2012/13 Premier League and Football League predictions

The new football season is just hours away

The dust has not even settled yet on the fantastic 2012 Olympic Games, but the football season is already upon us.

If the coming campaign is anywhere near as exciting and nail-biting as the last one, we are in for a treat.

Manchester City go into the Premier League season as defending champions and they are surely favourites to retain their title, although city neighbours United have strengthened well and Chelsea also look much-improved.

There are not any real relegation certainties this season, and that makes the campaign's relegation battle fascinating as half the Premier League's teams look to be of a similar standard.

I tried predicting the finishing positions of all 92 Football League teams last season and was woefully off the mark, but I'm going to have another go now. I can't be any further off the mark than last season, so here goes...

Premier League

1. Manchester United - Their frontline looks fierce after the capture of Robin van Persie, while Shinji Kagawa is an excellent signing in midfield. Sir Alex Ferguson will be more eager than ever to win back his title.

2. Manchester City - Roberto Mancini has been frustrated in the transfer market this summer but City have a fantastic team and will not be far off retaining their title.

3. Chelsea - Roberto Di Matteo is under incredible pressure to live up to the standards he set by winning the Champions League and FA Cup last season, but with new signings like Oscar and Eden Hazard, Chelsea should be much-improved in the league.

4. Arsenal - Robin van Persie's departure will leave a gaping hole in Arsene Wenger's team, but with new arrivals like Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud, and the potential for more with the van Persie money, Arsenal should still be strong.

5. Tottenham Hotspur - Andre Villas-Boas will be eager to prove himself at Spurs after his nightmare at Chelsea, but Spurs have been greatly weakened since last season and face a huge task to replicate last year's fourth-placed finish.

6. Newcastle United - Last season's 'surprise package' have again been written off ahead of this campaign, but with players like Tim Krul, Yohan Cabaye and Papiss Cisse, they should again trouble the 'bigger teams' and have a successful year.

7. Liverpool - Brendan Rodgers accepted a long-term challenge when he took over at Anfield in the off-season, and his first campaign at Liverpool could be one of slow growth rather than anything revolutionary.

8. Everton - David Moyes continues to get Everton punching above their weight and if they can have a strong start, a season similar to Newcastle's last year could ensue. Nikica Jelavic's goals will be crucial.

9. Southampton - Very ambitious under Nigel Adkins and should have similar success as Norwich and Swansea last season. If their swoop for Gaston Ramirez comes off, it should be exciting times on the south coast.

10. Queens Park Rangers - Last season's final day survival has given the club a new lease of life and they haven't been afraid to splash the cash this summer. Their squad looks far too big, but they have more than enough quality to be much-improved in this campaign.

11. Stoke City - The Potters don't have Europe to worry about this season and certainly shouldn't have any worries as far as relegation is concerned. A top-half finish should be the target.

12. Sunderland - Martin O'Neill has not strengthened his squad as much as he would have liked this summer, so Sunderland should not progress as much as he would want this year, but his presence alone should be enough to see them comfortably safe and a possible top-half team.

13. West Ham United - Sam Allardyce is under huge pressure to deliver at Upton Park this season, but Hammers fans should accept that for one season, at least, survival will be a successful campaign.

14. Fulham - The Cottagers have lost key players Danny Murphy, Andy Johnson and Pavel Pogrebnyak so far this summer, while Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele could follow, so Martin Jol could be in for a frustrating season at Craven Cottage which could result in a relegation battle.

15. Aston Villa - Paul Lambert should have a galvanising effect at Villa Park but it is difficult to predict where Villa will finish this season as the squad is not too different to the one led by Alex McLeish last year.

16. Reading - Brian McDermott has brought in some quality players at Reading this summer and they should have a strong start to the season. If they can maintain that, like so many other promoted clubs have failed to do, they should comfortably survive.

17. Norwich City - Chris Hughton has his work cut out at Carrow Road as it will be almost impossible to follow the job Paul Lambert did there, but the former Birmingham and Newcastle boss has proved his worth over the last three seasons and could see them through a relegation battle.

18. Wigan Athletic - The Latics were a joy to watch at the end of last season as they played their way out of trouble, but they will again find it difficult this year, particularly if they lose star man Victor Moses to Chelsea.

19. West Bromwich Albion - Steve Clarke has taken over from Roy Hodgson at the Hawthorns and the mid-table security offered by Hodgson is something the Scot will be looking to replicate. The Baggies are about to find out just how much of a galvanising effect Hodgson had at the club.

20. Swansea City - Brendan Rodgers did an incredible job at the Liberty Stadium and was replaced by Michael Laudrup, who looks an astute appointment. However, with star players Joe Allen and Gylfi Sigurdsson now gone, and Scott Sinclair expected to follow, the Swans look set for an extremely difficult campaign.

Championship

1. Bolton Wanderers.
2. Leicester City.
3. Wolverhampton Wanderers.
4. Brighton and Hove Albion.
5. Leeds United.
6. Cardiff City.
7. Birmingham City.
8. Nottingham Forest.
9. Hull City.
10. Huddersfield Town.
11. Blackburn Rovers.
12. Middlesbrough.
13. Blackpool.
14. Burnley.
15. Watford.
16. Sheffield Wednesday.
17. Crystal Palace.
18. Peterborough United.
19. Ipswich Town.
20. Derby County.
21. Charlton Athletic.
22. Barnsley.
23. Millwall.
24. Bristol City.

League One

1. Sheffield United.
2. Preston North End.
3. Coventry City.
4. MK Dons.
5. Swindon Town.
6. Portsmouth.
7. Bournemouth.
8. Notts County.
9. Scunthorpe United.
10. Brentford.
11. Doncaster Rovers.
12. Carlisle United.
13. Crawley Town.
14. Colchester United.
15. Stevenage.
16. Tranmere Rovers.
17. Yeovil Town.
18. Crewe Alexandra.
19. Oldham Athletic.
20. Shrewsbury Town.
21. Hartlepool United.
22. Leyton Orient.
23. Walsall.
24. Bury.

League Two

1. Rotherham United.
2. Chesterfield.
3. Fleetwood Town.
4. Gillingham.
5. Bradford City.
6. Northampton Town.
7. Exeter City.
8. Bristol Rovers.
9. Plymouth Argyle.
10. Oxford United.
11. Southend United.
12. Wycombe Wanderers.
13. Torquay United.
14. Rochdale.
15. York City.
16. Cheltenham Town.
17. Port Vale.
18. Dagenham and Redbridge.
19. AFC Wimbledon.
20. Aldershot Town.
21. Accrington Stanley.
22. Morecambe
23. Barnet.
24. Burton Albion.

Conference

Promoted: Luton Town and Wrexham.

FA Cup: Arsenal.

League Cup: Chelsea.

Champions League: Real Madrid.

Europa League: Napoli.

Scottish Premier League: Celtic.

La Liga: Real Madrid.

Serie A: Juventus.

Bundesliga: Bayern Munich.

Ligue 1: Paris St-Germain.