With nine games played in the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, we’ve already seen the champions’ crown slip, two sackings from one club and one Manchester United fan may just be closing in on a much-needed haircut.

But there’s still plenty more to come and an AI Supercomputer has now predicted how the final table will look come May, using data from the first nine game-weeks to predict every result and the final standings.

Relegation battle

It’s been a refreshing season down at the bottom. As things stand, none of the three promoted sides sit inside the bottom three and all have reached 10 points or above already.

For context of just how important that achievement is, Southampton finished bottom with 12 points after 38 games last season, whilst it took Ipswich and Leicester City all season to reach 22 and 25 points respectively. Sunderland have particularly thrived and sit as high as fourth in the Premier League with 17 points to their name. After nine games, it’s hard to see a world in which they don’t avoid the drop.

The Supercomputer seems to agree with how impressive the promoted sides have been so far this season and believes that, for just the fifth time in Premier League history, all three will avoid the drop. That leaves West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest – the current bottom three – in the dropzone at the end of the season.

15

Fulham

40

16

Leeds United

34

17

Burnley

33

18

Nottingham Forest

30

19

Wolves

27

20

West Ham

26

Bottom half

Away from relegation trouble, the supercomputer has predicted some comfortable campaigns for Brentford, Everton, Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace. Opinions will differ around those clubs whether a mid-table finish would be satisfactory, but Brentford should certainly take hold of that with both hands.

In their first season without Thomas Frank in the Premier League, many predicted the Bees to go down and although there’s still every chance that happens, victory over Liverpool proved just the positive direction that Keith Andrews is taking them. Not only has he steadied the ship, but he has also added his own pragmatic style in West London.

11

Crystal Palace

50

12

Brighton

48

13

Everton

47

14

Brentford

42

Top half

Look away now Chelsea fans, because your top four spot is up for grabs. According to the Supercomputer, the Blues are in for another frustrating campaign after spending big once more in the summer.

Despite impressing at times, Enzo Maresca’s side have largely remained inconsistent and that could leave them scrapping away to stay in the top six altogether. The same can be said for Newcastle United, who have impressed defensively but remained blunt going forward in the absence of one of the world’s best forwards in Alexander Isak.

Manchester United, meanwhile, have been on the up lately and are just two wins away from five on the bounce. After finishing in the bottom half last season, the Supercomputer believes that Ruben Amorim’s side will earn their place back inside the top six and above Chelsea.

5

Man Utd

65

6

Chelsea

63

7

Aston Villa

62

8

Bournemouth

60

9

Newcastle

59

10

Sunderland

52

Top four and Premier League winners

From the glory of champions, the most glaring prediction that the Supercomputer has made centres around Liverpool’s fall from grace. It does believe that the Reds will finish inside the top four, but as many as 17 points behind league leaders Arsenal in a title defence to forget for Arne Slot. Given that they’re currently winless in four league games, however, the Dutchman may just take that final table.

As for Tottenham Hotspur, from the chaos of Ange-ball, they’re expected to rise to as high as third in the league under Frank. The Lilywhites have started in excellent fashion under the Dane and could yet continue that to earn their way back into the top four.

For the Gunners, meanwhile, glory may finally be on the horizon. They’ve waited over two decades to lift the Premier League title again and have been forced to applaud both Liverpool and Manchester City in recent years. Now, at long last, it could finally be Mikel Arteta’s year. The Supercomputer has even gone as far as to predict that they’ll win it by 13 points.

1

Arsenal

89

2

Man City

76

3

Tottenham Hotspur

74

4

Liverpool

72

As Liverpool prepare to square off against Eintracht Frankfurt in hope of getting back to winning ways for the first time in four games, a medical expert has provided an injury update on Ryan Gravenberch.

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Liverpool were dominant last season as they shocked the rest of the Premier League by stealing the crown in their first year under new manager Arne Slot. Any concerns that they would drop off entirely without Jurgen Klopp were put to bed in emphatic fashion and those at Anfield quickly rewarded Slot for such an impressive debut campaign.

In an unprecedented summer for the Reds, they spent around £400m, broke their transfer record twice, and welcomed the likes of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike. On the transfer front, Liverpool couldn’t ask for much more.

Yet, just a few months later, Slot has been left scratching his head wondering just how his super-team have just lost their fourth straight game, against Manchester United at Anfield of all teams. It is the toughest period of the Dutchman’s reign so far and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has delivered his verdict.

