Jeff Stelling's picks

Jeff Stelling gives us his Premier League predictions... and it's good news for Liverpool fans.

Jeff expects joy for Rafa's Reds

The Premier League season is just around the corner - and once again Soccer Saturday will guide you through all of the twists and turns. Jeff Stelling and the boys will be on your screens every Saturday to talk you through one of the most intriguing seasons in the history of the Premier League and there are plenty of questions to be answered. Will Manchester United hold onto their title in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo or will there be another name on the Premier League trophy in May? Can Manchester City gatecrash the top four or will we see a surprise name in contention for the Champions League spots? Who will be scrapping it out at the bottom? Which player will bag the most goals? Which summer transfer deals will provide the best value and which signings will we be laughing at by the end of the campaign? We asked the stars of Soccer Saturday to gaze into their crystal balls and give us their views on what we can expect in 2009/10 - as well as letting us know what they've been up to on their summer holidays. The first man to put his neck on the block is presenter Jeff Stelling...

CHAMPIONS - Liverpool
Manchester United are unquestionably weaker than last year, while Chelsea are no stronger and they are all a year older. Liverpool have got Fernando Torres, who will score a bagful if he plays for a full season (it's not exactly very original to say that is it?) and of course there's the inspirational Steven Gerrard. I was disappointed to see them get rid of Xabi Alonso, but they were so close last year and they barely need to improve at all. I just think it could be their year.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SPOTS - Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City
Obviously United and Chelsea will finish in the top four. I watched Arsenal in the Emirates Cup and they were absolutely brilliant, but I will go with Man City to finish fourth. There is a balancing act for Mark Hughes to perform there and I think we might see one or two of their players leaving in the next few weeks. However, it's not just the players they've bought this summer that have impressed me. There are players they bought last year like Shay Given who have now had time to settle in. On paper they have got an absolutely irresistible squad and I would put them marginally ahead of Arsenal.

FIFTH - Arsenal
Arsenal will score bagful of goals, especially in their home games and they play wonderful football, but they might just be found out defensively when they go to Stoke on a wet December day. That's why I think they might miss out on the top four. I don't see Villa or Everton being any stronger than last year, while Spurs have a load of defensive problems at the moment and they have a terribly difficult start to the season. With injuries early on, I think they could be playing catch-up - isn't that always the way with Tottenham? I hope they have a fantastic season and they could easily finish fifth, but having seen Arsenal in pre-season I think they will finish ahead of their North London neighbours.

SURPRISE PACKAGE - Burnley
I think Burney could finish fourth bottom - which would surprise a lot of people. You look at their squad on paper and it's the weakest in the Premier League by some way and they've got an incredibly low income compared to a lot of the clubs, but I really believe Owen Coyle is potentially a fantastic manager. The fact they came up last season, albeit by the play-offs, after playing so many matches with such a tiny squad - and playing such good football in the process - really impressed me. He's not quite a Tony Mowbray figure either. Burnley will knock it around, but there's a steeliness about them at the back and they'll put a foot in when needs be. Everybody has written them off, but I think they could be this year's Stoke. They'll play in a different way, but they'll achieve the same end product in staying up.

GOING DOWN - Birmingham, Hull, Portsmouth
The expectations are always so high at Birmingham that if things don't go well initially then the crowd will get on the players' backs and there could be problems. I don't see them scoring goals either. I think Hull will go because they just can't attract anybody for love nor money, particularly not for money! They are trying to buy players, but just can't get any in - and boy, do they need Jimmy Bullard fit as soon as possible! I also think Portsmouth will go because they've basically sold all of their big players, with one or two exceptions. They've terrible financial problems, they've got an old team now and it's so disappointing when you think about how well they did a couple of years ago when they won the FA Cup. Paul Hart is a top man, and a really good bloke, but I just think they're bankers to go down. Their demise is sad to see.

GOLDEN BOOT - Fernando Torres
I have to go with Torres. He had a fantastic first season in England, his second season wasn't quite so fantastic, but if he stays clear of injuries I think he will be the top scorer. If you want an outside bet, I do think Michael Owen will get a bagful of goals for Manchester United. He's 16/1, which is a very good each-way bet in my eyes. He's not the player he was, but at Newcastle he was expected to carry the whole team on his shoulders - and that was one of the worst teams in the Premier League. He was still their top scorer and at Manchester United I think he can get 20 goals this season if he stays injury-free. There's no reason why he shouldn't.

BEST BUY - Fabian Delph
Leeds were desperate to hold onto this lad. I know it's a huge, huge step up but he looks like he's got absolutely everything. He can score goals, he's got a fantastic engine, he's skilful and he's physically strong and athletic. I just think he's at the right place with Aston Villa. Martin O'Neill knows how to bring a youngster through and he will need time, but in the long term I think he will prove to be a fantastic, fantastic buy.

BONKERS BUY - Jermaine Pennant
I'll avoid offending most Premier League supporters by picking Jermaine Pennant's move to Real Zaragoza as my bonkers buy. He's a talented player, but he has hugely underachieved and I don't think moving abroad will do him any good. He's the sort of guy who needs someone to put an arm around him from time to time and I'm not sure they'll be able to do that in Spain. They can put an arm around him, but he won't know what they're saying to him!

HOW HAS YOUR PRE-SEASON TRAINING GONE?
I've been in Barbados for a bit of the time and then I'm off to Portugal for the week before the season to top up the tan before the start of the season. Also, the beach football you see in Portugal is absolutely sensational. You can see why their players are so skilful because every guy and kid on the beach has got a football and their control is just beyond belief. I'll be studying Portuguese football skills to get ready for the new season!