AI supercomputer predicts struggling Man United’s final Premier League position, after defeat by Tottenham dragged them closer to relegation – and reveals the five teams who will qualify for the Champions League

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  Manchester United are 15th in the Premier League table after a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham.
  
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Things are unlikely to improve much in the future.

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The early first-half tap-in proved the difference between two underwhelming teams, easing some of the pressure on Spurs and adding to the pressure on their defeated opponents.

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They may be up high, but the 13-time Premier League winners might need to keep an eye over their shoulders, with only 12 points separating them from the drop zone.

The supercomputer has forecast how the rest of the 2024-25 term will unfold and it doesn’t bring good news for the Old Trafford team.

According to their calculations, United’s best finish this season will be 14th – with the supercomputer giving them a 19 per cent chance of that happening.

As mentioned earlier, they are currently ranked 15th and have a 17.9 per cent likelihood of staying in that position by the end of this campaign, which concludes on May 25.

Their third-likeliest position is a 13th-placed finish which garners a 17.3 percentage. Finishing 12th (13.2 per cent) and 16th (12.1 per cent) round out their top-five predicted positions.

It’s hardly surprising they have no chance of winning the title or finishing in the top five, which would almost certainly guarantee them a spot in the Champions League for next season.

They have a 0.1 per cent chance of making the Europa League with a sixth-place finish and a 0.2 per cent chance of qualifying for the Europa Conference League with a seventh-place finish.

A finish in the top-10 has a low percentile, too, at just 5.5 per cent.

If there’s some tiny bit of solace for supporters, they have just a 0.1 per cent chance of being relegated, provided they finish 18th.

Of the teams below them, Southampton have a 93 per cent chance of finishing at the bottom, Leicester City are at 48.7 per cent to finish 19th and Ipswich Town are 44.9 per cent likely to be 18th.

The one prediction that will be a blow to the Old Trafford faithful, though, is that the supercomputer foresees Liverpool having an 85.8 per cent chance of winning the Premier League, and matching their record of 20 English top-flight titles.

The Arsenal are expected to come in second place for the third year in a row, with a supercomputer giving them an 80.8 per cent chance of finishing in second place. They have a 14.1 per cent chance of overtaking Liverpool and claiming the title.

Only one other team has a hope of winning the title, and that’s Manchester City. The current holders have just a 0.1% chance of winning it for a fifth time in a row, though. Pep Guardiola’s team are forecast to finish third, and they have a 53.2% chance of doing so.

Nottingham Forest, who have been performing exceptionally well this season, are expected to secure a spot in the Champions League for the 2025-26 season, with the club forecast to finish fourth at a probability of 22.9 percent.

Rounding out the top five is Chelsea with a 21.6 percentile – a mere 0.2 percentage point higher than Bournemouth.

The Cherries are the most likely to end up in sixth place at 20.6 per cent, with Newcastle expected to finish seventh at 22.5 per cent.

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