Liverpool must hope to bounce back like Man City did in the second-half of last season, but will have to wait for one player to return from injury before they are back to full strength and can begin their return to form.

Injury expert delivers Gravenberch verdict

When it rains it pours for Liverpool. The Reds watched on as Ryan Gravenberch was forced off with injury to compile their misery in a fourth straight defeat in all competitions last weekend.

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The Dutchman, alongside Virgil van Dijk, is arguably the most irreplaceable player in Slot’s squad, but those at Anfield must now figure out how to do exactly that.

Injury expert Physio Scout delivered insight on Gravenberch’s twisted ankle this week, claiming that the midfielder is likely to miss up to two weeks of action in the likeliest scenario, albeit there is another much worse possibility.

“Lateral ankle sprains often look worse than they are if swelling and instability are minimal,” they said. “A Grade 1 sprain and a quick return are most likely… However, any ligament damage confirmed on imaging could see him sidelined for several weeks.”

Grade 1 twisted ankle

Less than 2 weeks (most likely)

Grade 2 twisted ankle

3-4 weeks

Grade 3 / ligament damage

4-6+ weeks

Assuming a Grade 1, this could see the midfielder make a return to action against Real Madrid on November 4 or in the absolute best-case scenario, as soon as Brentford this weekend.

Already ruled out for the Frankfurt game after being omitted from Liverpool’s travelling squad, it’s imperative that Liverpool get Gravenberch back into their side as soon as possible.

Russell Martin accepted full responsibility after another dismal Rangers performance ended with a 1-1 draw at Falkirk, but it may not be enough to save his position at Ibrox.

When striker Bojan Miovski tapped in after 41 minutes, the travelling supporters again turned their ire on the Gers boss and there were repeated chants against the former Southampton manager before and after John McGlynn’s side deservedly levelled in the 73rd minute through substitute Henry Cartwright.

Afterwards Gers fans sat down to attempt to stop the team bus leaving but they were dispersed by police. Images showed that Martin was escorted out of another part of the stadium by security guards before reportedly leaving in a car.

The Ibrox side are in eighth place with one win in seven William Hill Premiership fixtures, 11 points behind leaders Hearts and nine behind Celtic and Martin, who described the chants as “character building”, was asked if he was getting enough from the players.

He said: “They’re giving us everything they’ve got. I think they’re really trying. So I have to take responsibility for it, not them.

“There’s been some really honest discussions with them in the dressing room, some frustration with them and each other, but ultimately I’m the one in charge of the team, so I have to accept responsibility. We haven’t had enough wins on days like today, so it’s been a frustrating period.”

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Martin conceded the backing of the Ibrox board is not infinite but remains confident that he can get it right.

He said: “I think it’s the same everywhere. Just this club is intensified and the scrutiny is much higher, the noise is much louder.

“So every draw we’ve had has felt like a defeat because of the stature of this club and what it means and what we have to try and fight for.

“So I can’t answer your question really, you’d have to ask the people above me.

“I feel that the players and the staff are really behind me. I felt really supported by everyone else above me as well, and I can’t dictate whether that changes or not.

“I have to just try and focus on winning football matches (and we can do that) because of what I see every day with the players, how invested they are in it, how hard they run.

“If I felt any differently, I would feel differently here. It probably wouldn’t hurt as much, but I know they’re really trying.”

Martin "on the brink" of Ibrox sack

And Ben Jacobs reports on Sunday evening that Martin “is on the brink of being sacked” the Gers board “expected to make an imminent decision”.

Steven Gerrard and Danny Rohl are both “appreciated” in Glasgow’s South side having been on the shortlist before Martin took charge.

كشف ديكو، المدير الرياضي لنادي برشلونة حقيقة تدعيم الفريق الأول لكرة القدم خلال فترة الانتقالات الشتوية المقبلة.

ويعاني برشلونة من غيابات عديدة في النصف الأول من الموسم بسب تراكم الإصابات العضلية في جميع المراكز مما أثر على نتائج الفريق في مباريات الدوري الإسباني ودوري أبطال أوروبا.

وقال ديكو، في تصريحات عبر “موندو ديبورتيفو”: “إذا كنا نسير على ما يُرام ولم تكن هناك مفاجآت، فلا أعتقد أن ذلك ضروري، نحن نُدرك جيدًا جوانب التحسن والصعوبات التي نواجهها، مررنا أيضًا بأوقات عصيبة في الموسم الماضي وتمكنا من تجاوزها”.

