Opta have crunched the numbers and revealed their belief that one of the current top six in the Premier League have a zero per cent chance of lifting the title.
With incumbent champions Manchester City ominously losing key figure Rodri in their midfield, and perennial challengers Arsenal almost faltering against the likes of Leicester City, you’d be forgiven for believing the path could be clearing for a new contender.
But the data wizards have arrived to unceremoniously crush any ideals on another Leicester-like wonder season for one team.
Opta give Fulham a zero per cent chance of winning the Premier League
Opta have fed the numbers into their prediction system for the current top six teams in the Premier League and, perhaps unsurprising, have given sixth-placed Fulham a zero per cent chance of winning the league. Stick it up in the dressing room, Marco.
Current Champions League competitors, fifth-placed Aston Villa, haven’t faired much better, having been estimated to have a 0.06 per cent chance of clinching the silverware.
To absolutely nobody’s shock, the statisticians have Pep Guardiola’s City as the most likely champions on 73.38 per cent, which, if proved correct, would see the side lift their fifth-consecutive Premier League title.
True to style, Arsenal come in second on 17.16 per cent, but will likely be buoyed by City’s unfortunate early season injury luck and their dogged determination to win by any means as displayed against the Foxes.
That leaves Liverpool in third with 9.06 per cent, which, if this predictor correctly foresees the top three, would be a strong debut season for Arne Slot in the Anfield dugout.
Chelsea, despite the mercurial talent of Cole Palmer, are given just a 0.28 per cent chance of lifting their first league title since 2017, but at least they can rest safe in the knowledge that the numbers rate them higher than Marco Silva’s rabble down the road.
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In FourFourTwo’s opinion, the numbers ring true, don’t they? As much as we’d love to see another season like 2015/16, with a side like Leicester seizing on the sleeping giants of the league to storm to an unlikely Premier League, it does feel as though there’s roughly zero chance of that happening.
Fulham have started the season well, better than many may have expected, but it would take some incredible unforeseen consistency and a good portion of misfortune from the usual suspects for us to glimpse Tom Cairney lifting the trophy next May.
