As the 2024/25 Premier League season approaches, the excitement and anticipation among football enthusiasts reach a fever pitch.
The quest for a coveted spot in the top four promises to be as fiercely contested as ever, with a host of teams vying for Champions League qualification glory.
Each club will be planning strategic moves in the summer transfer window, bolstering their respective squads, and honing their tactics during pre-season preparations.
This article delves into the prospects of the leading contenders, analysing their strengths, potential weaknesses, and the key players who could make all the difference.
Join us as we predict which teams will emerge triumphant in the race for the top four in what promises to be another thrilling Premier League campaign.
1st – Manchester City
It will come as no surprise that we think Manchester City will once again finish top of the tree come the end of the season.
The Sky Blues’ dominance is almost getting boring, and they are overwhelming favourites to secure at least a Champions League spot at 1/9 in the Premier League top 4 odds.
Pep Guardiola’s men won an unprecedented fourth straight title last year, and with news that the Catalan coach could depart the Etihad at the end of the season, he will be desperate to extend that record to five.
Things have been pretty quiet in terms of signings in the blue half of Manchester so far this summer, with Savio their only arrival at the time of writing. However, Guardiola will want more top recruits to ensure the title remains in his grasp.
With rumours starting to gain traction that Ederson and Kevin De Bruyne could be on their way to the Saudi Pro League, adding further quality in goal and midfield will be crucial for Man City.
Spain’s Euro 2024 Golden Boot winner Dani Olmo is heavily linked with a switch to Manchester, and Gianluigi Donnarumma is reportedly a possible replacement between the sticks.
2nd – Arsenal
Arsenal are becoming the bridesmaid of the Premier League, as Mikel Arteta’s side have now finished runners-up to Man City for the last two years running.
The Gunners fought in the title race to the final day of the campaign last season but missed out on their first Premier League success since their incredible ‘Invincible’ achievement under Arsene Wenger over twenty years ago.
This Arsenal time is surely only getting better with time, though, and we fully expect Arteta to force his old boss, Guardiola, down to the wire again this year.
David Raya’s loan from Brentford was made permanent in the deal of the summer for the north London outfit so far this season, but there’s no doubt Arteta will need fresh faces and a deeper arsenal to compete with Man City.
The Gunners face a potentially tough start to the season, with Aston Villa, rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City amongst their first five fixtures.
Arsenal will be hoping to pick up as many points as possible from those games to keep up the pace in the title race, especially with back-to-back-to-back fixtures against Liverpool, Newcastle United, and Chelsea in October and November.
3rd – Liverpool
We’re predicting the same top three that we just saw in the 2023-24 season, with Liverpool set to slot in at third behind Man City and Arsenal.
The Reds ultimately tailed off in the title race at the business end of the last but still managed to finish just nine points behind eventual winners Man City.
The end of Jurgen Klopp’s era brings an air of uncertainty to Anfield, but new boss Arne Slot is set to inherit pretty much the same team, and Mohamed Salah’s set to stay is fantastic news for everyone in the red half of Merseyside.
Slot’s unlikely to put too much of his own imprint on the squad due to FSG’s tight budgeting. However, if he can work with what he’s got, then Liverpool should be back up there in third.
The Reds have a very winnable run of games in the opening weeks of the campaign, with a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United potentially the only stumbling.
It’s an otherwise relatively worry-free schedule against Ipswich Town, Brentford, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, Wolves and Crystal Palace in the first eight games.
4th – Chelsea
Todd Boehly’s tenure as Chelsea owner has certainly not been plain sailing since he bought the club for a gigantic £4.25 billion from Roman Abramovic in May 2022.
Now in his third season, but with a fourth manager in the hot seat, Enzo Maresca, taking over from Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea fans’ patience is running thin.
The Blues endured their worst season in the Premier League in 2022-23, and while they climbed up to sixth last year, it’s still below the expectation set at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca has once again said that things are going to take time, but if he can get a tune out of this £1bn squad, then they could finally become more favourable in the Prem odds.
The Italian will want to make a massive statement on the opening weekend of the season, as the Blues host his former employer Man City at Stamford Bridge.
A positive result against the Sky Blues will surely get the Chelsea fans on board, and winnable games against Bournemouth, West Ham, Brighton, and Nottingham Forest follow before a trip to Anfield.
Maresca has already started to emphasize that winning over the Chelsea supporters with an aggressive style of play is at the top of his priority list.
“For me, it’s clear we need to create as soon as possible the right mentality and culture, a culture that the fans can be proud of. This is very important,” he said.
“We are going to try to be an aggressive team on the ball and off the ball and we need to create this connection between the fans and the club, especially at home.
‘When you have your own fans behind the team pushing, it’s like playing with 12 players and this is what we have to create here.”
