Roy Keane predicts Liverpool to miss out on league title and Chelsea to finish fifth as he names 2025/26 Premier League top five

Roy Keane has predicted Liverpool to miss out on the Premier League title and Chelsea to miss out on the top four. He believes Arsenal will finally be able to get their hands on the title.

The Gunners have finished second in the last three seasons in the Premier League. In the first two seasons, they fell behind Manchester City, while last season, they lost against Liverpool. Roy Keane has backed Arsenal to win the title this season on Sky Sports, marking their first since 2004.

The Manchester United legend believes Liverpool, who won the title last season, will finish second. He has backed Manchester City to retain their third position from last season. He believes Chelsea and Newcastle United will exchange their positions from last season. The Blues finished fourth last season while the Magpies were fifth.

Micah Richards, meanwhile, has backed his former side, Manchester City, to win the title. He has predicted Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur to complete the top five, respectively. Meanwhile, Daniel Sturridge has backed the Reds to defend their title ahead of Arsenal and Manchester City. He believes the Blues will end fourth and Newcastle will be fifth.

Liverpool start with a thrilling win while Chelsea play out a draw in their opener

The Reds kicked off the 2025-26 Premier League season against Bournemouth at Anfield on Friday, August 15. New signing Hugo Ekitike opened the scoring in the 37th minute before Cody Gakpo doubled it in the 49th minute. Antoine Semenyo scored in the 64th minute before restoring parity 12 minutes later.

Federico Chiesa gave Liverpool the lead in the 88th minute before Mohamed Salah scored another six minutes later. They will next face Newcastle United at St. James' Park on Monday, August 25. Incidentally, Alexander Isak has been heavily linked with a move to Anfield. Hence, it will be interesting to see if a potential deal goes through by the time of the match.

On the other hand, Chelsea played out a goalless draw against London rivals Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge in their opening game on Sunday, August 17. Eberechi Eze put the ball in the back of the net in the 13th minute. However, it was disallowed due to March Guehi being close to Chelsea's wall.

Both sides created plenty of chances after that, but neither could convert them. The Blues will next face West Ham United at the London Stadium on Friday, August 22.

About the author

Aditya has been working as a European football journalist and editor for Sportskeeda for close to 4 years. He boasts a total experience of over 7 years, and always aims to inculcate proper context in his articles, making the most of his prior stints in writing and marketing across a number of different industries over the years. He has also played football at college level for 2 years.

A B.Tech. graduate, Aditya's journey as an ardent football fan began after watching the elegant maestro Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and his infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the final. He has been a fan of Tottenham Hotspur's front foot and creative football since 2008 and connect's with the club's underdog status.

Aditya, who is a Sportskeeda 'Long-form Editor of the Month' award winner, is a big admirer of Luka Modric's elegant and hard-working style of play. His favorite manager is Carlo Ancelotti because the Italian allows his players enough freedom in an age where micromanagement is the established norm.

Aditya feels Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala could replicate the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry due to their incredible collective potential. In his free time, he likes to read classical fiction, travel to places, and explore a variety of foods.

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Edited by Aditya Singh