sunderland
Winner: 1500.00
To get Relegated: 1.33
Players In: Simon Adingra (Brighton), Habib Diarra (Strasbourg), Enzo Le Fee (Roma), Reinildo (Atlético Madrid), Robin Roefs (NEC Nijmegen), Noah Sadiki (Union St-Gilloise), Chemsdine Talbi (Club Brugge), Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen)
Back from Loan: Abdoullah Ba (USL Dunkerque), Pierre Ekwah (Saint-Etienne), Timothee Pembele (Le Havre), Nazariy Rusyn (Hajduk Split), Luis Semedo (Juve Next Gen)
Players Out: Jobe Bellingham ( Borussia Dortmund), Nathan Bishop (AFC Wimbledon), Tom Watson (Brighton)
On Loan: Adil Aouchiche (Aberdeen), Matty Young (Salford City)
Last Season: Promoted (via playoff)
What can we expect?
Manager Régis Le Bris has seen his club make a few strong signings this summer, and we think they’ll be strong enough to fight for survival but ultimately lack the consistency to stay up.
Enzo Le Fee, formerly at Roma and Rennes, was a big hit during his loan spell at the club from January earlier this year, and Sunderland’s promotion ensured his transfer became permanent. A midfield consisting of Le Fee and former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka already feels like a fairly solid midfield, and add to that Habib Diarra and Noah Sadiki, and Sunderland definitely have a team that can put up a good fight.
Dan Neil, last season’s captain, could be looking for a new club this summer, considering the new signings and the fact he only has one year left on his contract.
The win in the playoff final was a memorable one, especially with the winning goal coming in injury time, but now focus will have to shift to survival. Chelsea’s Marc Guiu seems to be on his way in on loan, and the Black Cats could definitely do with a hungry young striker trying to prove himself on the big stage after struggling for playing time in London.
If the new signings hit the ground running, Sunderland could cause problems for any PL club, but will it be enough to stay up? We doubt it, and we think Sunderland will have to make their way back down again at the end of the 25/26 season.
18) Fulham
Winner: 700.00
To get Relegated: 8.00
Players In: Benjamin Lecomte (Montpellier)
Back from Loan: N/A
Players Out: Delano McCoy-Splatt (AFC Wimbledon), Adrion Pajaziti (Hadjuk Split), Carlos Vinicius (Gremio), Willian (released)
On Loan: Matt Dibley-Dias (Chesterfield), Steven Benda (Millwall), Luke Harris (Oxford United)
Last Season: 11th
What can we expect?
Well, the supporters would certainly hope for a few more signings before the season kicks off, as so far their transfer market has been eerily quiet. Only goalkeeper Lecomte has arrived so far this summer, which is worrying for a team that knows all too well that there are never any guarantees to stay up, despite their strong season last year where they finished 11th.
Alex Iwobi will be an important player for Fulham this season, with Raúl Jiménez and Smith-Rowe important players in their attacking phase. Tete and Robinson will be key players on the full backs, while Leno is expected to keep newcomer Lecomte on the bench, but the French goalkeepers experience will be good to have if he is needed.
Despite Fulham having plenty of players with PL experience, they’re not looking their strongest, and we think they’ll drop down and struggle to avoid relegation, despite their strong 24/25 season.
17) Crystal Palace
Winner: 650.00
To get Relegated: 8.00
Players In: Walter Benitez (PSV Eindhoven), Borna Sosa (Ajax)
Back from Loan: Naouirou Ahamada (Rennes), Odsonne Edouard (Leicester City)
Players Out: Sean Grehan (Doncaster), Rob Holding (Colorado Rapids), Louie Moulden (Norwich), Luke Plange (Grasshoppers), Jeffrey Schlupp (Norwich City), Joel Ward (released)
On Loan: Tayo Adaramola (Leyton Orient), Owen Goodman (Huddersfield Town), David Ozoh (Derby), Joe Whitworth (Exeter City)
Last Season: 12th
What can we expect?
Crystal Palace caused quite the upset when they won the FA Cup last season against Man City, winning the tournament for the first time in their history. It will be hard to follow up on that success this season, and the lack of incoming transfers has the supporters worried. Edouard and Ahamada are both back from loan at Leicester, where he struggled to get minutes, but he could come in handy for Crystal Palace this season.
