CRYSTAL Palace will be relegated next season, according to USA-based company Soccer Metrics Research.
However, don't panic just yet. This is the same company who predicted the same outcome a year ago – and look what happened.
Their projections are a combination of expected goal statistics based on statistical output in previous seasons and the current squad and their Pythagorean projection of team records based on expected goal statistics.
Soccer Metrics admit "the projection is not perfect by any stretch" but they have Manchester City pipping Chelsea to the title on goal difference.
West Ham United are set for eighth-place and QPR have been predicted to finish tenth, while Leicester City seem set to finish above big-spending Hull City.
Palace will end up in 18th and go down on 37 points, they add.
Howard Hamilton, founder and CEO of Soccermetrics Research, LLC, says: "Crystal Palace simply played over their heads last season and are candidates to regress back to the mean, which in their case would mean relegation.
"If Tony Pulis can get his defense to perform ahead of expectations again (16 goals better), they might be able to approach their points total from last season.
"If he can't, it will be a mad scrap to stay up."
Of course, Palace finished 11th last season after Soccer Metrics said they would finish bottom.
