Premier League 2013/14 season guide: Part 1

With only 38 days until the start of the new Premier League season, we take a look at all 20 teams in he league and preview their chances over the next 12 months. In the five part guide, all teams will be looked at in detail, from the key players to watch, to their opening fixtures to their season, it will be covered. In part one, we take a look at Arsenal, Aston Villa, Cardiff City and Chelsea.

Arsenal:

picture: telegraph.co.uk

Ending the final ten games of last season unbeaten, made sure that the Gunners claimed the final Champions League spot pipping their North London rivals Spurs to it on the final day. However the one thing concerning Arsenal fans currently, will be the lack of transfer activity which has only seen young French forward Yaya Sanogo arrive on a free transfer. They have been linked with numerous players so far this window but are yet to sign any big names. Having missed out on Gonzalo Higuain to Napoli, the main target it seems for Wenger this summer is Liverpool striker Luis Suarez. But having seen two bids already rejected, it is looking unlikely the Uruguayan will be making the move south to the Emirates. 

One positive for Arsenal is Jack Wilshere, who having missed much of last season with an injury, is back to match fitness and has featured regularly in pre-season so far and for some Gunners fans may feel like a new signing when he takes to the field come August 17th. Although Arsenal desperately need another striker, the form of Frenchman Olivier Giroud in pre-season is also another positive as the striker has six goals to his name so far. If they are to miss out on signing a big name striker this summer, then Giroud will be expected to be regularly hitting the net alongside fellow forward Theo Walcott. 

With seven weeks to go until the end of the transfer market, Arsenal really need another defensive midfielder and a striker if they are to make any serious challenge for the title. If they don't then it will be another hard battle fighting for a Champions League position. 

Key Player: Jack Wilshere

Predicted finish: 4th

Aston Villa:
Villa fans will certainly not want a repeat of last season as they narrowly avoided the drop, however there were still positives to take from their campaign. The number of younger players included in the first team is something that fans should take great heart from. Matthew Lowton, Ashley Westwood and Andreas Weimann all played a big part for Villa last season. In particular Weimann, who alongside Christian Benteke formed an excellent partnership up front with fans favourite Gabby Agbonlahor. Benteke who recently signed a new deal at Villa Park, helped himself to 19 league goals last season and proved to be one of the bargains of the season. However there wasn't so much success at the back as they conceded 69 goals in 38 matches. The departure of Richard Dunne has seen a number of new signings brought in by Lambert including Danish international defender Jores Okore who will challenge for a place at the back.

Villa have a tough start to the season having to face Arsenal away and then Liverpool at home in their opening two fixtures. They will expect to finish much higher up in the table this season, with Lambert clearing out the dead wood, and bringing in fresh young talent to his squad. The blend of experience and youth within the team should see Villa finish around mid table. The goals of Benteke will again be critical to Villa, with the Belgian striker's excellent finishing, hold up play and strength all key to him becoming one of the division's top marksmen.

Key Player: Christian Benteke

Predicted finish: 12th

Cardiff City:

picture: teamtalk.co.uk

Joining Swansea City in the Premier League, Cardiff's promotion last season made sure that this year would see two Welsh sides compete in the top tier of English football. Having been known to suffer play-off heartbreak, Cardiff avoided the three games as they were crowned winners of the Championship last year under Malky Mackay. One thing Cardiff fans would have expected Mackay to do this summer was strengthen his squad ahead of what will be a tough campaign for the Bluebirds. However with only two signings made so far, Mackay will be required to further strengthen his team before the season kicks off. One of the new acquisitions is Danish striker Andreas Cornelius who broke the club transfer fee as £8.5 million was spent on the front man. Alongside him is Craig Bellamy, who now in his second spell with Cardiff has plenty of Premier League experience under his belt.

Cardiff have been linked with a number of players so far in the window with the most notable Tom Ince who recently declined a move to the Welsh capital. If they are to start considering themselves as a regular Premier League side, then Mackay will need to start spending. The Bluebirds kick off their campaign with a trip to Upton Park to face West Ham. The Hammers home form last season was excellent and it will be a tough ask for Cardiff to leave with any points.

