Former striker Michael Owen has backed Villa to finish in sixth place in the Premier League in 2023/24, but has backed Wolves to suffer relegation.
There is now just over a week until the new campaign kicks off. Villa travel to St James’ Park to take on Newcastle United on Saturday, August 12 (5.30pm kick off), while Wolves have to wait until Monday, 14 August, when they face Man United away (8pm kick off).
Last season was one to remember for Villa, as they secured a place in the Europa Conference League this season with a seventh placed finish. That is despite having a slow start to the season under previous manager Steven Gerrard.
Wolves, meanwhile, were looking over their shoulder for some of the season, but eventually finished in a comfortable 13th place, seven points from relegated Leicester City. Leeds United and Southampton were the other two teams to finish in the bottom three, and they were replaced by Luton Town, Sheffield United and Burnley.
Putting his predicted table on Twitter, Owen thinks that two of the three newly-promoted teams in Luton and Sheffield United will go down at the end of the season. The pundit then has Wolves as the third team to suffer relegation.
Owen has predicted a much better season for Villa, with Unai Emery’s side appearing in sixth place in his table, above Newcastle and Brighton, who both finished above Villa last season. That position would see them play in the Europa League in 2024/25.
At the top of the table, he has Man City finishing top and Arsenal finishing in second place. The top four are made up of Liverpool and Manchester United, with Chelsea joining Villa in the Europa League and Newcastle finishing in seventh.
Here’s Owen’s predicted table in full:
- Man City
- Arsenal
- Liverpool
- Manchester United
- Chelsea
- Aston Villa
- Newcastle United
- Brighton
- Tottenham Hotspur
- Brentford
- West Ham United
- Everton
- Nottingham Forest
- Fulham
- Crystal Palace
- Burnley
- Bournemouth
- Wolves
- Sheffield United
- Luton Town
