Alofoke Deportes Kicks Off the 2025-26 Season!
The ball is rolling again in European football. After a summer full of emotions, including Chelsea’s victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the FIFA Club World Cup final, the club season is back on the continent. The Premier League will kick off with Liverpool vs. Bournemouth on Friday. LaLiga and Ligue 1 also begin this weekend, while the Bundesliga and Serie A will do so the following week. It’s time for our Alofoke Deportes experts to share their predictions, from the champions to the signings that will make headlines. In addition, we asked them to offer us a bold prediction that we will review at the end of the season. Who will be the surprises and disappointments? Will Wrexham be able to maintain their fairytale and be promoted for the third consecutive year? Let’s find out what our analysts have to say, starting with their Premier League predictions.Premier League Predictions
One thing is for sure: Liverpool is the clear favorite to retain the title. But our experts’ choices for the top four and relegation present some surprises.Who will win the Golden Boot?
We’ll see if City has the defense to get back to the top of the Premier League, but no one will benefit more from City’s recent influx of offensive talent than Haaland, who scored 22 goals in a supposedly bad season.Erling Haaland.
Bill Connelly
He was prolific last season despite City’s problems, and they will be better overall this season.Haaland.
Rob Dawson
Alexander Isak, if he goes to Liverpool. If not, Haaland. Chelsea’s new striker, João Pedro, should also finish high up the table.
Tom Hamilton
Haaland. Last season, City wasn’t the same, and neither was Haaland. This will change this season with more offensive power from Pep Guardiola’s team, and we should get another great campaign from the goal-scoring machine.
Julien Laurens
Haaland. An injury prevented the Norwegian international from claiming another Golden Boot last season, but he remains arguably the most prolific striker in Europe. I expect him to be up there again.
Beth Lindop
Haaland. There is no reason to think that he will suddenly get worse after a mediocre 2024-25 that still saw him score 22 goals. Eighty-five goals in 97 Premier League appearances tell the story. (In the same time period, Mohamed Salah has 66 in 114 and Isak has 54 in 86).
Gab Marcotti
Haaland. Manchester City might not win the title, but you can never bet against anyone other than Haaland for the Golden Boot.
Mark Ogden
Which player will have a comeback season?
Can I say Haaland again? In terms of goals per 90 minutes, 2024-25 was his worst season since he was 17 and playing for Molde in Norway. In terms of assists per 90 minutes, it was his worst season as a professional. He will almost certainly recover.
Bill Connelly
Kobbie Mainoo. He has struggled to play under Ruben Amorim, but with the right midfielder alongside him, he could be key to Manchester United’s resurgence.
Rob Dawson
Haaland. It seems strange to label the third-highest goalscorer in the Premier League last season as needing a comeback, but Haaland’s season was a bit erratic. Expect him to be back in form and on a scoring streak this time.
Tom Hamilton
Martin Ødegaard. First, he was injured last season, then he never really got into full form, and that impacted Arsenal. He has looked good in the preseason and will be back at his best this season.
Julien Laurens
Ranked: The top 50 players entering the new Premier League season
Keys of the preseason for the ambitions in the Premier League
Jack Grealish. His signing for Everton is a bit risky for both parties, but I think Grealish will enjoy the opportunity to be the main man at a club after fighting for minutes last season. With the World Cup next summer, the English international will be desperate to get back to his best.
Beth Lindop
Joško Gvardiol. He wasn’t horrible last season, but he was somewhat mired in City’s defensive mediocrity. If Guardiola abandons the four-center-back setup and moves him to the heart of the defense as many expect, the Croatian international is ready to take on the role and be a leader.
Gab Marcotti
Mason Mount. If he stays fit, the Manchester United midfielder can finally justify his signing, two years after arriving at Old Trafford.
Mark Ogden
Rodri. It has almost become a cliché to underline how important the midfielder is for Manchester City, but this season could demonstrate once again why he is vital.
James Olley
Phil Foden. The only way is up for Foden, who followed a Player of the Year campaign in 2023-24 with a complete disaster in 2024-25. He needed 24 shots to register his first goal of the season, and ended up making only 20 league starts.
Sam Tighe
Which coach will be fired first?
Scott Parker, Burnley. They have the least talented or second least talented squad in the league, and the last three times he’s coached a Premier League team, the team has been relegated.
Bill Connelly
Keith Andrews, Brentford. He’s getting into a difficult situation for his first job as a coach.
Rob Dawson
Daniel Farke, Leeds. There were suggestions at the end of last season that Leeds were looking to replace him shortly after their promotion was confirmed. If they have a slow start, the pressure will be on him.
