Wolves, Leicester and Ipswich's relegation fate revealed in latest intriguing final PL table forecast

Premier League strugglers Ipswich Town delivered a spirited and battling performance to hold Aston Villa to a 1-1 draw and climb above Leicester City in the league table.The Tractor Boys played nearly an hour of the game with 10 men after Axel Tuanzebe’s second bookable offence but were still able to take the lead through in-form striker Liam Delap before being pegged back by Ollie Watkins’ equaliser.

The point for Kieran McKenna’s side reduced the gap between themselves and safety to just two points and piled further pressure onto Wolves after their 2-1 defeat to leaders Liverpool.

The Old Gold were slammed for their first half display by Vitor Pereira, who said he didn’t recognise his team during the first 45. However, the Portuguese coach insisted he was impressed by the response as Matheus Cunha curled in a fine strike from the edge of the box to set up a nervy finish at Anfield.

Wolves can look ahead to a challenging fixture on the road against high-flying Bournemouth before playing host to a Fulham side that have also had their sights on a European push. It marks a potentially defining period in the season as Pereira’s men push to secure survival in the Premier League.

Between now and the end of the season, there is likely to be plenty of twists and turns at both the top and bottom of the table, but do the experts at OPTA believe Wolves have enough to beat the drop? Here Birmingham World takes a look at the final predicted table and points tallies of all 20 top-flight clubs.

The Premier League title race

Leaders Liverpool are expected to steamroll their way to a second Premier League title and their first since 2020. Arne Slot’s side have been given a 86.49% chance of winning the title and are expected to pick up 87 points, giving them a comfortable seven point cushion on Mikel Arteta’s injury-hit Arsenal side. The Gunners are expected to settle for silver for the third season in a row and have been given just a 13.41% chance of bridging the gap between themselves and Slot’s imperious Liverpool team.

Manchester City showed signs of their best performance levels by hammering Newcastle United 4-0 and are expected to secure Champions League qualification despite their lacklustre start. OPTA gives them a 79.18% chance of qualifying for Europe’s elite competition and gives them an estimated points tally of 70.

Meanwhile, high-flying Nottingham Forest are expected to return to the Champions League for the first time since 1981 when they were managed by Brian Clough. They have a 41% chance of playing in Europe’s elite competition ahead of the likes of Chelsea in fifth, Bournemouth in sixth and Newcastle United who are once again expected to finish seventh.

Aston Villa have just a 1.16% chance of qualifying for the Champions League, according to OPTA and are expected to drop all the way to 10th following the bombshell departure of Jhon Duran to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.

The relegation battle: can Wolves beat the drop?

Premier League strugglers Southampton are expected to remain at the bottom of the table, but are expected to comfortably better Derby County’s dismal 11 point tally of 2007/08. The Saints have a predicted points tally of 18 but have been given a 99.3% chance of relegation.

Leicester City are expected to pick up 27 points and are likely to drop straight back down to the Championship with a telling 91.26% chance of being relegated for the second time in three seasons.

Wolves are expected to comfortably beat the drop with 35 points, with OPTA Sport giving them a seven point gap on Ipswich Town, who are expected to return to the second-tier with just 28 points. The Tractor Boys have a 87.81% chance of being relegated compared to Wolves’ 19.82%.

Meanwhile, Manchester United are expected to finish the season in 14th, which would mark their worst top-flight campaign since 1973/74 when they were relegated.

Here is the full Premier League table, according to OPTA

1. Liverpool - 87 pts
2. Arsenal - 80 pts
3. Man City - 70 pts
4. Nottingham Forest - 66 pts
5. Chelsea - 64 pts
6. Bournemouth - 63 pts
7. Newcastle - 62 pts
8. Brighton - 56 pts
9. Fulham - 56 pts
10. Aston Villa - 56 pts
11. Brentford - 50 pts
12. Spurs - 49 pts
13. Crystal Palace - 47 pts
14. Man Utd - 46 pts
15. Everton - 45 pts
16. West Ham - 43 pts
17. Wolves - 35 pts
18. Ipswich Town - 28 pts
19. Leicester City - 28 pts
20. Southampton 18 pts

Elsewhere, Birmingham World takes a look at how Wolves’ rivals West Brom are expected to fare in their final Championship run-in.