ARSENAL are set for Premier League title glory come May, according to boffins who have predicted the final table.
American pollsters FiveThirtyEight have predicted the results for the rest of the campaign and come up with what they believe will be the final table.
And it is good news for both Manchester United and Liverpool as well as the Gunners.
Arsenal moved seven points clear at the top with their 4-2 victory over Brighton on New Year’s Eve.
They return to action tonight with a home clash against third-placed Newcastle.
Mikel Arteta is hoping to lead them to a first title triumph since 2004 – and this table backs them to do just that.
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They state that Arsenal have a 50 per cent probability of becoming champions as opposed to rival Manchester City’s 41 per cent.
The North London outfit are estimated to get a points tally of 85, which is two more than title holders City are predicted to get.
But the predictions also make grim reading for Champions League-chasing Newcastle.
They are tipped to drop out of the top four places come the crunch, with Man Utd and Liverpool backed to finish third and fourth respectively.
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FiveThirtyEight is predicting the battle for fourth will go right down to the wire between the Magpies and Jurgen Klopp’s Reds.
They have both been predicted to get 68 points – but Liverpool are being backed to edge it due to a better goal difference.
And both Tottenham and Chelsea have been tipped to miss out on the Champions League qualification also, with them backed to end up in sixth and seventh.
Meanwhile, Brighton and Brentford have been predicted to record top-half finishes.
The study suggests Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Wolves will be relegated to the Championship.
According to FiveThirtyEight, Forest have a 61 per cent chance of relegation, Bournemouth have a 56 per cent chance of going down, while Wolves are backed to drop a tier by just a point.
That means a great escape for Southampton, who are currently propping up the division, while Everton, Leeds and West Ham are all safe.
FiveThirtyEight, which takes its name from the number of electors in the United States electoral college, was created by analyst Nate Silver as a polling aggregation website.
And they have been predicting the outcomes of top-flight leagues since 2017 by using their specialist methodology.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk