Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler has offered his forecast for the 2026-27 Premier League season, predicting that Arsenal will successfully defend their title. Should the Gunners achieve this, it would mark the first time in the club’s top-flight history that they have secured back-to-back league championships. Arsenal enters the new campaign following a dominant run that saw them finish seven points ahead of Manchester City, effectively ending Pep Guardiola’s tenure at the Etihad Stadium without a seventh English title.
Despite Arsenal’s late-season wobbles—which included consecutive losses and a tense defeat to Manchester City—they managed to hold onto their lead as City faltered by dropping seven points in their final five matches. As the new season approaches, the landscape at Manchester City has shifted significantly, with former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca now taking charge of the squad. Arsenal, meanwhile, concluded their pre-season preparations with a penalty shootout victory over Como after a mixed series of results.
Regarding individual honors, Fowler expects Manchester City’s Erling Haaland to claim his fourth Golden Boot award. The Norwegian striker has already established himself as a prolific force in English football, having won the scoring title in three of his previous four seasons, including the 2025-26 campaign. Haaland currently holds the record for the most goals in a single Premier League season, having netted 36 times during City’s 2022-23 treble-winning year. Last season, he secured his third Golden Boot with a tally of 27 goals.
The competitive schedule begins with an FA Community Shield showdown between Arsenal and Manchester City at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on Sunday, August 16. Following that fixture, Arsenal will kick off their title defense at home against Championship winners Coventry City on August 21. Manchester City, aiming for their first league title in three years, will begin their campaign at home against AFC Bournemouth on August 23, exactly one week after their encounter with the Gunners in Cardiff.
