Although it has been a football season unlike any other, we have still been able to fly through it as we reach the business end of each European campaign.
Although much of the season has been unpredictable in many corners of European football, there have been some rather brilliant action on the pitch that has provide viewers and football fans all over the globe with a huge amount of excitement, especially those that use the best Swiss bookmaker for all of their betting needs.
Unpredictable as it might be to crown winners and predict who goes down from each of the top 5 European leagues – England’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, France’s Ligue 1, Germany’s Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A – the guys at CIES Football Observatory have taken it upon themselves to predict how the leagues will finish.
In fact, they have managed to predict how 22 of the leagues around Europe will finish at the end of their respective seasons, by using the following method: “The projection was calculated using a statistical model taking into account shots on target and from the box attempted or conceded, ball possession, as well as teams’ own passes and those of opponents in the opposite third of the pitch.”
Here are how the top 5 leagues in Europe have been predicted to finish:
Premier League
Manchester City are viewed the favourites by many following their consist rise to the top and CIES predict Pep Guardiola’s side will walk to the title with a total of 86 points. That is 14 ahead of city rivals, Manchester United, who will finish second. Liverpool will end the campaign third, whilst Thomas Tuchel will guide Chelsea to fourth.
Leicester City will have a dip in form and finish fifth but just three points short of Liverpool’s total, whilst Aston Villa will cap off an excellent season by finishing sixth; a point ahead of West Ham United, two ahead of Everton and three ahead of Tottenham Hotspur.
West Bromwich Albion, Sheffield United and Burnley, though, are all predicted to be going down and playing their football in the Championship next season.
La Liga
Atletico Madrid have already managed to make great strides to the La Liga title, with FC Barcelona and Real Madrid both trailing in their wake. Los Rojiblancos have been predicted to keep their place at the top come the end of the season, whilst Barca finish second with Los Blancos third. Sevilla will then come in fourth and secure the final Champions League spot.
Elche are predicted to finish bottom and are expected to be joined by Huesca and Real Vallodolid in heading to the Segunda Division.
Ligue 1
In a season that features some unpredictability, you could have banked that Paris Saint-Germain would win the Ligue 1 title. However, this season is like no other and Mauricio Pochettino’s side are not expected to retain their title. Admittedly, it would take a brave person to make a football bet on PSG not being crowned champions.
Olympique de Lyonnais are believed to be stealing the title by a point, whilst the Parisians are predicted to finish a point behind. LOSC Lille – who currently lead the division, are expected to finish third.
At the other end, Dijon, Nimes and Nantes are both expected to go down, whilst FC Lorient are expected to be able to build a rather comfortable margin for themselves.
Bundesliga
Now, if there were ever a football team that you could bank on winning a league title, it is FC Bayern Munich. So, there are no surprises that the German giants are expected to win another title at the end of this season. However, they are expected to be challenged by RB Leipzig, whilst Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Wolfsburg make up the top four.
It seems Marco Rose will have work to do when he arrives at Borussia Dortmund next season, as the BVB are predicted to miss out on a Champions League spot.
Teams expected to be relegated to 2. Bundesliga next season include Arminia Bielefeld, Mainz and Schalke 04.
Serie A
The race for the Scudetto appears to be going down to the wire with the two Milan clubs finishing in the top two positions. However, Antonio Conte’s Inter are expected to pip AC Milan to the title by two points. Juventus will follow, whilst SSC Napoli will finish fourth.
Parma, Cagliari and Crotone are all expected to face relegation, with Torino thought to have amassed an 11-point difference by the conclusion of the Serie A season.