If money is spent within the next couple of weeks, and experience is added to the Cardiff side, then there is no reason why they can't become a regular face in the Premier League. Big things will be expected of record signing Cornelius and if he provides the Bluebirds with goals then there is a strong possibility of staying up.

Key Player: Craig Bellamy

Predicted finish: 17th

Chelsea:
It has been quite an eventful 12 months for Chelsea. Despite having three managers in that time, the club still finished third and claimed the Europa League. Taking over from interim manager Rafa Benitez, Jose Mourinho was uncovered as the next boss of Chelsea this summer which sees him in his second spell at Stamford Bridge. With managers changing at both the Manchester clubs, Chelsea fans may start to believe that this season may give them one of the best chances of winning the league. Chelsea have had a good pre season which has seen new arrivals in the shape of Marco van Ginkel and Andre Schurle. Romelu Lukaku has also returned to London having had an excellent loan spell at West Brom last season. Having made a number of appearances scoring four goals in pre season, Lukaku may be given his chance to shine in a Chelsea shirt under Mourinho this season.

Alongside Demba Ba and Fernando Torres, there are a number of options available to Mourinho in attack. However with the uncertainty of Wayne Rooney's future at Manchester United, 'The Special One' has made it clear he is interested in adding the England front man to the Chelsea attack. Juan Mata will be key to Chelsea's success this season with the Spaniard having been essential in Chelsea's success last season. Despite talk of him being unsettled, Mourinho would be daft to let a player of his calibre leave.

Chelsea will certainly be one of the teams to watch this season especially with the arrival of Mourinho back at Stamford Bridge. With new managers at both United and City, Mourinho has new rivals to play mind games with, in what is set to become one of the most exciting and close seasons in the Premier League.

Key Player: Juan Mata

Predicted finish: 1st

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Capital One Cup: Semi final previews

Having witnessed a busy Christmas period in the football calendar, attention turns to the Capital Once Cup and the semi finals which sees Bradford City within 180 minutes of a Wembley appearance. Their shock penalty shoot out victory over Arsenal in the quarter finals stunned the football world as they embarrassed a full strength Arsenal team. The League Two side will face Aston Villa in the semi finals, whilst in the other semi, Swansea will face Chelsea.

#1 Bradford City v Aston Villa

picture: mirror.co.uk

League Two Bradford City's appearance in the semi finals sees them as the first team from the bottom tier of the Football League to play in the semis since Wycombe Wanderers back in 2006/07. Their penalty shoot out win over Arsenal was their ninth consecutive penalty shoot out victory on the bounce. The first leg will be played at Valley Parade in Bradford where they will look to try and gain an early advantage over their Premier League opponents. Villa will be pleased to have a distraction from the league having lost the last three games conceding 15 goals. Paul Lambert's side had surprisingly beaten Liverpool away from home before losing consecutive games to Chelsea, Spurs and Wigan. They made it to the semis having beaten Lambert's former side Norwich City 4-1 away from home. They have won five league cups, the last victory coming back in 1996.

#2 Swansea City v Chelsea

picture: independent.co.uk

Chelsea romped to a 5-1 victory in the quarter finals at Leeds and will be strong favourites to make the final at Wembley. Interim boss Rafael Benitez has guided the team to an unbeaten run in December which sees his side sit third in the table. Chelsea will be looking at adding another trophy to their collection after a double triumph last season with FA Cup and Champions League final victories. Striker Fernando Torres has begun to find some old form scoring 14 goals in all competitions so far this season. Opponents Swansea overcame Middlesbrough in the quarter finals and have also beaten Liverpool in the competition too, beating former manager Brendan Rogers' side 3-1 at Anfield. New man at the helm Michael Laudrup has guided the Welsh side to their first cup semi final in the history of the club, having experienced an excellent first few months in his role. New man up top, Michu, has been a brilliant acquisition firing in 14 goals in all competitions so far this season.

