As the Premier League season kicks off, check out how our experts think the season will go
• 2 min read
The 2022-23 Premier League season gets underway on Friday and the approaching campaign promises to be of the highest quality. Two-time defending champions Manchester City start this coming term as favorites while Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have retooled meaningfully and Chelsea enter a new era after their recent takeover.
At the other end, Nottingham Forest are back after a lengthy exile while Fulham and Bournemouth will also be fighting to avoid immediate relegation back to the Championship. The battle to reach Europe just behind the UEFA Champions League places also promises to be entertaining.
Our expert panel has put forward their predictions for the new season — see how they compare with your picks.
Champions and Top Four
Titleholders City start the season as overwhelming favorites, but could Liverpool, Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea, or somebody else be about to wrest the crown away from Pep Guardiola and his men?
Bottom Four
Who’s getting relegated and which team will be the last to survive? There is near-unanimity that Bournemouth will be propping up the pile come the end of the season with Fulham also heavily in the mix, but Forest are not clear-cut favorites to go down after an ambitious summer overhaul and Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brentford are seen as being at risk. Not a single one of our experts tipped Everton to finish above 17th.
Player of the Year
With Erling Haaland checking in at Etihad Stadium, there is an overwhelming temptation to put him forward as the likeliest candidate to be the 22-23 Player of the Year — especially given that he will have no FIFA World Cup distractions unlike most of his rivals. Liverpool’s Mo Salah is another strong contender after extending his contract at Anfield while Spurs’ Son Heung-Min or Harry Kane could be a dark horse shout.
Young Player of the Year
The Premier League will once again be awash with exciting young talent and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka is the early favorite to claim the Young Player of the Year award with City pair Haaland and Phil Foden also candidates and Spurs’ Dejan Kulusevski or even Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey getting shouts.
Manager of the Year
The tactical battle between Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Antonio Conte promises to be stirring stuff, but Newcastle United’s Eddie Howe has already impressed and Crystal Palace’s Patrick Vieira could continue to work wonders.
Golden Boot
Haaland, Salah and Son have already been touted as favorites, but Liverpool have a new hitman in Darwin Núñez who will also fancy his chances of a prolific campaign after his move from SL Benfica.
Signing of the season
City’s Haaland, Liverpool’s Núñez, Chelsea pair Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly, as well as Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus all have the potential to be the Signing of the Season, or could it be an unheralded name elsewhere who takes the gong?
