The English Premier League is set to start on Saturday August 15th, 2009 with Manchester United looking to win their 4th straight title. This year proves to be very competive at the top as Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City will be looking to knock off the reigning champions. Man City have made news with their spending spree that includes Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz, Gareth Barry, and Kolo Toure. Will their new players help them earn a Champions League spot? Chelsea is another team that will have high expectations after a strong showing in preseason and not losing many players in the offseason. On the other end, what teams will have to battle to fend off relegation? Will there be another club the size of Newcastle that is sent to the Championship? Can clubs like Fulham continue their climb up the table or will they have a letdown? Nobody knows for but here’s a look at the upcoming season along with some predictions (which will probably be wrong, but its worth a shot).

Who will win the League Trophy?

It’s difficult to know how losing Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez will affect Manchester United and if they can win the league title again. Liverpool was in contention all last season but struggled during the last few months. Chelsea have the potential to make a run for the title but haven’t been able to put together a consistent run the last few seasons. Arsenal are a young side that tend to be inconsistent and are hard to predict. Manchester City have brought in several quality players but can they really compete for the title?

In all reality, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool are the three real contenders for the league trophy. Manchester City is not as strong defensively as the other clubs and will take some time to adjust with so many new players. Arsenal sold some players in the offseason (Toure, Adebayor) and will not be able to play at a high level for the entire season. It would definitely add some excitement to the league if a club like Everton, Aston Villa, Arsenal, or Man City were fighting for the title but it just doesn’t seem realistic. Last season Villa was close to earning a Champions League spot but faded at the end of the season as they weren’t deep enough. The Premier League is a long season and only a few teams have the depth necessary to compete for the title.

Now, onto the contenders of Liverpool, Man U, and Chelsea. Who will win? Well, It’s the safe pick to choose Man United as they are the reigning champions but I think they’re streak is going to end. Liverpool seem to have chances each season but continually disappoint. Chelsea has been impressive this preseason and they seem ready to compete for the title. Didier Drogba playing up top with Nicolas Anelka could prove to be the best scoring combination in the league and rival Gerrard/Torres of Liverpool.  While its very difficult to know how well new manager Ancelotti will do with Chelsea, I think this is the year they will be able to challenge and win the league title. Liverpool and Man U will have chances but not be able to catch Chelsea.

Who will win the Champions League and Europa League spots?

The top 3 Champions League spots are fairly safe as Man U, Chelsea, and Liverpool will finish in the top 4. The real question is who will win the last spot, Aston Villa, Everton, Arsenal, or Man City? Villa and Everton will have a chance but I don’t think they have quite enough to top the other two teams. Arsenal is a talented side but could struggle with an emerging Manchester City. When it all comes down to it, Manchester City have improved their team dramatically and even though they are still prone to giving up goals, they should have enough to grab 4th place.

The Europa League is very difficult to guess as Fulham finished about 10 spots higher from one season to the next. Aston Villa and Everton are safe bets to be in contention but Arsenal is a lock to finish 5th place. After Arsenal, Everton will top Villa and earn the other Europa league spot. Fulham will have trouble finishing as high as 7th while Villa will need to reach the FA Cup final or hope that Arsenal or Everton do to earn a Europa league spot.

The Relegation Battle

Now we come to who will be fighting to stay in the Premiership. Hull City survived by the skin of their teeth last season and will again struggle to stay up. The newly promoted teams of Wolverhampton, Birmingham, and Burnley will have toruble surviving. It’s almost inevitable that at least 1 or 2 clubs that are promoted will be relegated the following season. Birmingham have been in the Premiership and should be able to just survive but Burnley will not be so lucky. Portsmouth is a club that lost several key players and will be one of that will be fighting till the last week. I predict that Burnley, Portsmouth, and Hull City will be relegated.

What will the final table look like?

Here’s a prediction of the order of the final table but again these are predictions so I’d be surprised if this is exactly right.

1. Chelsea
2. Manchester United
3. Liverpool
4. Manchester City
5. Arsenal
6. Everton
7. Aston Villa
8. Tottenham Hotspur
9. West Ham United
10. Wigan Athletic
11. Blackburn
12. Bolton
13. Stoke City
14. Fulham
15. Birmingham
16. Wolverhampton
17. Sunderland
18. Portsmouth
19. Hull City
20. Burnley