The two legs for both games will be played in the week of the 7th January and the 21st January.

Capital One Cup: Quarter Finals

The fourth round of the Capital One Cup saw some of the best League Cup games in its existence. The eight games saw a total of 37 goals scored in some enthralling encounters.

The stand out game of the round saw Arsenal make a remarkable comeback away at Reading in front of the Sky cameras winning 7-5. It all looked rosy for the home side after 35 minutes, as Brian McDermott's men lead 4-0 through Jason Roberts, Noel Hunt, Mikele Leigertwood and a Laurent Koscielny own goal. Despite an awful first half display Arsenal went in at the break with one goal to their name and a slither of hope as Theo Walcott chipped home after through on goal.

picture: ozsportsreviews.com

The second half of the game started as the first half finished. Arsene Wenger brought on Olivier Giroud who made an immediate impact to head home a Walcott cross and to make the scoreline 4-2. As the half came to a close, it looked like Reading had withstood the Arsenal comeback but in the 89th minute Koscielny made amends for his own goal as he headed home another fine Walcott corner. It was the winger though that completed a remarkable game as his 95th minute shot crept over the line despite the efforts of Nicky Shorey to stop the strike.

The equaliser took the game to extra time, and the 30 minutes did not disappoint as the Gunners went ahead for the first time in the game as Marouane Chamakh drilled home from outside the box. Chamakh's goal had looked like it was to be the vital goal to take Arsenal through but Reading had other ideas. As extra time neared the end, Pavel Pogrebnyak popped up to head home their fifth from a Chris Gunter cross. The game looked set for penalties but it was Walcott again who blasted home from six yards after Andrey Arshavin's cross was blocked to complete his hat trick. Chamakh lobbed home in the dying moments to end a remarkable game and one that will be remembered for a long time.

The drama on Tuesday night continued on Wednesday as Chelsea faced Manchester United at Stamford Bridge for the second time in four days. Like Arsenal, this game was in front of the Sky cameras and didn't disappoint either as Chelsea won 5-4 after extra time. Goals from David Luiz, Daniel Sturridge, Eden Hazard, Ramires and Gary Cahill were enough to overcome a reletively inexperienced United side whose goals came from the boots of Giggs (2), Hernandez and Nani.

picture: theguardian.co.uk

The cup wasn't completely dominated this week by the goal fests but with a shocks too as both Wigan and Sunderland were beaten by lower league opposition. Sunderland fell down to Championship side Middlesbrough 1-0 at the Stadium of Light as Scott McDonald's goal was enough for them to win the Wear-Tees derby. Wigan were embarrassed at home as League Two Bradford City beat them 4-2 on penalties to take them to the quarter finals. Both Liverpool and Spurs were eliminated from the competition as Brendan Rogers side were beaten by his former side Swansea 3-1. Spurs were beaten 2-1 away at Norwich with Spurs' Clint Dempsey missing a penalty in the dying moments of the game to end their involvement in the competition.

The quarter finals saw the 'bigger' teams avoid each other and will see Chelsea travel to Leeds who have already deposited of Everton and Southampton in the competition so far. Bradford's reward is a home tie to Arsenal while Middlesbrough face an away trip to Swansea. In the final tie of the quarter finals, Paul Lambert will face his former side as his Villa team will travel to Norwich City.

All games will be played the week commencing the 10th December whilst Chelsea's game at Leeds will be played on 19th December due to their commitment to the Club World Cup which they will play in after their Champions League success.

