A mathematical equation that is also used to predict a team's record is of course Pythagoras' theorem.
Now soccer isn't the easiest of sports to use it with, because there are three results possible.
A way to get around that is to work out the average number of points per game.
So here is how the current Premier League table looks based on Pythagorean record:
Code:
P F A Pts Pct. Pyt. % Exp. Pts.
Manchester United 11 26 5 28 0.848 0.943 28
Chelsea 10 17 5 25 0.833 0.889 24
Arsenal 9 16 5 18 0.667 0.878 22
Portsmouth 11 16 9 19 0.576 0.727 22
Everton 11 16 10 17 0.515 0.690 21
Aston Villa 10 12 9 15 0.500 0.620 17
Liverpool 11 14 12 17 0.515 0.565 17
Wigan Athletic 10 13 11 14 0.467 0.571 16
Bolton Wanderers 11 10 9 20 0.606 0.545 16
Fulham 11 12 15 16 0.485 0.406 12
Blackburn Rovers 10 10 13 12 0.400 0.390 11
Watford 11 9 13 9 0.273 0.349 11
Reading 11 10 17 13 0.394 0.289 9
Tottenham Hotspur 10 6 10 12 0.400 0.296 8
West Ham United 10 8 14 8 0.267 0.279 8
Middlesbrough 11 9 16 11 0.333 0.273 8
Manchester City 11 7 14 12 0.364 0.235 7
Newcastle United 11 7 14 8 0.242 0.235 7
Charlton Athletic 11 7 15 8 0.242 0.215 6
Sheffield United 11 5 14 9 0.273 0.148 4
(Things to note. 1 - the quotient I used in the formula is 1.7 (unlike the original 2.0) which is based off analysing winning margins for this season so far. And 2 - the expected points is based on the current points per game average of 2.745.)
Interesting thing to note is that Arsenal and Everton are the main underachievers (-4 points on the expected total), whilst Manchester City and Sheffield United are the biggest overachievers (+5 points on the expected).