Cross-Competition RABs & Specials

Despite a poor start to the season under manager Steven Gerrard, Aston Villa managed to turn their season around after the arrival of ex-Arsenal and Sevilla boss Unai Emery. Emery’s last stint in the Premier League left much to be desired but he has seemed to find his footing with Aston Villa. Villa finished seventh leaving them in the Europa League Conference Qualifiers, showing they are definitely capable of finishing in the top half of the table. The only doubt for this may be if their focus remains on Europe and as a consequence, their league football suffers.

Sunderland had an impressive first season back in the Championship, finishing sixth and within the Play-off places. Though they suffered a 3 - 2 aggregate loss to Luton Town, this showed they definitely have the squad and ability to finish in the top half of the table at least.

Wycombe had a tough season for the 2022/23 campaign, finishing ninth in comparison to the year before’s sixth-place finish. Despite this downturn in form, Wycombe still finished in the top half of the table and looks likely to repeat this feat or improve on it this season.

Arsenal’s stellar season in 2022/23 leaves The Gunners in a good position to at least repeat the feat of reaching the top four and compete for the title again. Liverpool on the other hand, missed out on Champions League football for the first time since the 2015/16 season. However, this season was uncharacteristically poor from Jurgen Klopp’s side and is unlikely to be repeated.

Derby finished seventh in League One last season, but looked strong. With their points deduction issues behind them Derby can fully focus on their promotion back to the Championship.

Notts County won their promotion to League Two via penalties against Chesterfield after finishing an impressive second in the National League. Though not likely to win back-to-back promotions, Notts County do stand a more than fair chance to finish in the top seven of League Two.

Newcastle make their triumphant return to the Champions League after a 20-year absence this year, something that may hamper their hopes of another top-four finish. A top-six finish may be more likely as their focus on European football may affect their league form.

Middlesbrough finished fourth last season and fell victim to the Play-offs as they lost 1 - 0 on aggregate to Coventry in the Semi-finals. A similarly strong season could be on the cards but with the calibre of teams coming down from the Premier League, a top-six finish could be more likely.

Sunderland reached the Play-offs last season when they finished sixth, and with a season in the Championship under their belt, they may improve on their final standing. Whether or not they move up the Championship, a top-six finish is definitely within the realm of possibility for Sunderland.

Scoring 75+ league goals in a season is not always a formality, in fact, only three teams did so in the 2022/23 Premier League season: Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool.

However, with both Liverpool and Manchester United further strengthening their sides before the upcoming season, with new attacking signings and attackers returning from injury, both teams could very easily hit the 75+ league goal mark.

Leicester and Leeds had a disappointing season to say the least, finishing 18th and 19th respectively and facing a trip back down to the Championship. However, after their lengthy stays in the top flight, Leeds and Leicester should be favourites to sweep the Championship, a feat that is usually accompanied by a large goal tally. If Leicester and Leeds are to dominate the Championship like predicted, a 75+ league goal season for them is definitely a likely outcome.

Considering the obscene domination over English football Man City have shown over the past decade, the likelihood of them winning the Premier League yet again is very high. The addition of Erling Haaland to the already stacked City roster, made them virtually untouchable and the potential additions this summer only make last season's outcome even more likely to be repeated.

Wrexham finished top of the National League last season with an impressive point tally of 111 points, clearing second place Notts County by four points. It is not often that you see a team complete back-to-back promotions, a Wrexham team with this much confidence and the injection of money from the new ownership and other avenues could definitely pull it off.

As for Luton, their fairytale run from non-league to the Premier League has been inspiring, however, whether this will lead to an extended stay in the top flight is another matter. The Premier League has not always been particularly kind to promoted teams and unless their squad is strengthened and ready to withstand the punishing Premier League season, The Hatters may not be the team to break this pattern.

During the 2022/23 Premier League season, Liverpool managed to score a total of 75 goals, a tally that they could easily improve upon having scored 94 in 2021/22.

Leicester City will be expected to fire in plenty of goals during the 2023/24 Championship season due to the calibre of players that they have among their ranks, such as Jamie Vardy, Kelechi Iheanacho and more.

Derby County managed to find the back of the net 67 times last season in what was a disappointing campaign for the Rams last time out as they finished seventh - Manager Paul Warne is looking to earn his fourth managerial promotion from League One in 2023/24.

Stockport bagged 65 during their first campaign back in League Two since 2010/11, a total that the Hatters will likely better in the upcoming campaign having added talents such as Nick Powell to their squad.

Manchester United managed to accumulate a total of 75 points in what was an impressive first season under Erik ten Hag. United’s main flaws were their record against the top 10 away from home, having only won once against these opponents, while their goalscoring form was weak, having scored just 58 times.

The Red Devils are looking to address the issues in their squad, having acquired Mason Mount from Chelsea, while also being on the verge of signing Andre Onana of Inter Milan. If they are to sign a high-quality striker, then who knows what they may achieve next season.

Leeds United will be expected to compete for the Championship title in 2023/24 following their relegation from the Premier League. Having retained the majority of their squad, Daniel Farke will be aiming to win the Championship for the third time in his managerial career, having done so with Norwich City in 2018/19 and 2020/21.

Chelsea will be hoping for a much-improved campaign under Mauricio Pochettino following a disastrous 2022/23 campaign for the Blues that saw them accumulate just 44 points, a mere 30 fewer than what they managed in 2021/22.

Wrexham are the favourites for the League Two title and will be expected to have another promotion-chasing campaign following the 111-point tally that they managed in the National League last season.

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