Quarter Final ties:

Bradford v Arsenal
Leeds United v Chelsea
Swansea v Middlesbrough
Norwich City v Aston Villa

Capital One Cup: Fourth Round Draw

The newly named Capital One Cup continued this week as we saw the third round of the competition take place. This round saw the remaining seven Premier League clubs enter the fray including current holders Liverpool and Premier League winners Manchester City.

picture: whoateallthepies.tv

It was City though, who surprised everyone as they were beaten 4-2 at home by Aston Villa after extra time at the Etihad Stadium. Roberto Mancini fielded a strong side which included Kolo Toure, Jack Rodwell, Mario Balotelli and Carlos Tevez. It was the Italian striker that opened the scoring in the game after an excellent through pass from James Milner. It was another former Villa man in the City line up, Gareth Barry, who scored a deserved equaliser for Villa as he put through his own net after good work down the right from Andreas Weimann. An Aleksander Kolarov free kick and a Gabby Agbonlahor goal in the second half, saw the game go to extra time. It was Villa though, who took the initiative in extra time as goals from Charlies N'Zogbia and Gabby Agbonlahor gave Paul Lambert and his Villa side a surprise victory away from home.

Another shock in the third round of the competition came at Elland Road as Championship outfit Leeds United beat high flying Everton 2-1. The game was largely dominated by Leeds who could have easily scored more. They opened the scoring in the first half as Aidan White was given time and space to beautifully curl home. David Moyes fielded a strong line up which included Steven Pienaar and his side should have been level when Steven Naismith headed wide from 3 yards. Leeds effectively ended the game in the second half as midfielder Rodolph Austin flicked home after a well worked free kick from the left. A late Sylvain Distin header made an exciting end to the game but the Premier League team were unable to take the game to extra time.

picture: theguardian.co.uk

Having beaten Stoke in the last round, Swindon were at it again causing another upset beating Championship team Burnley 3-1 at home. They were joined in the fourth round by Bradford, who came down from two goals down at home to Burton to win the all League Two clash 3-2 after extra time. Arsenal and Chelsea set up their Premier League clash beautifully on Saturday, as they both hit their opponents for six. The Gunners faced League One Coventry City at home and two goals for Theo Walcott and a first goal for Olivier Giroud, saw Arsene Wenger's side came out 6-1 winners. Chelsea fielded a strong side against Wolves and that was evident as they beat the Championship club 6-0 at Stamford Bridge.

Current holders of the cup Liverpool, faced a tricky tie away at West Brom who beat them on the opening day of the league season 3-0. Brendan Rogers young outfit though came away 2-1 winners thanks to two goals from Nuri Sahin. Tottenham, Southampton and Sunderland all eased past lower league opposition and were joined by Man United who came out top against Newcastle United.

As the competition progresses nicely, the fourth round draw was made immediately after the third round and threw up Chelsea v Man United in the tie of the round. Arsenal face a tough tie away at Reading, while holders Liverpool are at home to Swansea which will see Brendan Rogers come up against his former team. Aston Villas reward for beating Man City is a tricky tie away at League One Swindon Town. Bradford are the lowest league side left in the competition and will travel to Wigan, whilst Sunderland will face north east rivals Middlesbrough.

All ties will be played the week commencing the 29th October 2012.

Fourth Round Fixtures:

Sunderland v Middlesbrough
Swindon v Aston Villa
Liverpool v Swansea City
Chelsea v Man United
Wigan v Bradford City
Norwich City v Tottenham
Reading v Arsenal
Leeds v Southampton

Deadline Day: A Summer of Transfer Madness

We saw a huge amount of activity last week as the transfer window came to an end on Friday. We look at the winners and losers of the window and round up which players made the biggest moves to and from England on the final day.

Deadline Day Winners:

picture: Manchester City

Unlike their rivals, Manchester City left it to the final day to make any moves. Roberto Mancini had only brought in Jack Rodwell in the window before the last day, with the former Everton youngster moving for £12million. The midfielder was joined by a number of players on the final day, as Mancini left it late to improve his squad. Brazilian full back Maicon made the move to the Etihad from Inter Milan for around £3million. The new arrival was joined by another defender with Fiorentina centre back Matija Nastasic moving to Manchester in a part exchange deal which saw Stefan Savic go in the opposite direction. Other arrivals brought in by Mancini included winger Scott Sinclair moving from Swansea, and Benfica midfielder Javi Martinez who cost the club £16million. Moving out of Manchester, winger Adam Johnson went to Sunderland, midfielder Nigel De Jong went to AC Milan whilst striker Roque Santa Cruz went to Malaga on a season long loan.