Tom Hamilton
Parker, Burnley. He gets teams promoted to the Premier League and then they struggle. I don’t see the pattern changing.
Julien Laurens
Farke, Leeds. The Premier League hasn’t been kind to newly promoted teams in recent years, and I have the feeling that Farke could be the first victim of that trend.
Beth Lindop
Parker, Burnley. His team was promoted after conceding only 13 goals with an xG conceded of over 33. And Burnley lost their standout goalkeeper (James Trafford) and center-back (CJ Egan-Riley). This is Parker’s fourth season as a Premier League manager. In each of the previous ones, he was either fired or relegated.
Gab Marcotti
Graham Potter, West Ham. It could be a fight between him and David Moyes of Everton, but Potter is already at a disadvantage after his bad start to the job last season.
Mark Ogden
Potter, West Ham. There were some murmurs of discontent among the fans at the end of last season, and they have lost Mohammed Kudus. He starts under more pressure than most.
James Olley
Parker, Burnley. A scattered approach to the transfer market hasn’t lifted a team that is not only likely to struggle to score goals at this level, but has also lost its best defensive player (goalkeeper Trafford).
Sam Tighe
Which team will regret their summer transfer window the most at the end of the season?
Manchester United. They finished in 15th place last season and entered the summer needing fresh blood in the center of the attack, the midfield, and the wing at a minimum. Now they have signed two offensive wingers/midfielders at the peak of their value (Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha), and have finalized a dramatically excessive expenditure for a center forward (Benjamin Sesko). Bad priorities and bad spending.
Bill Connelly
Brentford. They have lost many good players, such as Mbeumo and Christian Nørgaard, as well as their coach, Thomas Frank.
Rob Dawson
Newcastle. Despite bringing in Anthony Elanga, it’s been a disappointing summer for them, missing out on several of their top targets. Other teams around them have strengthened, leaving Newcastle stagnant, and they also have the Champions League to juggle.
Tom Hamilton
Newcastle. There is the problem of Isak and the lack of signings, in addition to the fact that they will be in the Champions League this season. The last time they were, it didn’t work out for them either in the Champions League or in the Premier League.
Julien Laurens
Newcastle. So far, it’s been a transfer window to forget for the Magpies. Having missed out on several key targets, securing Champions League qualification could be tricky unless Eddie Howe can add some more quality depth before the window closes.
Beth Lindop
Liverpool, and I say this reserving the right to change my mind as the window is still open. But getting reliable cover in central defense for Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, as well as Ryan Gravenberch in midfield, seemed a priority to me. Instead, as of now, it seems that Wataru Endo is the answer to both questions (or, in central defense, Joe Gomez, whose injury record is not good). I love their other signings, but they need to get cover in those positions (and while they’re at it, also extend Konate’s contract).
Gab Marcotti
Newcastle. They’ve had a disaster all summer and missed out on a lot of top targets.
Mark Ogden
Newcastle. It hasn’t been entirely their fault, but at the time of writing, their window has been a mess. It’s difficult to see how they cope with the additional demands of Champions League football without a late flourish.
James Olley
Newcastle. It wouldn’t be a surprise if, on September 2nd, the day after the window closes, Newcastle fans take stock and collectively think: “Well… that sucked”.
Sam Tighe
Which team will regress or unexpectedly struggle?
Nottingham Forest is the obvious answer, if only because they dramatically outperformed their underlying numbers last season. But if that’s not unexpected enough, I’ll point out that Chelsea had almost no time to rest this offseason and could end up struggling physically as a result. With good luck with injuries, they should be strong, but we’ll see.
Bill Connelly
Newcastle. The construction of their team hasn’t gone as they expected this summer, and they have the Champions League to play.
Rob Dawson
Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth, but for different reasons. Forest has European competition to contend with along with their aspirations in the Premier League, so it will be difficult to combine. And for Bournemouth, although they have brought in reinforcements, their defense has been destroyed this summer with Milos Kerkez and Dean Huijsen leaving and the end of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga’s loan.
Tom Hamilton
Newcastle. There is the problem of Isak and the lack of signings, and they will also be in the Champions League this season. The last time they were there, it didn’t work out for them in either.
Julien Laurens
Nottingham Forest. They were the surprise of the Premier League for much of last season, but with the Europa League matches they will play this season, Nuno Espirito Santo could see his squad reach its limit.
Beth Lindop
Aston Villa. Once again, this could change as the window is still open, but Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio, who gave them a mid-season boost, are gone, there is no cover for Ollie Watkins and none of the three signings are likely to get significant minutes. Sure, Amadou Onana and Morgan Rogers can move to the next level, but that’s a lot of work.