وأضاف: “عندما نتراجع في أدائنا، نعاني بالطبع، نحتاج إلى تواجد أفضل لاعبينا بشكل دائم، لا توجد أعذار لكن عندما لا نستطيع إجراء تغييرات بسبب الإصابات والتي ضربت خط وسطنا، هناك أمور يجب تحسينها حتى عندما نكون فائزين”.

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وأردف: “المواسم الثانية دائمًا ما تكون معقدة لكن فليك لديه خطة لعب جريئة وأن الوقت ليس مناسبًا للشك أبدًا”.

واستطرد: “أعجبني حقًا ما قاله فرينكي دي يونج، ما قدمناه العام الماضي كان مذهلًا لكن علينا أن نتطلع إلى المستقبل، إذا أردنا المقارنة فسنرتكب خطأ”.

وتابع: “الشيء الوحيد الذي لا جدال فيه هو التمسك بفكرة المدرب الذي فاز بما فاز به الموسم الماضي والذي جلب لنا السعادة”.

وأتم: “نحن متشددون بعض الشيء، وجودنا في برشلونة يعني هذا وأحيانًا لا يجب أن نسمح لأنفسنا بالتأثر”.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven scored a truly astonishing goal during the team's Champions League win over Copenhagen on Tuesday night, immediately reminding fans of one that club legend Son Heung-min netted against Burnley six years ago. Son's effort went on to win the coveted FIFA Puskas Award, leading supporters to already wish the same fate for Van de Ven.

• Van de Ven runs length of the pitch

  Van de Ven near enough covered the entire length of the pitch with the ball at his feet. The Dutch centre-back picked it up on the edge of his own penalty area and, aided by his well-known searing pace, proceeded to surge up the field. He initially burst through a gap between two Copenhagen players, and then sidestepped two more by the time he reached the halfway line. After that, it was a straight foot race towards goal, but no one was catching him.

  Crucially, after the lung-busting run, Van de Ven still had the composure to fire off a clinical finish past visiting goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski.

  In 2019, Son had collected the ball in the same area of the pitch. It wasn't quite the explosive start that Van de Ven managed and the finish was more measured and slightly closer to goal, but the run was extraordinarily similar and covered pretty much the same path.

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• Van de Ven helps Spurs to easy win

  Van de Ven's strike put Spurs 3-0 ahead against their Danish opponent, eventually going on to win 4-0. After the final whistle, he was immediately asked for his take on what had happened by TNT Sports: "To be honest, I saw the gap in front of me and started dribbling, and I will see if they can catch up. I saw the space more and more. At that moment, I thought, 'I'm through now, I'll go for goal now'. Then I scored."

  Interviewer Becky Ives joked that the Tottenham medical department would have been worried about the condition of Van de Ven's hamstrings watching him run in full flight like that – in seriousness, he missed 30 games for club and country last season because of hamstring and thigh injuries.

  He saw the funny side of that, but then replied: "I'm feeling good and I felt amazing in the sprint as well. I felt I could keep going and going, and I did."

  Speaking after the game, head coach Thomas Frank joked: "It felt like we had Lionel Messi turned into Micky van de Ven, running down from his own goal and all the way to the other end to score a fantastic goal. I think he’s our top scorer in all competitions. He can keep going. He can keep, by the way, walking past me if he’s angry after a game if he delivers like this."

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  Van de Ven: Puskas Award winner?

  Son won the 2020 FIFA Puskas Award for an almost carbon copy of the goal, so Van de Ven has to be in contention for a prize of his own. But patience is going to be required.

  Although the 2025 nominations have not yet been revealed ahead of FIFA's annual gala, likely to be in January 2026, the cutoff point tends to be August each yer and stretches back the previous 12 months. It means that goals scored so far in the 2025-26 season won't be considered until the time comes for the 2026 award to be handed out, which is expected to be at around 12 months or more away.

  Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Son did not get to attend a glitzy celebration to collect his Puskas Award, instead giving an acceptance speech via video in a virtual ceremony.

MatériaMais Notícias

Mesmo buscando o resultado após sair perdendo para o Flamengo, o técnico Mano Menezes não saiu satisfeito com o empate. Ainda assim, o treinador gostou da postura do Corinthians no jogo deste sábado (7), na Neo Química Arena. 