picture: dailymail.co.uk

As well as City, Tottenham Hotspur had a successful last day as new manager Andre Villas Boas took advantage of the window. AVB had previously completed the permanent signing of Emmanuel Adebayor who had spent the previous season on loan at White Hart Lane. The Portuguese manager had already captured Gylfi Sigurdsson and defender Jan Vertonghen earlier on in the summer. The surprise move of the summer was American Clint Dempsey who had looked set to move to Liverpool. Spurs had taken advantage of the Merseyside club's inability to match the asking fee for Dempsey who made the move across London for £6million. Dempsey joins his former Fulham team mate Moussa Dembele who also joined Spurs the previous day for a fee of £15million. Moving out of Spurs, Luka Modric made the expected move to Real Madrid for £30million which also saw Rafa Van Der Vaart return to Hamburg where he played before moving to Spurs.

Deadline Day Losers: 

picture: liverpoolfc.com

It was a deadline day to forget for Liverpool and Brendan Rogers. Despite managing to bring in Joe Allen, Nuri Sahin and Fabio Borini earlier on in the window, Rogers was unable to strengthen the squad much to many fans annoyance. Having let £35million man Andy Carroll leave on loan to West Ham the previous day, Liverpool were expected to replace the striker. American Clint Dempsey had been linked with the reds all summer but having fallen short of the valuation of the midfielder, Liverpool missed out meaning he made a last gasp move to Spurs. Having failed to sign another striker during the window, it leaves Rogers with only Luis Suarez and Fabio Borini as options in attack. Deadline day at Anfield saw midfielders Charlie Adam and Jay Spearing leave, with the latter on a loan deal to Bolton Wanderers. Adam, who had only spent a year at Liverpool, made a £4million move to Stoke City where he signed a four year deal.

No-one may have been as unlucky or as unfortunate as Liverpool in the window, but Arsenal may feel they could have done slightly better over the summer. Having already brought in Santi Cazorla, Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski, Arsene Wenger was keen to bring in an additional midfielder. Having lost Alex Song to Barcelona, and with Jack Wilshere still injured, Arsenal had been close to capturing playmaker Nuri Sahin on loan. But having failed to come to an agreement, Sahin moved to Liverpool leaving Arsenal finding themselves one Abou Diaby injury away from having to play youngster Francis Coquelin.

Premier League round up:

picture: stokecityfc.com

Fulham were heavily involved in transfer activity this summer seeing players come in and out of Craven Cottage. Bulgarian front man Dimitar Berbatov made the switch on deadline day making the move from Manchester United for a fee in the region of £4million. He was joined by Kieran Richardson who moved from Sunderland for £3million. Stoke City were also busy in the window and captured the services of free agent Michael Owen. The 32 year old had been released from Manchester United in June and signed a one year deal with The Potters. Tony Pulis had looked set to bring in Spurs midfielder Tom Huddlestone on loan but having failed to reach an agreement, Pulis brought in Blackburn man Steven N'Zonzi, paying £3million for his services.

Other Deadline Day movers:

Yossi Benayoun: Chelsea - West Ham (season long loan)
Danny Rose: Tottenham - Sunderland (season long loan)
Gaston Ramirez: Bologna - Southampton (£12million)
Hugo Lloris: Lyon - Tottenham (£11.8million)
Stephane Mbia: Marseille - QPR (£4.5million)
Bryan Oviedo: FC Copenhagen - Everton (£5million)
Christian Benteke: Genk - Aston Villa (£7million)
Pablo Hernandez: Valencia - Swansea (£5.5million)

