After the excitement of 2013-14 when Manchester City and Liverpool took the title race down to the wire, last season felt rather pedestrian in comparison. While a Jose Mourinho-led Chelsea side strolled to their first title in six years and their fifth overall, the rest of the contenders were left to scrap over the remaining European spots. With the new season approaching and the fixtures already announced, we take a first look at how things might pan out.

The bookmakers are expecting a repeat of last year’s top four with Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United filling the three places behind the Champions-elect from West London. And while it’s hard to disagree with their predictions, there is a good chance that the race could be a little closer this year.

Chelsea

Chelsea will be favourites and rightly so; their Portuguese Coach feels right at home in the league and has been responsible for three of the five league titles that they have achieved in their 110 year history. They already have the strongest squad in the league with a few more tweaks expected before the transfer window closes. One deal that has been confirmed is the loan signing of Radamel Falcao from Monaco. His arrival will fill the gap left by Didier Drogba’s departure. As a result, the Blues can be expected to perform at the same level as last term and it really is up to the other teams to close the gap.

Prediction: 1st

Title odds: 6/4

Manchester City

Manchester City fell away last year after beating Liverpool to the title in May 2014. Manual Pellegrini is still in the hot seat and will be expected to put the London team under more pressure during the coming campaign. The biggest news for City fans so far this summer has been the arrival of Raheem Sterling for £49m from rivals Liverpool. Not only does this signing give a boost to their squad but it could also be seen as weakening a potential top four rival.

Despite the positivity surrounding his arrival, there are still question marks as to whether the 20-year-old is ready to step into City’s first team. In particular, his lack of finishing ability and decision making when in possession were regularly called into question last season.

In addition to Sterling, Fabian Delph has also arrived from Aston Villa and should fill the void left by the departed James Milner, who was offloaded to Liverpool earlier in the summer. City will be hoping that midfielder Yaya Toure can regain the form that made them so competitive in 2013-14 and that striker Sergio Aguero can remain free of injury. Without those two players performing at their best, the Manchester side look far less competitive.

Prediction: 3rd

Title odds: 11/4

Arsenal

The Gunners managed a comfortable third-place finish in the league last year but have not made a genuine title challenge since 2005. However, since the financial shackles were removed from veteran boss Arsene Wenger two summers ago, they have shown signs of progress. They proved last year that they have a squad that can compete, but with the exception of Petr Cech, there has been little movement in the market this summer. There is still time for further reinforcements but it could be that Wenger feels the addition of a top class keeper could be enough to close the gap on the champions.

The North London team have not enjoyed the presence of a world class keeper for many years and it is the one signing that Arsenal fans have been screaming out for. At 33-years-of-age, Cech is still one of the best around and could help Arsenal to bag those vital extra points required to make a title challenge.

Prediction: 2nd

Title odds: 9/2

Manchester United

It has now been two years since Alex Ferguson departed Manchester United and the club is still coming to terms with life as an also-ran. Despite a title win in the Scotsman’s last season, there can be no denying that the Red Devils squad needed an overhaul, and after a forgettable season under David Moyes, they now seem to be getting back on track under the guidance of Louis van Gaal.

The experienced Dutch task master has had plenty of cash to spend and will be expected to challenge for the title this year after adding Memphis Depay, Morgan Schneiderlin, Matteo Darmian and Bastian Schweinsteiger to the ranks. However, there are still questions surrounding the lack of tactical direction that was painfully apparent at times last year. The club will be without striker Robin van Persie, who has left for Fenerbahçe; and they also face losing goalkeeper David de Gea, who has been linked with a move to Real Madrid. The Spanish shot-stopper was perhaps their star player last season and will be a massive loss to the club should he depart.

Prediction: 4th

Title odds: 5/1

Who do you think will win the Premier League? Bet now at Bet365