Alvaro Negredo backed to fire Middlesbrough to safety

In the countdown to the start of the Premier League season, we asked the Soccer Saturday pundits and Jamie Redknapp to predict who will face relegation.

All five are expecting newly promoted duo Burnley and Hull to go straight back down, but only Charlie Nicholas is tipping Middlesbrough to face an immediate return to the Sky Bet Championship.

Here is what the pundits are expecting…

Phil Thompson predicts: Hull, Burnley, Bournemouth (Sky Bet odds: 28/1)

I know most of us will go for the ones that come up, but I’m throwing Bournemouth in there instead of Middlesbrough.

Boro should have enough with what they’ve added. Alvaro Negredo has unfinished business in the Premier League, having looked a world beater when he arrived, then Gaston Ramirez and Viktor Fischer add additional strength to a side that impressed me last season.

Alvaro Negredo backed to fire Middlesbrough to safety

As for Bournemouth, they’re a good football team but they got away with it last year with their defensive frailties. Everybody knows how they play now and I think they’ll struggle.

Burnley haven’t really brought in enough quality and then Hull are the big one for me because of the reasons that prompted Steve Bruce to leave. Mike Phelan has his hands full to get them ready for the season.

Charlie Nicholas predicts: Hull, Middlesbrough, Burnley (Sky Bet odds: 14/1)

I’d certainly expect Hull to be in the mix given the turmoil they’re currently in, but I’ve not really been impressed by any of those who have come up.

Steve Bruce left Hull amid a lack of transfer movement

Negredo for me is too static for the Premier League, maybe they can make him work off a striker. They are the best of the three but I don’t see enough goals in them.

I’m expecting Sunderland to be in the scrap because they’ve not done enough in the transfer market, then West Brom still need a replacement for Saido Berahino if he goes so they will be struggling for goals, while I also think Crystal Palace might have an awkward season again.

Paul Merson predicts: Burnley, Hull, Bournemouth (Sky Bet odds: 28/1)

I’d pick Burnley because they haven’t invested enough and I’m interested to see if Andre Gray can step up from the Championship to the Premier League. We’ve seen centre-forwards struggle to step up in the past and it’ll be interesting to see what they can do. They will have to work hard every week to get a result and that could take its toll.

Hull have not had a good summer with Steve Bruce leaving. I thought Ryan Giggs might have got that job and that might have lifted them and made a difference.

Eddie Howe expected to struggle in his second season in the Premier League

Some people might be shocked by this, but I think Bournemouth might go. They play good football, but at the end of last season teams were getting used to the way they were playing and showed them more respect. This season they could struggle.

Matt Le Tissier predicts: Burnley, Watford, Hull (Sky Bet odds: 18/1)

It’s such a tough one because there are so many teams that could find themselves in the relegation mix. If you look at the betting then half the league is single-figure odds to go down.

Walter Mazzarri replaced Quique Sanchez Flores in the summer

The teams that have come up have obviously merited it but I can only see Burnley and Hull struggling, while I’m not convinced by Watford switching manager again, with very little transfer business to suggest he’ll be able to implement his own ideas.

Jamie Redknapp predicts: Hull, Burnley, Watford (Sky Bet odds: 18/1)

This is the worst market possible to be talking about so early on as it almost seems disrespectful to discuss teams being relegated.

However, at Hull the euphoria of promotion has been quashed with Bruce leaving and it looks a long hard season for the Tigers’ fans.

I am a big fan of Sean Dyche and what he has done, but I look at Burnley’s squad and I am not sure where they will get the goals from.

Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney scored 28 of Watford’s 40 goals last season

The reliance on Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo just looks too much for Watford to bear for another season, and if either of them gets injured or hit a bad run of form as Ighalo did in the second half of the season, the Watford goals could quickly dry up and then they would be under serious pressure.