The 2022-23 Premier League season kicks off on Friday and the upcoming campaign promises to be of the highest quality. Two-time defending champions City of Manchester start this next term as favorites while Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham have been meaningfully reconstructed and Chelsea are entering a new era after their recent acquisition.
At the other end, Nottingham Forest return after a long 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 team of experts have laid out their predictions for the new season — see how they compare to your picks.
Champions and Top Four
City holders City start the season as overwhelming favourites, but could Liverpool, Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea or anyone else be ready to wrest the crown away from Pep Guardiola and his men?
Bottom Four
Who gets relegated and which team will be the last one standing? There is almost a consensus that Bournemouth will prop up the pile at the end of the season with Fulham also very much in the mix, but Forest are not clear favorites to go down after an ambitious summer overhaul and Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bradford are considered to be at risk. None of our pundits said Everton would finish higher than 17th.
Player of the Year
With Erling Haaland checking in at the Etihad Stadium, there’s an overwhelming temptation to peg him as the most likely candidate to be player of the year 22-23 — especially given he won’t have the distraction of the FIFA World Cup unlike most of his rivals . Liverpool’s Mo Salah is another strong suitor after extending his contract at Anfield, while Spurs’ Son Heung-Min or Harry Kane it could be a dark horse cry.
Young player of the year
The Premier League will once again be full of exciting young talent from Arsenal too Bucayo 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 of Aston Villa Jacob Ramsey gets yelled at.
Manager of the Year
The tactical battle between Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Antonio Conte promises to be thrilling, but Newcastle United Eddie Howe has already impressed and The Crystal Palace Patrick Vieira could continue to work wonders.
Golden Boot
Haaland, Salah and Son have already been touted as favourites, but Liverpool have a new hitman in Darwin Núñez, who will also fancy his chances of a prolific campaign following his move from SL Benfica.
Signature of the season
Haaland City, Liverpool’s Nunez, 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?
