Congratulations to Arsenal for winning the 2025/26 English Premier League! By most performance metrics they were indeed the best team and actual results confirmed as much. In that sense they were fully deserving winners who finally snapped a frustrating “close but no cigar” run.
Their style of playing and use of the dark arts of modern football aggravated detractors but “winning ugly” got them over the line, even if their true sporting ethics could, at times, be questioned.
Such is the nature of football, which is now huge business, where the spirit of the game has become eroded. Until fair and sensible rules are clearly established by the administrators and consistently applied by officials, sides will try to exploit any loopholes for their own competitive advantage. As Machiavelli said, “the end justifies the means.”
Two sides with long, proud histories, Spurs and West Ham are jostling to avoid the dreaded drop. Spurs just need a home draw against Everton and they are safe.
For West Ham to stay up they need to beat Leeds and hope that their ex-manager, David Moyes does them a huge favor by guiding Everton to an surprise away victory over Tottenham.
1.
BRIGHTON 51 vs MANCHESTER UNITED 59: Not much difference on the Goal Guru Index (G.G.I.) though third-on-the-log, United are preferred. They are finishing the season off mighty strong and have won five more matches this season than the Seagulls. Brighton can qualify for Europe whilst Man U are trying to aid the remarkable Fernandez’ record breaking attempt for number of assists.[1][2][3]
2.
BURNLEY -10 vs WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS -1: These two equally inept sides were relegated some time back. Their terrible records attest with each having lost 24 games. [1][2][3]
3.
MANCHESTER CITY 86 vs ASTON VILLA 43: In being held to a draw by bang-in-form, Bournemouth during the week, City relinquished their chance of taking the league decider into the final weekend so they must feel deflated. And they face an Aston Villa side buoyed by a sterling win against Freiburg in the European League which triggered huge celebrations in Birmingham. Villa have outperformed their rather modest metric throughout the season which is a credit to their players whose talents are magnified by Emery’s tactical wizardry. City have won 19 of their last 20 home games against Villa, though and should sustain that record. [1]
4.
FULHAM 27 vs NEWCASTLE 43: Newcastle, closing out the season in better shape, placed the Hammers in a perilous position last weekend. They now travel to Craven Cottage, along the banks of the Thames, where the G.G.I. suggests they can get a positive result there, too. It’s unusual for this fixture to end in a draw, so let’s side with the visitors, overall, a better footballing side, to come away with three points. [3]
5.
SUNDERLAND 27 vs CHELSEA 49: Mid-table, Sunderland have also done way better than expected under astute manager, le Regis, outperforming their humble G.G.I. and somehow eking out points. In fact, they have won nearly the same number of matches {13} as their erratic opponents, eighth ranked Chelsea - 14. If results go their way they could even sneak a spot in Europe. That said, Chelsea, who have a strong record at the Stadium of Light, are preferred. [3]
6.
CRYSTAL PALACE 45 vs ARSENAL 92: Opponents have tried in vain to batter down the Arsenal throughout the season. Likewise, contrarian punters have taken them on too, yet betting against them has proved folly. Raya has kept more clean sheets than anybody, they’ve only lost five games the entire season and it’s that staunch ability to somehow win most tight matches that helped them to the title. [3]
7.
LIVERPOOL 50 VS BRENTFORD 48: Too close to call on the G.G.I. Liverpool are trying to secure Champions League football and Brentford, who won the reverse fixture 3-2, also have Euro aspirations so there is everything to play for here. [1][2][3]
8.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST 36 vs BOURNEMOUTH 54: Forest have been revived under Peireira and are no longer the pushovers they were in early season. As for Bournemouth, they play great attacking football and have been rewarded with an excellent unbeaten streak which has propelled them to sixth on the log. Will their 18-point advantage on the G.G.I. prove decisive? The fact they have never lost to Forest (D3 L4) in the EPL gives further confidence. Sure, it is a gamble singling another away side but to keep the perm within reasonable limits, that’s the suggested speculation.[3]
9.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 32 vs EVERTON 34: It’s completely in their own hands - Spurs need a point to salvage their “dignity”, in the words of manager, de Zerbi. The oddsmakers have them slightly better than 50% to win one of the most crucial matches in the club’s storied history. The G.G.I. is virtually dead even.[1][2][3]
10.
WEST HAM UNITED 24 vs LEEDS UNITED 50: Another proud club on the brink of a devastating drop. 60 000 fans will be imploring, “come on you irons” at the London Stadium in a last-ditch attempt to avoid humiliation. The pressure will either inspire West Ham to a bold show or prove too heavy to bear. Leeds have largely been excellent this season and sports double the G.G.I. of their beleaguered hosts but the magnitude of this game for West Ham will see them fight to the finish. [1][2][3]
The first of the Goal Guru’s suggested perms for the final round of EPL 10 matches is a simple contruction - Manchester City, Newcastle, Chelsea, Arsenal and Bournemouth are bankered, with all possible results covered in the other five games:
1 2 3 x 1 2 3 x 1 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 1 2 3 x 3 x 1 2 3 x 1 2 3 = R243.00 which can be taken for R24.30 using the ten- cent line.
Another option is to single Manchester United, City, Newcastle and Arsenal then cover draws between Sunderland and Chelsea, and Forest v Bournemouth:
3 x 1 2 3 x 1 x 3 x 2 3 x 3 x 1 2 3 x 2 3 x 1 2 3 x 1 2 3 = R324.00 which can be played at a minimum stake of R32.40
Good luck and enjoy all the drama on Sunday!
Once the dust settles on a fascinating EPL 2025/26 season, we will shift our focus to the pinnacle of this great global game – the Soccer World Cup in America.
Till then –
the Goal Guru…
To bet on EPL 10 go to
Interbet
and you could score up to R2 million max payout. Bet from just 10c per combination and only R2 per bet.
How to play: select and combine outcomes from each of the 10 EPL fixtures. View the min/max payout in the betslip before you bet and if you score 10/10 you will win the accumulated odds.
