John Terry has predicted Chelsea will be top of the Premier League table after the opening five rounds of the 2025/26 season. The former Chelsea and England captain acknowledged Arsenal are 'big favourites' to retain the trophy but expressed confidence that his former side can achieve a near-perfect start under new manager Xabi Alonso.
After a disastrous campaign that saw Chelsea finish 10th, with both Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior losing their jobs, the Blues are looking to bounce back. With Alonso at the helm, notable signings such as Morgan Rogers and Maxence Lacroix, and no European football this season, some pundits have tipped Chelsea as unlikely title contenders.
Terry's predicted fixtures and results
Terry, speaking on TikTok, outlined his expectations for Chelsea's first five Premier League games. He predicted wins against Fulham, Brighton, Hull City and Brentford, along with a 1-1 draw away to Arsenal on September 6. His specific scoreline predictions are:
- Fulham 1-2 Chelsea
- Chelsea 2-0 Brighton
- Arsenal 1-1 Chelsea
- Chelsea 2-0 Hull
- Brentford 2-1 Chelsea
According to Terry, these results would leave Chelsea sitting top of the table after five matches. Chelsea begin their campaign with a trip to local rivals Fulham on Monday night, and they are not scheduled to play outside London until mid-October.
Momentum and confidence from past experience
Terry drew on his own experiences to explain the importance of a strong start. 'For him [Alonso], you really want to get off to a winning start, so you want to win your first game, you can get momentum from that,' he said. He recalled a match during Jose Mourinho's return, where Chelsea came from behind to win at Burnley, with a goal involving Cesc Fabregas and Andre Schurrle.
'Just from that moment you could just feel something was happening. So as players, you have to be very confident but also you feel the momentum, you can feel things are right,' Terry added.
Confidence in the squad and manager
Terry expressed optimism about the current squad's potential, noting that players returning from the World Cup have yet to join the first team. 'If they are right off the pitch and around the place, which they are because I've been around it myself – you can see and feel it – and we have bigger and better players coming back from the World Cup that haven't even met up with the first-team yet,' he said.
'I think you can only be excited. So I think for him, looking at these first five games, I would be expecting three to four wins and maybe a couple of draws,' Terry concluded. 'Off to a great start and Chelsea sitting top of the league after five games is my prediction.'
