The colour of London is always a key point of interest for fans and players at the capital's clubs.
Red washed over the city at the turn of the millennium as Arsene Wenger sparked a revolution from the marble halls of Highbury. Chelsea's Russian billions shifted the hue to blue for a decade but the Premier League's last six champions have hailed from the north of England.
With Manchester City once again heavy favourites to retain their top-flight crown, the battle between London clubs takes on even greater importance - if you can't claim to be the best in the land, settling for top spot in the country's capital offers some consolation.
Here's how the shade of London may look based on predictions from Opta's supercomputer - which runs 10,000 simulations of the fixture list, where each team's strength is calculated as a mix of a hierarchical Elo-based rating system and betting market odds.
Supercomputer predicts which London team will finish highest in 2023/24 Premier League
Data via Opta, correct as of 22 October 2023
Arsenal sat top of the entire pile for 248 days last term yet ended the campaign five points behind City by May. No London club could take advantage of the meltdown from Mikel Arteta's side, with Tottenham Hotspur six places and a yawning 24 points adrift as the closest capital challengers.
The Gunners are expected to retain their status as capital kings after an unbeaten start to the new league campaign. Yet, Arteta's side have been nowhere as fluent as they were for large swathes of the 2022/23 campaign. Up against teams far more reluctant to creep out of a huddled low block - and without the surprisingly vital Granit Xhaka - Arsenal's expected goals have dropped by 25%, the largest dip of any Premier League club this season.
Chelsea exploited Arsenal's struggles in possession with a disciplined display against the Gunners at Stamford Bridge. Mauricio Pochettino's side were 15 minutes away from a victory against the Gunners before Robert Sanchez's blunder sparked an unlikely turnaround.
The Blues have endured mixed fortunes during Pochettino's embryonic reign. Despite an eye-watering outlay in the summer transfer window, Chelsea are predicted to finish below Arsenal, Spurs and West Ham United.
The Hammers bullied Chelsea in a 3-1 victory at the London Stadium in August as David Moyes steered his side to ten points across the club's first four matches. West Ham spent much of last season playing catchup after suffering five defeats from their first seven league games of the campaign. The Irons may have begun June hoisting aloft the Europa League Conference trophy but they finished 14th in the Premier League, the lowest of any capital club.
Fulham are expected to collect this term's wooden spoon but the spectre of relegation doesn't loom large for the Cottagers. Marco Silva's side, thanks in no small part to the miraculous performances of former Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno, recorded the club's first top-half Premier League finish in a decade last term. Yet, the loss of top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic over the summer has tempered expectations in west London.
Brentford won't have their talismanic forward Ivan Toney back from a betting ban until mid-January. Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo have done their best to fill the void but Opta's supercomputer is not confident that the Bees will be able to repeat last season's ninth-place finish. Crystal Palace, by contrast, are expected to remain locked in the purgatory of 11th.
If Arsenal have sagged over the summer, Tottenham have soared. A record-breaking return of 20 points from their first eight league games has catapulted the incoming Ange Postecoglou to messiah status in N17. No team in Europe's top five leagues is averaging more shots per game than newly trigger-happy Tottenham.
Despite their differing trajectories, Spurs are still predicted to finish below Arsenal - somewhat souring a potential return to the division's top four. Yet, if Tottenham continue to bombard every opposition goal with the same barrage of attempts, London may not be red or blue but white this season.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Supercomputer predicts which London team will finish highest in 2023/24 Premier League season.
