Premier League: Who will finish in the top four this season?

Finishing in a top four position at the end of a Premier League season is what most English teams dream of. The competition endured throughout a Premier League season remains to be at a very high level with few teams containing the ability to be able to finish in a top four position. Finishing in the top four gives each of the teams a chance of playing in one of the most prestigious footballing events, the UEFA Champions League. The teams in the running for a top four finish are as follows: Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool.

In the running for first and second place has to be City and United. The Manchester sides are a step ahead of the rest of the teams in the Premiership and are sure to finish in first and second. Their final position will be determined by which team is able to keep form, and the daunting factor of injuries, which may be incurred throughout the season. Anyone gambling on football should remember this.

This season third and fourth remains to be a position that is harder to come by, this being due to four teams fighting for two all-important positions. Last season the Premiership was one of the closest battles yet. The teams that finished in first, second, third, and fourth were as follows: Manchester United (1st), Chelsea (2nd), Manchester City (3rd), and Arsenal (4th). The team that has seemed to decline most in form since last season has to be Chelsea. At the weekend they sustained a bore draw against Wigan, which ultimately proved that the London side aren’t cut out for top four football. Anyone looking at the Premier League best odds should bear this in mind.

Andre Villas-Boas – Chelsea’s current manager - will have to claim some important transfers in the January transfer window to ensure that Chelsea remain to be viable contenders in the Premier League. Tottenham and Arsenal look to have adopted a good run of form and are sure to finish in the top four with Arsenal being the more likely candidate for third position.

This season, Liverpool simply doesn’t have a strong enough squad to compete for a top four finish. Kenny Dalglish – The Reds’ current manager – will have to build upon his squad and attempt a top four finish next season.