Manchester City and Liverpool remain the teams to beat

We are likely to see another two-horse title race between the reigning champions Manchester City and the runners-up Liverpool. It would be no surprise to see both breaching the 90-point mark yet again

SIMPLY THE BEST: Jurgen Klopp, manager of Liverpool and Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City (right) Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

PREMIER LEAGUE predictions in early August are fraught with danger and it is probably best to settle on voicing what we can (almost) say for sure.

We are likely to see another two-horse title race between the reigning champions Manchester City and the runners-up Liverpool. It would be no surprise to see both breaching the 90-point mark yet again.

The temptation is to frame this as a tale of two forwards – City’s new signing Erling Haaland and Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez – but there will be numerous factors at play, from Liverpool’s renewed motivation under Jurgen Klopp, which was evident in last weekend’s Community Shield, to Pep Guardiola’s efforts to resolve the weakness he perceives at left-back for the champions.

IN WITH A SHOUT : Liverpool’s Danwin Nunez after The FA Community Shield against Manchester City at King Power Stadium, on 30 July ,Photo by Kieran Galvin/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

City may start slow (by their standards) while Liverpool have weaknesses of their own, but across a 38-game campaign both sides can play at a level beyond everyone else and it would likely take a meltdown from one to give the chasing pack a sniff.

Which leads us onto a select group of London clubs, starting with Chelsea, who have prised Raheem Sterling from City. If deployed sensibly by Thomas Tuchel, he may prove to be the effective goal scorer that the Blues lacked last term. It also remains to be seen how new owner Todd Boehly impacts upon proceedings at Stamford Bridge.

Forwards provide the most compelling narratives elsewhere too, with Gabriel Jesus switching to Arsenal and Richarlison joining Tottenham.

The Gunners have generated a lot of enthusiasm amongst their fans in pre-season but their new-look team needs to be road-tested by Mikel Arteta.

Spurs, on the other hand, have an elite operator in Antonio Conte who has been backed in consecutive transfer windows to build a side capable of breaking the City-Liverpool cartel.

BOSS MAN: Antonio Conte manager of Tottenham Hotspur Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Any of that trio could vie for the title given the right confluence of events, two are almost certain to reach the Champions League, and Tottenham are currently the safest bet – but still a long shot – for creating a three-way title race.

Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United may have something to say about that, particularly given their promising form in pre-season, but until the future of Cristiano Ronaldo is resolved it may be wiser for the rest of us to reserve judgement.

Below those five are a handful of sides with realistic hopes of European qualification.

Newcastle have catapulted their name into the mix thanks to their Saudi takeover, but David Moyes’ West Ham may just have the edge. Beyond those two, Leicester deserve a mention, but their lack of summer transfer activity at the time of writing suggests stasis under Brendan Rodgers.

At this point, the predictions become even more tenuous and the groupings of clubs made for the purposes of these predictions ever more fluid.

With this sentiment in mind, there is probably a quartet of clubs – Aston Villa, Brighton, Crystal Palace and Wolves – who seem nailed on for mid-table. Undoubtedly each aspires to more – and they may even achieve more – but they pose more questions than answers at this stage.

In reality, little separates those sides from the collection of clubs that maintained their Premier League statuses in May. To give them names, they are Everton, Southampton, Leeds and Brentford.

Each comes with their own particular foibles and questions, which give them as much reason to glance up to the likes of Villa, Brighton, Palace or Wolves, as to look over their shoulders at the promoted clubs.

Speaking of those that ascended from the Championship, they look to have their work cut out to bridge the gap between the divisions.

This season, there will be no safety blanket in the form of a Burnley or Watford. Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest – widely welcomed back after a 23-year absence from the top tier – will need to ensure matches do not get away from them.

This is because it is easy to imagine a moment of inspiration from Wolves’ Joao Moutinho or another pinpoint free-kick from Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse taking the game away from them in those mid to lower-table encounters.

Forest, for example, resemble the Villa of 2020: a newly promoted team who made a slew of signings to replace the previous season’s loanees. It worked for Villa. Just.

Fulham (whose new Riverside Stand is now open) and Bournemouth have systems and principles that will be more stringently tested in the top flight. How will they cope when they are competing but not dominating each week?

Quite how all of this will be impacted by the mid-season World Cup break, the introduction of five substitutes, and the inevitable managerial sackings is anyone’s guess. The transfer window remains open for the rest of the month too.

But less than a week after the Lionesses’ triumph at Wembley, the Premier League is back and optimism abounds.

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