After a thrilling summer of international soccer with the Olympics and Euros, the European club season is kicking off in all of the top leagues: The English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish La Liga, and German Bundesliga. Europe’s finest are ready to battle for silverware. Lots of drama and some exciting summer transfers mean it should be yet another brilliant year for the sport.
Asterisks will be used to signify bold predictions.
For the Premier League, 10/20 teams will be included. For the La Liga and Serie A 5/20. For Bundesliga 5/18.
Premier League
1st Place: Since the 22/23 season, Arsenal has improved with every game under Mikel Arteta, as the young squad captained by Martin Odegaard, play with complete control of the game, by maintaining possession and creating chances. Young stars such as Saka, Havertz, and Saliba have continued to elevate their game, and smart summer transfers such as Calafiori, Merino, and Sterling on loan strengthen key areas. Having come just short of the title for two years in a row to Manchester City, the Gunner’s will have to be perfect in order to win the league. If the Gunner’s can replicate their results against the Big 6 from last season and maintain discipline throughout the season, the North London outfit’s wait for a league title could finally come to an end.
2nd Place: Under the stewardship of Pep Guardiola, Manchester City has achieved unprecedented success in the Premier League, albeit controversially. In 17/18 the Centurions, 22/23 the treble, and in 23/24 the 4-peat – truly a dynasty in Manchester. However this season it feels different. Despite Haaland’s rampant scoring, City may be in trouble. Foden and De Bruyne have carried several injuries as of late in addition to a disappointing Euro’s for the both of them. Furthermore, what may be the greatest issue is the lack of backups in both midfield and defense, which could disrupt the entire season if suspensions and injuries pile up.
3rd Place: A tear-jerking farewell to legendary manager, Jurgen Klopp, at the end of the 23/24 season has devastated the Reds, fans and players alike. The sole summer transfer of Federico Chiesa to the club has neglected many key areas of the pitch that had needed reinforcement last season. A younger center half and a deep lying midfielder, able to play in a pivot were notably absent from the squad, yet were not addressed by new coach Arne Slot. The Reds however, have been off to a flying start so far, as Mohamed Salah and the stacked front line can’t stop scoring. Strong performances from Gravenberch and Mac Allister in midfield, as well as captain Van Dijk in defense indicate a strong season ahead.
4th Place: Despite a weak start to the season this year, the thrilling signings of players such as proven goalscorer Dominic Solanke, and young signings Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, hint success. While they have had a slow start after losing 2-1 to Newcastle, they have proven they can create opportunities in the box. However, after a lack of being able to score said goals, and the injury to Dominic Solanke, they will pick up steam when he returns in mid-September. Along with this, they have a strong set of defenders after being named with the two best fullbacks in the Prem last season, and both Van de Ven and Romero having an amazing summer at their respective tournaments. If they can learn to finish their chances, and can maintain their center backs (mainly making sure Romero does not get suspended) they will have a real chance for winning Europa League and getting a spot in the Champions League.
5th Place: Unai Emery’s Villa side has surprised the league since he was appointed head coach during the 22/23 season. One of the strongest teams in the league whilst playing at home, and consistently battling for results against top sides earned the Villans a Champions League spot last season which has led to a transfer budget increase. Notably the arrivals of Amadou Onana from Everton, Ian Maatsen from Chelsea, and Jaden Philogene from Hull City constitute the whopping 176 million Euros on transfers by the Birmingham side as key players Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby have departed for Juventus and Al-Ittihad respectively. Ultimately though, the wins versus top teams from last year seem unlikely to be replicated, which suggest a lower placement than last year.
6th Place: Once the greatest team in England, Manchester United have suffered mediocrity for a decade now. Endless spending, new managers, and controversies plague the culture of the club. Temporary signs of success such as FA cup wins and Carabao cup wins tell a false story. Injury crises and flop signings have tormented the Red Devils for years; this year seems to be no different. Talented new signing Leny Yoro has already broken his foot and Matthis De Ligt has yet to find his place in the backline. In order to prevent a complete travesty of a season: new arrival Ugarte will have to bench Casemiro and partner well with Mainoo, De Ligt and Mazroui will have to rebuild the backline, and Fernandes must provide for Hojlund, Zirkzee, and Diallo. If the Red Devils cannot manage these issues, it is ridiculous to imagine anything higher than 6th.
7th Place: The current state of Chelsea can be summed up simply: madness. The Blue’s have spent 1.32 billion Euros on 40 players in two years. Madness. After a poor preseason and first couple league games, many already doubt new coach Maresca who has never held the position of head coach prior to this season. A shining light was cast upon the South London club last season though, as Cole Palmer joined from Manchester City. As the PFA Young Player of the Year who recorded 40 G/A in 23/24, the 22 year old’s form will determine Chelsea’s season as his teammates suffer from mediocrity and inconsistency despite owner Todd Boehly’s ridiculous spending.
