After a 34 year absence in the top flight of English Soccer, Brighton & Hove Albion was greeted, in their first game in the Premier League, by a Manchester City team out to make a statement. Reveling in an 80% possession rate, visiting City was in command throughout the match where a victory wasn't really in doubt. City's 2-0 victory put a damper on an amazing story, a story not possible in the United States...
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Playing at the beautiful Amex Stadium in Falmer, England, Brighton is yet another intriguing entry into the Premiership. Do they have a chance to win the League in their first year? Uh, no. According to the math geeks at FiveThirtyEight, they have less than a .1% chance of that, yet a 54% chance of being sent right back down to the League Championship. Sadly, even Beacon of Speech gives them little chance for success this season.
As a matter of fact, the geeks at FTE simulated the whole season, thousands of times. I read the ESPN predictions on Friday and they were similar in tone.
Just for fun, and because I can, here are my predictions for the 2017-2018 season...
1. Manchester City
2. Tottenham
3. Everton
4. Manchester United
Chelsea
Liverpool
Bournemouth
Arsenal
West Ham
Stoke City
Southampton
Crystal Palace
Swansea City
Leicester City
Burnley
Newcastle
West Brom
18. Huddersfield
19. Watford
20. Brighton
Welcome back in 2018? Sunderland & Wigan
