Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool are favourites the fill the top three positions in the Premier League this season, but the battle for fourth place could be fascinating.
The 2024/25 campaign is now almost upon us, as Arne Slot looks to hit the ground running as the Reds’ new head coach.
Champions League qualification has to be the primary aim, but they should still fancy themselves to be third at worst, ahead of the likes of Man United, Chelsea, Tottenham and Aston Villa.
The question is: how are the quartet being tipped to fare by their own supporters?
Here’s what they had to say…
Man United
Last season: 8th
TIA predicted finish: 5th
Best XI: Onana; Dalot, Yoro, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo, Fernandes; Amad, Rashford, Hojlund
The view from Man United
Kadeem Simmonds (@KadeemSimmonds)
Where Man United will finish: 6th
Where Liverpool will finish: 3rd
Who will win the league? Man City
One player you wish Man United would sign, realistically: Genoa midfielder Morten Frendrup.
Advice for visiting fans: Behave and enjoy the match, let’s make it an enjoyable experience for all.
What’s the mood like this summer and your optimism for the season ahead? The mood has been mixed with Erik ten Hag staying and some of the players signed.
Regardless of additions, a trophy and a top-six finish with a positive goal difference and improvement on the pitch is all I need (my expectations are extremely low).
Chelsea
Last season: 6th
TIA predicted finish: 6th
Best XI: Petrovic; James, Colwill, Disasi, Cucurella; Caicedo, Lavia, Enzo; Palmer, Nkunku, Jackson
The view from Chelsea
Richard Long (@Chelseafan_Rick)
Where Chelsea will finish: 4th (just)
Where Liverpool will finish: 3rd
Who will win the league? Man City
One player you wish Chelsea would sign, realistically: Victor Osimhen. We are desperate for a killer in front of goal and a big physical presence up top.
Advice for visiting fans: Turn up early and take the slightly longer walk from Earl’s Court (rather than Fulham Broadway) to soak up all of the atmosphere as you head towards the stadium.
What’s the mood like this summer and your optimism for the season ahead? The mood and optimism is as low going into a season as I can remember.
A bad start and I can see things turning toxic very quickly. The ownership is now skating on the thinnest of ice, especially with the imminent sale of Conor Gallagher.
Tottenham
Last season: 5th
TIA predicted finish: 4th
Best XI: Vicario; Porro, Dragusin, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bentacur, Bissouma, Maddison; Kulusevski, Son, Solanke.
The view from Tottenham
Sam Hawkey (@samhawkey)
Where Tottenham will finish: 4th
Where Liverpool will finish: 3rd
Who will win the league? Man City
One player you wish Tottenham would sign, realistically: Anthony Gordon
Advice for visiting fans: The stadium is world-class. The surroundings are not!
What’s the mood like this summer and your optimism for the season ahead? Solid.
We did fine last season and I think we are excited to see what Ange Postecoglou can do with a full pre-season and a fully fit squad.
Aston Villa
Last season: 4th
TIA predicted finish: 8th
Best XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Kamara, Onana, McGinn, Bailey, Rogers; Watkins
That team is subject to change most weeks, however, as Tielemans, Barkley, Philogene and Iling-Junior will get opportunities.
The view from Aston Villa
Crippy Cooke (@CrippyCooke)
Where Aston Villa will finish: My head says seventh or eighth, and I’m disgusted at myself for the pessimism.
I don’t think a ‘best of the rest’ finish is terrible for us as we navigate multiple competitions.
Where Liverpool will finish: Arne Slot has inherited a fantastic squad from Jurgen Klopp and is a brilliant coach himself, so I think Liverpool can still challenge.
I think they’re still a top-three side at the very least.
Who will win the league? I would like to see somebody take the crown off Man City, but can’t see past them.
One player you wish Aston Villa would sign, realistically: I would love Romelu Lukaku at Villa.
Advice for visiting fans: Put some respect on our name. We have a beautiful stadium, fantastic youth setup, a brilliant coach and a talented squad.
Most teams will come to Villa Park and lose this season, so don’t write us off. We’ve come a long way from the Paul Lambert era.
What’s the mood like this summer and your optimism for the season ahead? Very positive because we have Champions League football back.
Fans believe we can be a big-six club regularly now because we have the manager and spending power.