8th Place: Under Saudi ownership, Newcastle have been treated to several world class signings over the past couple of seasons, paired with good leadership under Eddie Howe. A stellar 22/23 season, followed by a lackluster 23/24 depicts the unpredictability of the Magpies. With Sandro Tonali returning from his gambling ban, Bruno Guimares will have a proper partner in midfield to feed Isak and Gordon up top. Questions about the back line are the main reason that the side aren’t favored higher up the table, as since Sven Botman’s ACL tear it has been noticeably worse.
9th Place: Regarded as one of the best selling clubs in Europe, Brighton have offloaded cheaply acquired talent for hundreds of millions of Euros in profit over the past couple of transfer windows. This summer it was time to reinvest under new coach, Fabian Hurzeler, who will be the youngest Premier League coach ever at 31. Ferdi Kadioglu, Brajan Gruda, Yankuba Minteh, Matt O’Riley, and Georginio Rutter all join the Gulls for about 230 million Euros. The losses of veteran Pascal Grob and Billy Gilmour in the midfield will surely affect the south coast side, but with Adingra, Pedro, and Mitoma terrorizing defenses fans shouldn’t be too worried.
10th Place: Finally, a side that will be delighted to place in the top half of the table, Fulham. Selling Palinha, the Portuguese engine in their midfield and Tim Ream, the American in defense, will take some getting used to, but the Cottagers have strengthened their squad significantly. Joachim Anderson in defense, Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson from Arsenal in attack, and Sander Berge in midfield all for about 91 million Euros shows the ambition of the club to push for more this season. The signing of Smith Rowe in particular is exciting, as he will join fellow former Gunner Alex Iwobi and Nelson who is on loan from Arsenal, to bring some spark and creativity to the Fulham attack. Marco Silva’s Fulham should be a very entertaining team to watch this season if they can keep ESR healthy.
La Liga
1st Place: Fiorentino Perez and Carlo Ancelotti have finally got the final piece to their new Galacticos. After a 6 year transfer saga, Kylian Mbappe has joined the likes of Bellingham, Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo, Valverde, Guler, as a Madridista. Although there may be a brief adjustment period, it’s absurd to think that this squad will not win the league.
2nd Place: Despite Lamine Yamal’s rapid development into one of the worlds finest players and the signing of Euros star Dani Olmo, Real Madrid are just too overpowered for Barcalona to win the league. In last year’s El Clasicos, the Culers failed to win either home or away as Jude’s late goal and ranged strike denied them both times. Injury prone players also threaten Barca’s season as Gavi, Pedri, De Jong, and Olmo frequently are sidelined. Ultimately Raphinha’s fine form and Yamal’s brilliance won’t be able to prevent Madrid’s dominance.
3rd Place: Athletico have bolstered their team immensely this summer; Alvarez, Gallagher, Sørloth, and Le Normand all big names joining Los Rojiblancos. Bought from Man City for the highest sum of any summer fee, Julian Alvarez has failed to score or assist in his first 4 matches, a bad sign for Atelti. It seems unlikely that Simeone’s side can replicate an upset over both Real and Barca that they had in 2020/2021.
4th Place: After a stellar 23/24 season, Bilbao are hoping to continue their success as brothers Inaki and Nico Williams carry the team’s attacking output. Lack of world class talent in defense and midfield will prevent the Basque outfit from breaking into the top three.
5th Place: An underdog title charge and UCL qualification for Girona was one of the headlines of the 23/24 season, but having lost key players Savio and Dobvyk it seems unlikely for another surprising season.
Serie A
Juventus is predicted to win the league after a crazy run of signings for their midfielders after signing Di Gregorio and Douglas Luis. The unfortunate fact is that because of this it pushes out United States Stars Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah from starting positions. While Inter Milan did win last season, most of their players are aging and they are doubtful to win the league. Christian Pulisic had an excellent season for AC Milan last season, and with that comes more playing time which could lead him to winning the Golden Boot, and potentially even winning the league, yet we are not that hopeful for AC Milan. For AS Roma, after the contract extension of fan-favorite Paulo Dybala, AS Roma had a rocky start but is sure to look up from their current position in 17th.
Bundesliga
Following a crazy season in the Bundesliga with Xavi Alonsos Bayer Leverkusen winning the league unbeaten, this season is sure to be interesting. While the prior winner did have an amazing record last year, Alonso has already lost one of two games this season. Bundesliga giant Bayern München has a solid start after the interesting appointment of coach Vincent Kompany who led Burnley to relegation in last season’s Premier League, the signing of playmaker Micheal Olise from Crystal Palace, the loss of De Ligt and their first trophyless year in way too long, they are sure to try and change things around this season. Currently, FC Heidenheim sits on top after scoring 2 goals against St. Pauli and 4 goals against Augsburg, yet their spell at first may be short-lived after they face Dortmund this Friday. Cult favorite team RB Leipzig who sits 3rd right now and is predicted to stay where around 3rd place could shape up for an interesting season with fan favorite Xavi Simons playing well in the Euros. While this prediction may look bland, last season is a sign that the Bundesliga is becoming less predictable every year.
