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Saturday - Christmas Day or the 18th birthday. That's how we can call the new 2013-14 season of the English Premier League. As usual, the top 20 football clubs in the country will compete in the championship.
In the most competitive league last season, Sir Alex Ferguson's "Red Devils" triumphed, leaving behind clubs like Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal.
This season, the Premier League welcomed three new clubs - Cardiff City, Crystal Palace, and Hull City, replacing relegated QPR, Wigan, and Reading players.
Who will become the champions of England? London's Chelsea - Under new manager Jose Mourinho, last season's team finished third, but this summer saw the return of the man who led the "Blues" to the top of the Premier League in 2005 and 2006 - the strategist from Portugal known as the "happy one."
This summer, the London team acquired two young players - German Andre Schurrle and Dutchman Marco van Ginkel. Mourinho also brought veteran goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer to the team.
Chelsea last won the Premier League in 2010 and remains one of the contenders for the top spot.
Manchester United - The multiple-time national champions wiped the floor with all competitors last year, but this summer the club did nothing special and will have to work even harder next season to defend their champions' title.
The "Red Devils" lost their symbol after the season - coach Ferguson, who retired from the great football and handed over the reigns to former Everton coach David Moyes, whose team this summer has only been supplemented by one young defender from Uruguay.
Manchester City fans are probably tired of hearing about potential player acquisitions, as about 30 players were linked with "Man Utd" this summer but no new faces were seen, raising doubts about the team's chances of winning the league again for the second time, although there is no doubt that this team cannot be underestimated.
Manchester City - The club, which did not stand out from the others, changed its coach to Manuel Pellegrini. Last season, led by Roberto Mancini, the players ended up in second place and settled for a ticket to the UEFA Champions League.
The former Malaga coach directed Spanish clubs for many years and is not surprising that he attracted footballers with Spanish citizenship. Alvaro Negredo and Jesus Navas arrived in Manchester. "Man City" also acquired other clubs' targets - Stevan Jovetic and Fernandinho.
Without a doubt, the "citizens" will provide competition for "Chelsea" and "Man Utd" clubs for the championship title, although they themselves have a great opportunity to win in England after a one-year break.
Who will win the last ticket to the Champions League? London's Arsenal - Arsene Wenger's team this summer did some "great" work, acquiring a young French striker. The "Gunners", like "Man Utd", talked a lot, but did nothing. The French strategist should think carefully whether this season will not leave the Champions League spot.
In the 2012-13 season, "Arsenal" in England finished fourth, although they competed with London's Tottenham for a long time. It is difficult to predict, but "Arsenal" will likely settle for fifth place this season.
London's Tottenham - The team did not rest this summer and actively sought reinforcements in the market. Andre Villas-Boas attracted winger Nacer Chadli, midfielder Paulinho, striker Roberto Soldado, and defensive midfielder Etienne Capoue.
In this championship starting today, there will be immense competition for fourth place, but last season's fifth-place winners will have a great opportunity to win the coveted ticket to the Champions League if their neighbors continue to snooze.
Predicted final table for the 2013-14 English Premier League:
- London's Chelsea
- Manchester United
- Manchester City
- London's Tottenham
- London's Arsenal
- Liverpool's Everton
- Liverpool
- Swansea
- West Bromwich Albion
- London's West Ham
- London's Fulham
- Cardiff City
- Birmingham's Aston Villa
- Norwich City
- Newcastle United
- Southampton
- Stoke City
- Sunderland
- Crystal Palace
- Hull City
First-round schedule:
2013-08-17 (Saturday)
"Liverpool" - "Stoke City" (14:45)
London's Arsenal - Birmingham's Aston Villa (17:00)
Norwich City - Liverpool's Everton (17:00)
Sunderland - London's Fulham (17:00)
West Bromwich Albion - Southampton (17:00)
London's West Ham - Cardiff City (17:00)
Swansea - Manchester United (19:30)
2013-08-18 (Sunday)
Crystal Palace - London's Tottenham (15:30)
London's Chelsea - Hull City (18:00)
2013-08-19 (Monday)
Manchester City - Newcastle United (22:00)
Introductory video:
