Arsenal
The Gunners finished 3rd last season and will be looking to go one better this term, but with doubt over Robin Van Persie's future it is unclear how good their strike force will be this season especially as new signings Lukas Podolski and Oliver Giroud having no PL experience. Santi Cazorla has signed from Malaga. The Robin Van Persie transfer dilemma could prove a problem for Wenger and Arsenal fans shouldn't take a Champions League spot for granted as questions over the strength of the back four still remain from last season.
Predicted finish: 5th.
Aston Villa
New manager Paul Lambert will need to make sure his team get off to a good start otherwise we could see a repeat of last season. On paper it looks as if he's inherited a squad capable of finishing in the top 12, with experienced strikers Darren Bent and Gabby Agbonlahor still at the club, as well as promising signings Karim El Ahmadi, Dutch international defender Ron Vlaar and Matt Lowton this could be a good season for the Villains, although Paul Lambert's inexperience could be a problem if things get difficult.
Predicted finish: 11th.
Chelsea
The FA Cup and Champions League winners have very wisely kept Roberto Di Matteo as manager and have made some impressive signings already, including Marko Marin and Edin Hazard. Infighting led to Andre Villas Boas' sacking in February last season, but Di Matteo seems to have created a much better atmosphere in the squad than his predecessor could and as the players seem to respect him, it could be another good season for the Blues. However, no replacement for Didier Drogba has been found yet and they can't rely on Fernando Torres to score 20+ goals. The old hands Frank Lampard Jnr, John Terry and Petr Cech will carry the team this season.
Predicted finish: 3rd.
Everton
The Toffees finished above Liverpool for the first time in 8 seasons last term, but will struggle to do the same this season. Losing Tim Cahill will hit the team hard and I doubt whether they can find a replacemnt for the influential Aussie who moved to New York Red Bulls. Steven Pienaar moves back to the club who sold him to Tottenham last season and ex Rangers midfielder Steven Naismith has also signed. The manager David Moyes has done some fantastic work at the Merseyside club and there's no doubt he'll do it again.
Predicted finish: 9th.
Fulham
Martin Jol's team somewhat over achieved last season, mainly due to the brilliance of Clint Dempsey and team unity. Last season's loan signing Pavel Pogrebnyak didn't sign permanently and Martin Jol has replaced him with ex Wigan striker Hugo Rodallega and experienced Croatian striker Mladen Petric. However, an over reliance on Clint Dempsey could prove costly if he moves on as the team will lose some of its attacking threat. Danny Murphy and Andy Johnson have moved on free transfers, whether they'll be missed remains to be seen.
Predicted finish: 10th.
Liverpool
The sacking of Kenny Dalglish drew mixed reactions from Reds fans, although winning the League Cup will be forgotten if Brendan Rodgers delivers the goods this season. New signings Fabio Borini and Joe Allen will have to make instant impacts and it is questionable whether getting rid of wingers Maxi Rodriguez, Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy was the best idea. Andy Carroll's future is unclear and Brendan Rodgers has already cast doubt on whether the man from Newcastle will fit in to the team's new style of play and is something that the players will have to adapt to.
Predicted finish: 4th.
Manchester City
Last season's champions have only signed Jack Rodwell so far this summer, which could prove costly with less than a week to go until the start of the season. There is obviously huge attacking threat from Aguero and co, but Roberto Mancini will have to improve the team to stand a chance of competing with Manchester United. The Blues looked like a proper team last season, instead of a group of individuals like in the past two campaigns. However, they may become over arrogant this season, something that Mancini must suppress for his team to win the Premier League once again.
Predicted finish: 2nd.
Manchester United
Sir Alex Ferguson's men missed out on the title on goal difference last season and will certainly be looking to put that behind them. New signings Nick Powell and Shinji Kagawa will want to impress early on and the latter will give the team some much needed pace and trickery in midfield. The Red Devils are certainly capable of winning the title this season, but improvement might be needed up front if they want to keep up with their neighbours' goal scoring.
Predicted finish: 1st.
Newcastle United
The Magpies over achieved last season and manager Alan Pardew will want to keep the momentum going this time around. Summer bargain Demba Ba was superb in the first half of the season and January signing Papiss Cisse scored in all but one of his appearances, both will have to keep that up if they want to repeat last season's fifth place. With a goal difference of just 7 last season, the Toon will have to sharpen up in defence this term.
Predicted finish: 7th.
Norwich City
New manager Chris Hughton will make the Canaries hard to beat, but is in danger of having a goal drought if Grant Holt doesn't perform this season as he did in the last. A relatively unknown and inexperienced team will have to get off to a good start to avoid being sucked into a relegation battle. New centre back Michael Turner will provide experience to the team and winger Robert Snodgrass may prove to be a hit in the Premier League.
Predicted finish: 16th
Queen Park Rangers
The west Londoners avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth last season after Mark Hughes was brought in in January. The club have signed experienced players such as Park Ji Sung, Robert Green and Andy Johnson as well as exciting young winger Junior Hoilett. The Rs attack will be a threat, but defensive frailties might become a problem if goals aren't being scored.
