Yay, great thread, it's nice that we can talk about real football here 😀 Here's my opinion:
England:
It's going to be a really hard and long season there. Has the time for City to win the big thing come? I doubt it, but they will be at the top 3 for sure. Arsenal-it will be very difficult for them, now without Fabregas and Na$ri, but latest info is that Wenger has 90 million pounds for transfers. With only a week left till the window closes, I'm not sure he can get a lot of world-class players, but time will tell. Shaky start for them, we'll see how things work out. Villas Boas is being labeled as the new Mourinho, but I don't think he'll be able to make an instant impact. Top 3 for them too, but unlikely to become champions. United are the usual favourites, and there have already been some articles, comparing this team to "Busby's babies", with some media calling them "Ferguson's babies". There is a lot of potential there, with only 3 players above 30 in the current squad. And Fergie sure knows how to work with youngsters. From what I've seen so far, United are playing good football with a lot of movement and speed, so we can hotly tip them to defend the title. One problem can be new goalie David De Gea, he's been a bit shaky since the start of the season, but I guess Sir Alex will know how to deal with him. Liverpool spent loads of money on new players since King Kenny arrived in January, and they have started solidly. Also, no European cup games for them this season, so there's nothing to distract them. Despite all the new guys that came, the key man for me will be none other than Dalglish himself. I'm also hoping for a positive performance from Sunderland, they are a good team with quality players, but their start is not one to envy, having in mind they were already knocked out of the Carling cup last night. Not so sure about Steve Bruce, but they are a top 10 team for sure. Relegation candidates for me are Norwich, Blackburn and QPR.
Spain:
The start of the season has been delayed, so we won't be seeing any action in Primera soon. It's clear though, that it will again be a two-horse race: Barcelona or Real. I'd put my money on Blaugrana, but never underestimate Mou. Both team are top quality, so it would be interesting to see how things work out. Atletico Madrid just got Radamel Falcao from Porto, so they should be somewhere in the top 4 too. The rich boys from Malaga bought loads of new players, most of which are pretty good, but I can't see them achieving more than a Europa League spot.
Germany:
Bayern or Dortmund? That's the big question there, and I think it will be the team from Munich who will triumph at the end of the season. Dortmund sold Nuri Sahin to Real Madrid, and no matter that they have wonderkid Mario Götze, I don't think they'll be able to win the Bundesliga again.
Champions League and Europa League:
It's hard to make predictions for these tournaments, as some teams are yet to qualify and groups to be drawn, but the favourites in the CL are quite clear: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Milan. But lets wait until Friday, and then we'll make predictions. The situation in the Europa League is the same, although early favourites for me are Lazio, Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham and probably most Russian and Ukrainian teams, who are traditionally strong in this competiotion. Yet again, after Friday predictions will be far more adequate.
