Manchester City are now comfortably expected to retain the Premier League title this season, according to a supercomputer’s latest predictions.
Pep Guardiola’s men have only been beaten twice in the league this season and sit top of the table on 53 points.
And City currently hold a 10-point lead over second-place Chelsea and are 11 points ahead of third-place Liverpool.
Liverpool took a 2-0 lead against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, but Thomas Tuchel’s men rallied back in the first half and secured a 2-2 draw.
According to FiveThirtyEight, City now have an 85 per cent chance of winning the league title and are projected to finish on 92 points.
Liverpool are predicted to beat Chelsea to a second-place finish, with the Reds only having a 13 per cent chance of capturing the Premier League title.
The Reds’ projected 82 points has left them five points ahead of Chelsea in the supercomputer’s 2022 predictions.
Both City and Liverpool have a 99 per cent chance of qualifying for the Champions League, with Chelsea sitting on 92 per cent.
Arsenal are currently fourth in the Premier League table and the supercomputer backs Mikel Arteta’s men to secure the final top-four spot.
The Gunners are predicted to narrowly secure fourth place ahead of north London rivals Tottenham by a single point.
However, the supercomputer has predicted that Arsenal only have a 36 per cent chance of securing Champions League football next season.
FiveThirtyEight claims that Spurs and Manchester United will finish fifth and sixth respectively this season.
Guardiola admitted that he was surprised with how City have taken full control of the title race after his side were five points behind Chelsea at the end of October.
“It's an unexpected situation,” he said in December.
“Not even a month ago we were four or five points behind Chelsea and Liverpool.
“Don't be extremely satisfied when the situation is going good and not extremely depressed [otherwise] because with this amount of games and all the competitions -- and I learned a little bit last season because of the COVID situation -- being relaxed is the best way to approach the next one.”
Featured Image Credit: PA/20th Century FoxTopics: Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, England, Football, Premier League
Adnan Riaz