The English Premier League will start today with Arsenal traveling to fellow London club Crystal Palace.
Jamie Carragher believes Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, and Brentford to be relegated but he expects Fulham to stay in the Premier League next season while Gary Neville expects Bournemouth, Fulham, and Nottingham Forest to return to the Championship.
Who are Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville’s picks for the relegated teams in the Premier League?
The former England duo shared their prediction on the Overlap podcast via SkySports. Picking his three relegated teams in the Premier League this season, Gary Neville said: “All three [promoted clubs] could go down.,” insisted Neville. “We’re getting to a point now whereby the parachute clubs [relegated the season before] are coming back up and the ones who came up [the season prior] are going down.
“It’s getting more predictable every year. I know the Premier League try and tell you a different story. It used to be one in three [were relegated], but it’s a lot higher now. Nottingham Forest – they’ve not been there [the Premier League] for a long time.
“I always think when a club comes up from the Championship, it’s an entire event to win a Premier League game. You’ll see that with Brentford last year. Every time they won a game it was a monumental occasion because it was a relief.
“It’s been like that for Burnley the last seven or eight years until they went down. Every time they [Burnley] won a game it’s like an unbelievable feeling. I just feel it’s getting harder and harder.”
The former England international right-back continued: “I’m going to go with the three that came up going straight back down. The reason I say that is the inequality in terms of the actual money is pushing it more that way [down] all the time.”
Liverpool Legend Jamie Carragher did not agree with his compatriots, saying: “I think Brentford could have a problem.
“I think they had a run at the second half of last season where they went 10 or 12 games without winning – that can happen when you come up.
“I think [Christian] Eriksen coming in just changed that. I hope I’m wrong because I’ve loved them in the Premier League, but that Sheffield United thing just keeps coming into my head with Brentford.”
The Liverpool Legend added: “So, Bournemouth, Brentford, and I’ve said I want Forest to stay up and I think in terms of Marco Silva. I think he’ll make it difficult for teams… I’m going to go – even though I don’t want them to go down – I think Fulham might stay up and it’ll be Forest, Bournemouth, and Brentford.”
Here is the Premier League opening fixture.
Friday, 5 August
Crystal Palace v Arsenal
Saturday, 6 August
Fulham v Liverpool
AFC Bournemouth v Aston Villa
Leeds United v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Newcastle United v Nottingham Forest
Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton
Everton v Chelsea
Sunday, 7 August
Leicester City v Brentford
Manchester United v Brighton & Hove Albion
West Ham United v Manchester City
