A SUPERCOMPUTER has predicted Manchester United, Newcastle AND Chelsea to miss out on the top four this season.
The equation to secure Champions League qualification has changed slightly for the 2023/24 campaign, with fifth place also likely to be good enough for a spot in Europe’s elite competition.
That is dependent on English clubs performing well in the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League this season.
Fifth place would have qualified in seven of the last 11 seasons.
However, the top four spots are the only ones guaranteed Champions League football.
And Opta’s supercomputer has determined that Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham have the best chance of clinching those places.
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Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal’s chances of finishing in the top four are 80 per cent or higher – with the champions’ a staggering 99.93 per cent.
Spurs’ Champions League percentage stands at 31.68, more than three per cent higher than Man Utd – who have dropped from 63.2 per cent to 28.4 per cent following a dismal start to the season.
Then come Brighton, Newcastle, West Ham and Aston Villa whose top four chances range between seven and 20 per cent.
And Brentford boast a 4.18 per cent chance of Champions League qualification – and a slightly higher chance of Europa League football.
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But one huge side missing from the top 10 is Chelsea.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men saw their top-four chances stand at around 16 per cent a few weeks ago.
But defeats to West Ham and Nottingham Forest have seen that number fall significantly to just 1.3.
Meanwhile, the same supercomputer has deemed Luton [68.15 per cent], Sheffield United [64.46 per cent] and Everton [52.34 per cent] as the three teams most likely to be relegated.
They are followed by Burnley [43.23 per cent] and Bournemouth [41.96 per cent], with a big gap to the likes of Wolves [14.37 per cent], Nottingham Forest [9.84 per cent] and Fulham [3.38 per cent].
Chelsea’s chances of relegation stand at 0.99 per cent.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