Football League round up:

picture: examiner.co.uk

Blackburn Rovers sealed one of the biggest deals of the window by capturing Jordan Rhodes who moved from Huddersfield Town for £8million. It looked likely that Rhodes would stay with the Terriers, but with Leon Best out through injury, Steve Kean needed a replacement. Fellow forward David Goodwillie moved out of Ewood Park though going to Crystal Palace on a season long loan. Palace were again involved on deadline day as they captured defender Damien Delaney who moved on a free transfer from Ipswich Town. The Tractor Boys were the talk of the Championship on deadline day as they were in talks with Peterborough United duo George Boyd and Paul Taylor. Both were transfer listed at London Road and it was the latter of the two that made a permanent move. Despite on going talks, Boyd rejected the chance and remains at Peterborough for the forthcoming months.

picture: pnefc.net

In League One, Sheffield United were involved in transfer activity on deadline day as they brought in Dave Kitson from Portsmouth and saw midfielder Stephen Quinn move out as he went to Hull City. Promoted from League Two last year, Paolo Di Canio's Swindon saw many comings and goings during the window. The Italian brought in striker Adam Rooney from Birmingham City, with Paul Caddis moving in the opposite direction. Despite financial worry, Portsmouth were able to make deadline day moves as they saw Darel Russell, Josh Thompson and Johnny Ertle all make their move to Fratton Park on free transfers.

In League Two, Southend striker Kane Ferdinand made the step up to the Championship as he went to Peterborough United for £200,000. Another mover out of League Two was Wycombe forward Stuart Beavon who moved to Preston North End for an undisclosed fee. Beavon had scored 25 times for Wycombe last season. Despite losing Beavon, Wycombe had previously brought in striker Jo Kuffour who moved from fellow League Two side Gillingham on a free transfer.

Other Deadline Day movers:

Jay Bothroyd: QPR - Sheffield Wednesday (season long loan)
Craig Noone: Brighton - Cardiff (£1million)
Billy Sharp: Southampton - Notts Forest (season long loan)
Andrea Orlandi: Swansea - Brighton (undisclosed fee)
Nicky Maynard: West Ham - Cardiff (£2.5million)
Iain Hume: Preston - Doncaster (season long loan)
Martin Taylor: Watford - Sheffield Wednesday (undisclosed fee)
David Stephens: Hibernian - Barnet (Free transfer)

Capital One Cup: Third Round Draw

Having witnessed many upsets in the first round, the Capital One Cup the theme of David beating Goliath continued in the second round of the competition. 

picture: sportinglife.com

The second stage saw the entrance of 13 Premier League sides with only Fulham and Stoke City failing to progress. The Cottagers were beaten 1-0 away to Sheffield Wednesday thanks to a Gary Madine penalty whilst Stoke were beaten at home by Swindon Town in extra time 4-3. The League One side had gone into half time two goals to the good, but were pegged back in the second half after Jonathan Walters and Kenwyne Jones had made the game level. Despite throwing away the lead, Swindon's James Collins grabbed a late winner in extra time to take Paolo Di Canio's men to the third round where they will play Burnley. 

The upsets continuted in the second round with plenty of Championship clubs falling victim to lower league opposition. The most notable game involved Leicester City who were comfortably beaten 4-2 at home to League Two side Burton Albion. Midlands rivals Birmingham City and Coventry went head to head, and it was the Sky Blues who came out on top beating their opponents 3-2 after extra time. Both Blackburn and Bolton were knocked out after both sides were beaten away to League One opposition. Blackburn were beaten 2-1 by MK Dons whilst Bolton came away from Crawley also losing 2-1. 

With the third round upon us already, the remaining seven Premier League sides enter the competition. Winners from last year Liverpool will travel to West Brom who comfortably beat them 3-0 on the opening day of the season. Coventry's reward for beating Birmingham in the last round is a trip to the Emirates where they will face Arsenal. Both Manchester clubs both have home fixtures in the third round with United facing a tricky test against Newcastle United. Rivals City have a slightly easier task as they come up against Paul Lambert and Aston Villa. 

Having comfortably come through their second round tie against Leyton Orient, Everton face a difficult game as they travel to Championship side Leeds United. The Toffee's came away 5-0 winners in their second round game, and have got off to a flyer in the league. Neil Warnock's men have also had a good start in the Championship having taken seven points from their first four games. 

