Football Predictions | SoccerAss

Manchester City needed a last-minute goal from Paul Dickov to clamber out of the third-tier of English football just 11 years ago, but after spending many millions now stand on the precipice of winning the Premier League (5/1).

Goalkeeper
City are spoilt for choice here, with two of the league’s best keepers to pick from. 34-year-old Shay Given is described by manager Roberto Mancini as “one of the best five goalkeepers in the world”, while Joe Hart made the PFA team of the year for his displays between the sticks at Birmingham City.

Defence
The signing of Jerome Boateng will sure up an area City were weak in last term, having conceded 45 league goals. Able to play anywhere across the back, the 21-year-old has all the coolness you would expect from a German defender.

Serbia’s Aleksandar Kolarov is sure to follow from Lazio, displacing Wayne Bridge at left-back, and Mancini will hope a £17million price tag doesn’t look as exorbitant as the fees for Jolean Lescott and Kolo Toure after each had disappointing seasons.

Indeed, those two will need to improve if City are to finish in the top four (1/2), especially with Pablo Zabaleta not looking top quality on the right.

Midfield
Clever signing shave been made in this department. Securing defensive midfielder Yaya Toure from Barcelona was impressive, as was the swoop for Valencia winger David Silva – the pair are real top quality

A Toure and Nigel De Jong partnership would be near impenetrable, given the former’s slick passing and the latter’s dogged tackling. Gareth Barry could be pushed further forward, while Patrick Vieira would be a reliable replacement.

Despite not featuring much at the World Cup, Silva is a big player for a Spanish side who have conquered all in recent years. An ability to play on either wing will be important and problems for opposition defences should follow if he and Adam Johnson switch flanks during games.

Attack
Carlos Tevez had a remarkably productive year last season, scoring 29 goals in 40 games. He is 11/1 to win the Premier League Golden Boot.

Despite City’s attack grabbing a scorching 73 goals in the league, he and Emmanuel Adebayor don’t look quite right as a partnership, and Mancini would do well to get target Mario Balotelli in.

With a squad brimming with potential, Mancini really does have genuine title hopes. But whether he can blend all these elements into a cohesive team is a big question, suggesting they will fall short. See the full Premier League market betting.

Without a trophy since 2005 and hungrier than ever for success, we assess Arsenal’s title credentials ahead of the new season.

Goalkeeper
While Manuel Almunia has made some crucial saves during his six years at Arsenal, the Spaniard has become increasingly error-prone, and Arsene Wenger is reportedly looking for a replacement.

Arsenal are 6/1 to win the Premier League, but if they are to win their first title since they finished the 2003/04 season unbeaten, they will need to be tighter in defence.

Defence
Wenger spent £10m on Lorient defender Laurent Koscielny, and the 23-year-old arrives with a reputation for robust physicality and a natural technical ability.

With William Gallas, Sol Campbell and Philippe Senderos all leaving this summer, Arsenal need to bolster their options in central defence, and another signing in this area would be a welcome addition.

Midfield
The long-standing transfer saga linking Cesc Fabregas with a move to Barcelona seems to be subsiding, and the World Cup-winning midfielder will be crucial to Arsenal’s hopes this season.

Fabregas was a part of the last Arsenal team to taste victory in a major final (the 2005 FA Cup final), and the Gunners are 7/1 to win the famous trophy again this season.

Arsenal are notoriously suspect against physically superior opposition, and despite Alex Song’s impressive showings last term, Wenger could do with an extra holding midfielder in his squad.

Attack
While Eduardo has left for Shakhtar Donetsk, Arsenal already have a replacement for the Croatian in the form of Marouane Chamakh, who is 33/1 to be the Premier League’s top scorer this season.

Chamakh has arrived on a free transfer from Bordeaux, for whom he scored 10 league goals last season, and he will compete for a starting role with Robin Van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner.

If he stays fit, Van Persie will be integral to Arsenal’s attack, and the World Cup finalist with Holland is 9/1 to finish the season as the top-scoring Premier League player.

How do you think Arsenal will fare? They are 33/1 to win the Premier League and FA Cup in the same season for a fourth time. See the full Arsenal Specials market.

6/1 Champions League contenders Chelsea have reportedly made a £20m bid for Brazil’s World Cup midfielder Ramires.

Currently at Benfica, the 23-year-old is a transfer target for a clutch of big European sides, and Manchester City, Barcelona and Bayern Munich are among the keenest suitors.