Predicted finish: 14th.
Reading
Last season's Championship winners have signed 'best of the Championship' players, with Chris Gunter and Garath McCleary coming in from Nottingham Forest and Adrian Mariappa from Watford. Brian McDermott has also brought in Pavel Pogrebnyak, Danny Guthrie and experienced left back Nicky Shorey. Questions remain over the squad's ability to cope in the Premier League, although they were good defensively last season, but relied heavily on Jimmy Kebe to start attacks. Inexperience will probably be their downfall, as McDermott is new to the Premier League and most of his players are too.
Predicted finish: 20th.
Southampton
The Saints followed the example of Norwich City and completed two successive promotions, Nigel Adkins has built a relatively young squad over the past few seasons and has added youngsters Nathaniel Clyne and Jay Rodriguez to his team. Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana proved to be a winning combination last season, whether they can continue that against top defenders remains to be seen. Weakness at the back could prove to be their downfall though.
Predicted finish: 17th.
Stoke City
A team that is always strong at the back and also able to create goalscoring opportunities, Peter Crouch was one of the Potters best players last season and will be looking to do the same again. They will be too good for some teams simply because of their defensive toughness, especially at home. Tony Pulis has only signed three players so far, Michael Kightly from Wolves, Jamie Ness from Rangers and Geoff Cameron from Houston Dynamo. Always a safe bet for a mid table finish.
Predicted finish: 12th.
Sunderland
Martin O'Neill's men could have quite easily had a top 10 finish last season, but were distinctly average towards the end of the season after securing safety. The Black Cats have bags of experience in Wes Brown and John O'Shea, as well some promising youngsters like James McClean and Connor Wickham. Pacy wingers Stephane Sessegnon and Seb Larsson could prove to be a winning combination, although no prominent centre forward is in the team after Nicklas Bendter's loan expired. If they play as well as they did in the second half of last season, they will certainly threaten the top 10.
Predicted finish: 8th.
Swansea City
Swans fans should be worried after Brendan Rodgers left the club for Liverpool in July. New boss Michael Laudrup has no experience of managing a Premier League club, so it may take a while for the team to find its feet. Without top midfielders like Joe Allen and Gylfi Sigurdsson this season, a lack of depth in midfield may cause problems, but with attackers like Scott Sinclair, Nathan Dyer and Danny Graham, the Swans won't find it hard to score goals, although a shaky defence could cause issues.
Predicted finish: 18th.
Tottenham Hotspur
After Harry Redknapp's sacking, many Spurs fans felt that the good times would end, but with the players that new boss Andre Villas Boas has got at his disposal, it seems unlikely that the Lilywhites will finish anywhere outside of the top 6. Influential midfielder Luka Modric's future looks unclear, but with no one that keen on paying the £30m price tag, he will probably stay. A good all round team, but without a replacement for Emmanuel Adebayor still not found, most goals may have to be scored by midfielders.
Predicted finish: 6th.
West Bromwich Albion
New manager Steve Clarke's vast experience as an assistant manager at Liverpool, Chelsea and West Ham will stand him and his team in good stead for the new season. WBA have brought in exciting winger Yassine El Ghanassy and Chelsea reject Romelu Lukaku on loan, Clarke with have the basis of a solid team. If Peter Odemwingie has a repeat of last season, West Brom fans shouldn't worry about Premier League relegation, although if cracks start to appear in the defence, it might be a case of relying on the strikers to perform.
Predicted finish: 13th.
West Ham United
Although promotion via the play offs was acheived last season, many Hammers fans wanted automatic promotion. Sam Allardyce has made a few good signings including defensive midfielders Momo Diame and Alou Diarra, as well as Senegal striker Modibo Maiga and centre back James Collins. The right back position looks like it could be a real weakness, with Guy Demel the best option, teams will want to exploit it. Sam Allardyce is one of the most experienced managers in the PL this season and has never led a team to relegation.
Predicted finish: 15th.
Wigan Athletic
Roberto Martinez has saved the Latics from relegation the past few seasons, but the other teams in the league may prove to be too good for Wigan this season. If Victor Moses goes to Chelsea it could bring an end to Wigan's time in the Premier League as he was their only real source of chance creation. Winger Ryo Miyaichi has been brought in on loan and Ivan Ramis has joined from Mallorca to shore up the defence, this could be a key area for Wigan as goals could be at a premium, so stopping goals going in will be a necessity. The style of play that Martinez evokes could be their saving grace.
Predicted finish: 19th.
Predicted Premier League table in full:
1 Manchester United
2 Manchester City
3 Chelsea
4 Liverpool
5 Arsenal
6 Tottenham Hotspur
7 Newcastle United
8 Sunderland
9 Everton
10 Fulham
11 Aston Villa
12 Stoke City
13 West Bromwich Albion
14 Queens Park Rangers
15 West Ham United
16 Norwich City
17 Southampton
18 Swansea City
19 Wigan Athletic
20 Reading
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