All ties will be played the week commencing the 24th September 2012.

Third Round Fixtures: 

Man United v Newcastle United

Man City v Aston Villa

MK Dons v Sunderland

West Brom v Liverpool

Crawley v Swansea City

QPR v Reading

Norwich v Doncaster Rovers

Bradford v Burton Albion

Preston v Middlesbrough

Arsenal v Coventry City

Southampton v Sheffield Wednesday

Chelsea v Wolves

Carlisle v Tottenham Hotspur

Swindon v Burnley

West Ham v Wigan Athletic

Leeds United v Everton

2012/13: Premier League Preview Part 1

Only a week away, the new Premier League season is upon us. After a mesmerizing season last year, we are certainly in store for another memorable year of football. In our first of two posts, we look at each of the clubs in the league, rate their chances, and look at the transfer activity they have been doing over the past couple of months.

Arsenal: 
Arsenal's pre season has been dominated by the everlasting story of captain Robin Van Persie's eagerness to move away from the North London club. As of yet, he is still a Gunner but has recently been linked with a move away to Manchester United. Rivals City have already ruled out a move for the forward, so Old Trafford looks the likely destination for the Dutchman. The Gunner's finished third last season ahead of rivals Spurs so will once again play Champions League football in what will be their 21st season in the Premier League. Manager Arsene Wenger has been busy in the transfer market bringing in two strikers to the team. German striker Lukas Podolski and Frenchman Olivier Giroud have been joined by Spanish playmaker Santi Cazorla totalling nearly £40 million between the three.

Prediction: 4th

Aston Villa:

picture: blogs.bettor.com

Villa had a frustrating season last year, narrowly avoiding relegation finishing 16th only two points away from Bolton who were relegated on the final day last season. Manager Alex McLeish was sacked soon after the season finished with former Norwich man Paul Lambert the replacement. Lambert kept the Canaries in the division last year and impressed fans with the excellent performances taking points away from Liverpool and Tottenham away from home. So far he has brought in a number of players including Dutch defender Ron Vlaar and Moroccan Karim El Ahmadi. The key for Villa is to keep main man Darren Bent who picked up an injury last year. But if he is given the service then goals shouldn't be an issue with Bent upfront.

Prediction: 14th

Chelsea:

Roberto Di Matteo ended last season winning both the Champions League and the FA Cup as the caretaker boss. He was rewarded with the permanent position at the end of the season after his success, and will want to build on that in the coming season. Talisman Didier Drogba left Chelsea on a high scoring in the FA Cup final and the winning penalty in the Champions League. His role has been left for Fernando Torres, who started to show small signs of promise at the end of the season. Roman Abramovich has invested big money already in players with Edin Hazard and Oscar brought in, both for mammoth fees. Under Di Matteo, Chelsea fans will expect big things this year, and with another couple of signings, they will be definitely challenging for a place in the top four at the end of the season. 

Prediction: 3rd

Everton:

picture: clickliverpool.com

Everton finished above rivals Liverpool for only the second time in the last ten years. Despite losing both derby games to them, David Moyes guided his side to a very respectable seventh. The astute signing of Croatian Nikica Jelavic meant that goalscoring wasn't an issue and with his contribution of 11 goals in the second half of the season, meant his side finished strongly. The loan signing too of Steven Pienaar also was another key move by Moyes and after signing permanently for the forthcoming season, the South African will be a central role to their attacking moves. Australian Tim Cahill has moved on after 8 years of excellent service moving to the American league where he will play for New York Red Bulls. 

Prediction: 8th

Fulham: 

Fulham are unbeaten in their pre season winning four and drawing two of their six games. Martin Jol took the club to a ninth place finish last season after he was given the manager's job at the beginning of the season taking over from Mark Hughes. The goals from Clint Dempsey were a massive factor in their final place after he scored an excellent 16 goals from midfield. The American has been linked with Liverpool throughout the summer but as of yet he will remain a Fulham player. Jol has brought in three players so far with Hugo Rodallega moving on a free from Wigan the most notable move. After a successful loan spell in the second half of last season, forward Pavel Pogrebnyak moved onto fellow Premier League side Reading. Captain Danny Murphy also moved on as he went to Championship side Blackburn Rovers on a free transfer. 