Gab Marcotti
Everton. Their squad is too small, David Moyes is too conservative and the move to a new stadium will pressure them to perform above their capabilities.
Mark Ogden
Brentford. They are a very well-managed club, but they have lost the coach who held everything together and have said goodbye to their best player (this time, Mbeumo) for the second year in a row.
James Olley
Chelsea. In the last year, they’ve gone from Euro 2024 to a full Premier League campaign plus 13 European matches, then to a month-long Club World Cup that left them only two weeks to prepare for the season. Surely, will they crash at some point?
Sam Tighe
Will Wrexham be promoted to the Premier League?
No. The water has gotten much deeper. They will operate at a financial disadvantage compared to the best teams in the league. This is by far their biggest challenge yet.
Bill Connelly
No. The Championship is one of the toughest leagues in the world, and they are competing against clubs armed with parachute payments from the Premier League.
Rob Dawson
Not this time. They’ve strengthened well, but I expect them to finish in that corridor between the playoffs and the middle of the table.
Tom Hamilton
No. They will have a good season and could reach the playoffs, but they will fall short.
Julien Laurens
No. It’s been a fairytale journey for Wrexham in recent seasons, but the Championship is another level, and I think it will take a few more years of investment before they are in the top category.
Beth Lindop
No. I don’t follow the Championship (nor Wrexham), so take it for what it’s worth, but the second division is a very expensive blackjack table to play at.
Gab Marcotti
No. It’s a big jump from League One to the Championship, one too big to take in a single step.
Mark Ogden
No. They have been very astute with their signings and it would be a fantastic story, but a third consecutive promotion seems a step too far this season. However, it will happen at some point.
James Olley
No. It’s not surprising to suggest that the step they’ve just taken is the biggest so far. The team they’ve assembled looks good, but it doesn’t have the quality for promotion.
Sam Tighe
European Football Predictions
Although our experts expect Bayern Munich to continue dominating the Bundesliga, other European competitions promise intrigue and diverse predictions.What’s your “hipster” choice for the most entertaining team in Europe?
Marseille. They have good players and Roberto De Zerbi’s style of football is risky and exciting. They could cause problems in the Champions League this season. Rob DawsonBarcelona will be entertaining again, but that’s not a hipster choice. So let’s go with Roma, who will either shoot up or crash with Gian Piero Gasperini as coach, and either will be entertaining. If that’s not hipster enough, give me Nice. They score a lot of goals, and they don’t mind conceding a lot sometimes either.
Bill Connelly
Manchester United. I’m not sure if it’s “hipster”, but they’re never boring; there’s always some drama going on there. You expect the additions of Mbuemo and Cunha to help their entertainment value on the field, while something captivating will inevitably happen off the field. Also, keep an eye on Paul Pogba’s Monaco, Gasperini’s Roma, and Kevin De Bruyne in Napoli.
Tom Hamilton
Brighton had another good summer in terms of recruitment for Fabian Hürzeler ahead of the number two season together. I can’t wait!
Julien Laurens
I’m not sure if it’s “hipster”, but I’m going to bet on Napoli again. The Serie A champions were great to watch last season and now they’ve added De Bruyne to the mix, so I’m really excited to see what they do.
Beth Lindop
Like. I’m not sure what will happen if and when they qualify for Europe and the monsters of the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) go after them, but for now Cesc Fàbregas’ team is a pleasure to watch, and they’ve already spent tons again this summer.
Gab Marcotti
Monaco. Pogba seeks redemption and could be a star in Ligue 1.
Mark Ogden
I am not, and never will be, a hipster, but it’s impossible not to feel a soft spot for Shakhtar Donetsk given what they have to face off the field.
James Olley
Galatasaray. The usual level of defense in the Turkish Super Lig is lamentable, so seeing Gala’s main summer signings, Leroy Sané and Victor Osimhen, sweep away their opponents should be fun to watch.
Sam Tighe
A Bold Prediction
The BVB were unbeaten in their last eight league games with Niko Kovac and played well in the Champions League knockout rounds; they were the second-best team in the Bundesliga in the spring, added a young and fun midfielder in Jobe Bellingham, and if they can complete one of their supposed attacking signings in the coming weeks and the tough Kovac keeps everyone’s attention, they could be dangerous. Meanwhile, Bayern’s summer transfer spending didn’t go entirely according to plan, and both Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies will beBorussia Dortmund will give Bayern a big surprise in the Bundesliga race. With Bayer Leverkusen starting over after the departure of Xabi Alonso, Florian Wirtz and others, there is a vacancy in the race for number 2 in Germany.
Bill Connelly
