League Table Predictions for the New Season 13 August, 2009

The Top Four

1. Chelsea - Little to choose between them and Manchester United. My guess is that Ancelotti will continue the good work done by Hiddink towards the end of last season, and will make them difficult to beat once again (as they were under Mourinho).

2. Manchester United - Ronaldo's departure will be a huge loss, but may yet allow players like Rooney, Berbatov and Nani to shine. I don't expect them to do much worse than last season, but probably enough for Chelsea to nick it.

3. Liverpool - My feeling is that Alonso's departure will be felt even more keenly by Liverpool than Ronaldo's by Manchester United. He was their engine room allowing Gerrard to roam free behind Torres.

4. Arsenal - Still have not signed the dominant defensive midfielder that they lacked. The maturing talents of Fabregas, Walcott and Wilshere, and a full pre-season for Arshavin will see them do better than last season, but not enough to threaten the top three positions.

Europe Hopefuls

5. Manchester City - Good signings all round. Barry will be crucial for them, operating alongside Ireland behind the likes of Robinho and Tevez. But they will need a couple of big signings to really push for a top-four place - players like Terry and Eto'o.

6. Everton - A lack of squad improvement sees them drop a place. Their current squad and manager are good enough to keep them in the Europa Cup position though.

7. Tottenham Hotspur - Made a few interesting signings. Crouch will be complement the likes of Keane and Defoe, and Bassong should provide useful defensive backup.

8. Aston Villa - I don't see Downing being better than Young or Milner, but he will definitely help ease the burden on a thin squad. A lack of further substantial strenthening sees them overtaken by both Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.

9. Fulham - Punched above their weight last season, and much this season will depend on whether they can keep hold of Hangeland.

Mid-Table Safety

10. Sunderland - The arrival of Bruce, and good signings in key areas of the pitch (Cattermole and Bent) sees them improving significantly on last season's showing.

11. West Ham United - Great job done by Zola last season, but a lack of transfer funds and the departure of Neill means that they are unlikely to improve on that showing.

12. Blackburn Rovers - More time for Allardyce to work on the squad after the successful rescue job last season. An improvement on the cards.

13. Bolton Wanderers - I don't expect them to make further progress under Megson, though he did well to keep them in safety and will continue to do the same this season.

14. Portsmouth - Almost in the same boat as Bolton. An unspectacular manager who will keep them away from relegation, and a lack of transfer money to improve on the squad.

The Strugglers

15. Stoke City - Did well with an unconventional style of play last season. Can't see them doing as well this season, but should still finish ahead of this pack.

16. Birmingham City - Their collective Premier League experience will be crucial and will see them just about avoid going straight back down.

17. Wigan Athletic - Will miss Bruce, and will miss Cattermole and Valencia. Martinez is talented but may be too inexperienced for the Premier League. Will be fighting for their lives.

18. Wolverhampton Wanderers - A decent squad with a decent chance of staying up. Will be scraping with Wigan for that valuable 17th place.

19. Hull City - I still think that Brown lost his squad with that on-pitch team talk last season. Things went downhill from then on and they survived by the skin of their teeth. Expect the downhill journey to carry on this season.

20. Burnley Another young talented manager, but the squad will just be too lightweight to avoid the drop.