Prediction: 10th

Liverpool: 

picture: mirror.co.uk

Despite winning the League Cup, Liverpool suffered another poor season finishing in a dismal eight place. But with a new manager Brendan Rogers in place, Liverpool fans will have high hopes for the coming season. Rogers Swansea side impressed everyone last year with their style of football, and if Liverpool can begin to play a similar way, then they will be ones to watch. So far Rogers has brought in two former Swans with striker Fabio Borini arriving from Roma, and midfield man Joe Allen joining from Swansea. Frontman Andy Carroll has made many a headline this year and has been rumoured to be on his way out from Anfield. The former Newcastle man showed signs of his former self at the end of last year, but may struggle to make the first eleven this season meaning his future may be elsewhere. 

Prediction: 5th

Manchester City:

The reigning champions are the only Premier League side yet to bring anyone in during the current transfer window. Roberto Mancini's side have been relatively quiet as they prepare for their opening game against newly promoted Southampton. City won the league in the final minute of the season last year thanks to a late Sergio Aguero goal. They battled with their rivals Man United throughout the season, and despite doing the double over their rivals, United were continuously on their tails. City will go into the season as favourites led by captain Vincent Kompany who recently signed a new long term deal with the club. Bad boy Mario Balotelli shined at Euro 2012 and if he can avoid getting into any trouble this year, the Italian will be dangerous to teams who come up against him. With the return of Carlos Tevez last season, City's strike force were a real threat to defences and the club were the top goal scorers in the league mastering a huge 93 goals. 

Prediction: 1st

Manchester United:

picture: sportinglife.com

Manchester United will go into their 38th consecutive season in the top flight. After narrowly missing out on the title last year, they will be looking to make it 20 Premier League titles edging further away from Liverpool's 18. Sir Alex Ferguson has brought in only the two players so far in the transfer window with playmaker Shinji Kagawa making the move from Borussia Dortmund and youngster Nick Powell making the step up from Crewe Alexandra. Ferguson has also stated his desire to bring in Arsenal frontman Robin Van Persie, and after rivals City ruled out a move for him, Old Trafford looks like his preferred destination. If he makes the move, he will link up with Wayne Rooney who scored an impressive 27 league goals last year, just three behind the Arsenal man.  

Prediction: 2nd

Newcastle United:

Alan Pardew was rightly awarded manager of the year last season after guiding Newcastle to an excellent fifth place in the league. The signings of Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse proved to be a master stroke by Pardew with the pair scoring 29 league goals between them. United registered league wins against both Manchester United and Liverpool at home making the Sports Direct Arena a fortress to play in. Following last season will be a big task for Newcastle. Pardew has Yohan Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa alongside his strike force and they will be key to creating the chances up front. Gael Bigirimana has made the move to the club after impressing for Championship side Coventry City last season. He has been joined by defender Curtis Good and midfielder Roman Amalfitano so far, and more signings are expected to arrive at the Magpies before the window closes. 

Prediction: 7th

Norwich City:

picture: mirror.co.uk

Norwich City made the giant leap straight from the Championship two seasons ago having gained automatic promotion. Finishing in 12th position last year, the Canaries impressed throughout the season under boss Paul Lambert. Due to this success Lambert was snapped up by Aston Villa leaving Norwich with former Birmingham City man Chris Hughton at the helm. With a new boss, striker Grant Holt made the decision to remain at the club having before made a transfer request at the end of the season. Holt's 15 league goals made him the second highest English goalscorer behind Wayne Rooney last season. Hughton has made some excellent signings so far bringing in defender Michael Turner from Sunderland as well as the impressive Robert Snodgrass, who made the move from Leeds United. 

Prediction: 15th

Part 2 to follow...