Manager Oliver Glasner will be hoping to keep Eze at the club, although there is interest, especially from Arsenal, for his services. Should Crystal Palace end up selling their cup hero from last season, at least they would get some cash to splash on reinforcements, but it would be late additions, meaning they wouldn’t be able to train much with their new club before the action kicks off.
Mateta will be the man entrusted with scoring the goals, while Munoz, Wharton, Kamada and Sarr will be key players for the London club if they are to build on their success from last season. The worry is what happens if (when?) any of these key players get injured? The squad depth at Crystal Palace is a huge worry, especially if they are to qualify for Europe. Unless Crystal Palace make some serious moves in the transfer market shortly, we think they could end up struggling this season, but ultimately they should be good enough to stay up.
16) Burnley
Winner: 1500.00
To get Relegated: 1.35
Players In: Jaidon Anthony (Bournemouth), Marcus Edwards (Sporting), Zian Flemming (Millwall), Quilindschy Hartman (Feyenoord), Bashir Humphreys (Chelsea), Jacob Bruun Larsen (Stuttgart), Loum Tchaouna (Lazio), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Max Weiss (Karlsruhe)
Back from Loan: Zeki Amdouni (Benfica), Darko Churlinov (Jagiellonia), Hannes Delcroix (Swansea), Hjalmar Ekdal (Groningen)
Players Out: Josh Brownhill (released), Dara Costelloe (Wigan), CJ Egan-Riley (Marseille), Han-Noah Massengo (Augsburg), Nathan Redmond (released), Jonjo Shelvey (released), James Trafford (Manchester City)
On Loan: Owen Dodgson (Stockport), Andreas Hountondji (St. Pauli), Sam Waller (Crewe)
Last Season: Promoted from Championship (2nd place)
What can we expect?
Burnley got relegated in 21/22 and in 23/24, and it could certainly happen again, but we think they’ll manage to just avoid it, maybe more due to other teams’ weaknesses than their own strength. The sale of Trafford is a big loss for them, but they’ve also made some potentially smart signings in the form of Kyle Walker, bringing plenty of PL experience to the table, and Hartman from Feyenoord. The Dutch left-back is a solid player, and could become a fan favourite if he replicates his form from the Dutch league.
Flemming will hopefully grab the goals, with Bruun Larsen, Anthony and Mejbri tasked with making things happen going forward. Hannibal Mejbri, the former Man Utd player, is also disciplined enough to take on quite a bit of defensive tasks as well.
This will be a tough season for Burnley, and Scott Parker’s side could definitely end up lower in the standings than 16th, but they might have just enough to avoid the immediate relegation they suffered last time they got promoted.
15) Bournemouth
Winner: 325.00
To get Relegated: 10.00
Players In: Djordje Petrovic (Chelsea), Adrien Truffert (Rennes)
Back from Loan: Max Aarons (Valencia), Philip Billing (Napoli), Romain Faivre (Brest), Eli Junior Kroupi (Lorient), Neto (Arsenal), Alex Paulsen (Auckland), Hamed Traore (Auxerre)
Players Out: Jaidon Anthony (Burnley), Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid), Milos Kerkez (Liverpool), Joe Rothwell (Rangers), Mark Travers (Everton)
On Loan: Max Aarons (Rangers), Daniel Jebbison (Preston), Jonny Stuttle (Walsall)
Last Season: 9th
What can we expect?
Well, another top-half finish seems unlikely for Bournemouth, but they certainly have a team that can beat anyone on a good day. Petrovic is expected to be the man behind the sticks, with Senesi and Zabarnyi expected to start as their CB pairing.
Ryan Christie and Tyler Adams is a solid midfield pairing, with Kluivert, Semenyo, Evanilson hoping to score and set up goals for each other. Evanilson’s injury problems is a worry, but new signing Kroupi will be hungry to prove himself up front when given the chance, while Kluivert can also be pushed further forward if needed.
The sale of Kerkez to Liverpool will definitely be felt, but French left-back Adrien Truffert has plenty of experience from Rennes, and you’d expect him to slot in nicely in this team.
Why so low? There are still a few question marks as to the depth in this squad, and losing Huijsen, Kerkez and Jaiden Anthony could be felt a bit more than manager Andoni Iraola would have liked.
Which teams do you think will get relegated this season? Keep an eye on our blog for Part 2 and Part 3 of our PL preview!
Last Updated: 12.08.2025
Odds might have changed since the writing and/or publication of this article.