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– Não sai satisfeito com o resultado, mas saio satisfeito com o comportamento da equipe. Estivemos melhores posicionados. Na defesa já bem melhor posicionado. Enfrentamos uma equipe com muita qualidade, com movimentações boas e sempre se espera algo de diferente deles e minha equipe se comportou melhor e ofereceu menos oportunidades. A partir daí, você vai sofrendo menos. É uma série de coisas para melhorar, mas o caminho é esse – disse o técnico na entrevista coletiva após a partida. 

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Mano ressaltou que a qualidade do adversário exalta a melhora corintiana no confronto deste fim de semana.

– Não é só comportamento. Temos que aliar isso às condições de um jogo mais bem executado. Jogamos contra um time com muita movimentação. Precisamos estar atentos, fomos bem em vários momentos, mas erramos em tantos outros. O caminho é trabalhar bastante nessa parada e estaremos melhor depois desse período de treinamento.

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Com o resultado, o Corinthians manteve a sua distância da zona do rebaixamento, que é de quatro pontos. E isso não mudará, independentemente do resultado da partida entre Palmeiras e Santos neste domingo (8), já que Bahia, Goiás e Vasco já entraram em campo nesta rodada.

De toda forma, Mano Menezes diz que a possibilidade de entrar no Z4  não é discutida no Timão. 

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– Não se falou sobre isso (zona do rebaixamento) com os jogadores, porque não é questão nossa. Quem fala em rebaixamento é quem está no Z4, e a equipe vem se mantendo fora há um tempo. Mas é óbvio que precisamos melhorar o percentual de pontuação. Um ponto a cada seis não é o suficiente, mas às vezes não é o pior, pois pode lhe dar consistência para buscar mais.

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O Corinthians voltará a campo após 11 dias, por conta do período de paralisação do futebol brasileiro por conta das datas Fifa. O próximo duelo será contra o Fluminense, no dia 18 de agosto, no Rio de Janeiro, pela 27ª rodada do Brasileirão. O tempo sem jogos será importante para que o treinador dê mais a sua cara para a equipe. 

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– Cada dia vamos trabalhar na direção de melhorar as questões gerais da equipe. Sofremos um pouco nas retomadas, quando a bola vai e volta perdemos o posicionamento, seja ofensivo ou defensivo. A equipe precisa percorrer as distâncias mais rápido e isso é possível. Existe uma mudança de ritmo nisso e o treinamento todos os dias faz você ganhar uma condição melhor, a equipe precisa desse trabalho e os jogadores estão sedentos por isso, por essas informações e é isso que vamos dar a equipe – pontuou Mano.

Mano Menezes fez somente a sua segunda partida no comando corintiano na passagem atual e ainda não venceu. A primeira havia sido na terça-feira (3), quando o Timão foi derrotado para o Fortaleza, no confronto em que foi eliminado da Conmebol Sul-Americana. A estreia seria no clássico contra o São Paulo, no dia 1º de outubro, mas como carregava uma suspensão por acúmulo de cartões, da época em que dirigia o Internacional, cumpriu suspensão, e o Corinthians foi comandado pelo auxiliar Sidnei Lobo.

He surpassed Dravid, Kallis, Ponting all in one innings at Old Trafford

Matt Roller25-Jul-2025

Joe Root had a banner day in Manchester•Associated Press

Joe Root has become the second-highest run-scorer in Test history, climbing three places in the all-time list during his century against India in Manchester. Root became England’s highest-ever run-scorer in October when he overtook Alastair Cook and went past three more batters on Thursday, leaving him second only to Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of 15,921 runs.Root resumed his innings on 11 on the third morning and overtook Rahul Dravid when he reached 30 with a dab to deep third. He went past Jacques Kallis off his very next ball with a single through cover, and surpassed Ricky Ponting when he steered Anshul Kamboj to deep point for a single to reach 120.Root smiled sheepishly as the crowd gave him a standing ovation for his achievement, while India’s captain Shubman Gill also applauded him. Ponting was at Emirates Old Trafford commentating for Sky Sports to witness Root overtake him, and paid tribute to Root’s hunger for runs.Related

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“Congratulations, Joe Root. Magnificent,” Ponting said. “Second on the table, 120 not out. This crowd at the ground, this very knowledgeable crowd here at Old Trafford, stands as one… Just the one more to go now. About 2,500 runs behind [Tendulkar], but the way that his career has gone over the last four or five years, there’s absolutely no reason why not.”Ponting added: “He’s been a wonderful player through those 157 Test matches. He’s been such a consistent player, hasn’t he? You don’t really remember a long period of time where he’s had a lean run.