Microsoft's search engine Bing has set out its predictions for the eagerly-anticipated 2016/17 Premier League season.
In what is expected to be a tight tussle at the top of the table with big-hitting new managers in charge, Bing predicts that Pep Guardiola's Manchester City will pip local rivals Manchester United to be crowned champions – aggravating Jose Mourinho as he settles into his first year in charge.
Chelsea is expected to follow in third place with Antonio Conte at the helm.
The predictions have been developed using complex algorithms that factor in a wide range of data points including web searches, social sentiment and statistical signals to assess the likely outcome of the 38 matches that each team plays across the season.
In recent years Bing's prediction success has extended far and wide ranging from football and food, through to tennis and travel.
Relegation battle
The fight is expected to be fierce at the bottom of the table too.
Newly promoted Burnley is expected to see its Premiership run cut short with a quick return to the Championship, and the same is predicted for Hull City.
It's expected that Bournemouth will end its run of top flight football as they too drop down and out of the Premier League.
Reigning champions Leicester City will fail to reproduce last season's title-winning form by finishing 6th.
Bing's full English Premier League predictions
*Including predicted points tally
1. Manchester City - 94
2. Manchester United - 89
3. Chelsea - 88
4. Arsenal - 88
5. Tottenham Hotspur - 83
6. Liverpool - 70
7. Leicester City - 67
8. West Ham United - 66
9. Everton - 55
10. Southampton - 53
11. Stoke City - 47
12. Crystal Palace - 45
13. Swansea City - 45
14. Middlesbrough - 38
15. Sunderland - 36
16. West Bromwich Albion - 32
17. Watford - 27
18. AFC Bournemouth - 24
19. Burnley - 23
20. Hull City - 21
Speaking about the predictions and likely table placings, Bing's Head of Consumer Marketing Kevin Stagg said: “Search and data is our game – we've predicted the outcome of many sporting events in the past. And as the start of the beautiful game is just around the corner, we wanted to lay our cards on the table and make an early prediction on how we see the English Premier League shaping up.
“While there are bound to be surprises and upsets along the way, our complex algorithms will continue to take this all in and predict the outcome of every match as we go through the course of the season.
“For anyone looking for top tips for their fantasy league team, or just wanting to help shape a debate among friends we recommend checking back regularly to see what Bing is predicting on a match-by-match basis."
To check out Bing's weekly Premier League predictions and features visit: https://aka.ms/bingpredictsfooty or just search for English Premier League on Bing directly.