With Michael Ballack, Deco and Joe Cole all having departed this summer, there is a considerable void in the Chelsea midfield, and Ramires is seen as a strong candidate to plug this gap.

Chelsea are 13/8 favourites to retain their Premier League title this season, and it is in midfield where they have excelled in recent years.

Ramires can play as an attacking, holding or wide midfielder, and his pace and creativity would nicely complement the combative qualities of Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel at Stamford Bridge.

Nicknamed the ‘Blue Kenyan’ for the stamina of a Kenyan marathon runner he showed during his time with the blue-shirted Brazilian side Cruzeiro, Ramires’s energy could also relieve the 32-year-old Frank Lampard of his dirty work in Chelsea’s midfield.

Another Chelsea target, Fernando Torres, has been in talks with Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow, but the Spanish striker has yet to decide on his future.

Torres is 4/1 not to be a Liverpool player on the first day of the season, and he has been rumoured to be attracting strong interest from Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole, meanwhile, has been linked with a move away from the west London club but rumours of a move to Real Madrid have subsided for the moment, and the England players is a convincing 1/5 to be at Chelsea come the first day of the season.

How will Chelsea do this season? They are 6/1 to win the Champions League. See the full UEFA Champions League market.

4/1 Serie A title contenders Juventus are muscling their way into a crowd of European clubs chasing Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko.

Dzeko has been linked with a move to Manchester City, but Juve’s general director Giuseppe Motta remains confident of landing the Serbian marksman who scored 22 Bundesliga goals last season.

“Dzeko is a dream that is not going away,” Marotta said. “He is a target that we will continue to follow until it is possible.”

Fiorentina midfielder Stevan Jovetic, meanwhile, has distanced himself from rumours linking him to Barcelona, who are 3/1 favourites to win the Champions League.

Roma defender Philippe Mexes is another Serie A player in demand, and Zenit St Petersburg have offered €14m for the French centre-back. Roma finished second in last season’s Serie A, and they are 4/1 to win the title this time around.

Elsewhere in Europe, one of the stars of the World Cup, Asamoah Gyan, is highly sought-after, though his French club Rennes will not let him leave without a struggle.

The Ghanaian forward has attracted interest from Galatasaray and Tottenham among others, and his employers at Rennes are unlikely to sell their prized asset for anything less than €10m.

An orderly queue appears to be forming for the signature of Lyon striker Loic Remy, with Liverpool and West Ham pushing their way to the front.

The Hammers have reportedly bid €13.5m for the French forward, which makes them the early favourites to land the much coveted 23-year-old.

Priced at 9/4 to be relegated, West Ham are many people’s tip to drop down to the Championship this season, though if they can snaffle a goalscoring star such as Remy, Upton Park should be hosting Premier League football for a long time yet.

Who will be the top European side this season? AC Milan are 18/1 to win the Champions League. See the full UEFA Champions League market.

The extent of Barcelona’s financial problems is becoming more apparent by the day, as Pep Guardiola has admitted that players have left against his wishes.

The Champions League-winning coach has said that he wanted Yaya Toure to stay, and he referred to the midfielder’s move to Manchester City as a “big blow” for the Catalan club.

Barcelona are 4/5 favourites to win La Liga this season, though the loss of players such as Toure could harm the squad’s strength in depth.

“I did everything possible to get him to stay and he’s a popular player in the dressing room,” Guardiola said of Toure. “But he wanted to leave and there’s not much I could do.”

Toure left for Eastlands to secure regular first-team football, which became increasingly scarce for him at Barcelona, despite playing an integral role in their title-winning side.

Another big name player who struggled to force himself into first-team recognition was Ukrainian centre-back Dmytro Chygrynskiy.

Chygrynskiy joined Barca in a €25m deal from Shakhtar Donetsk last year, but he rejoined Shakhtar for €15m earlier this summer, and Guardiola was again sad to see the player go.

“My opinion counts, but the needs of the club go above that and that’s why he was sold,” said Guardiola. “I would like to have kept him.”

Chygrynskiy was a very useful squad player, and his departure could hit Barca’s European hopes. They are 3/1 to win the Champions League.

Of Rafael Marquez and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Guardiola said that the players would decide their own futures, hinting that both could be heading for the exit at the Camp Nou.

Who could pip Barcelona to European glory? Arsenal are 16/1 to win the Champions League. See the full UEFA Champions League market.