Our 2018-19 Season Predictions
Soccer is back, baby! With the 2018 World Cup in the rearview mirror and the summer transfer window coming to a close, it's time to focus on the 2018-19 seasons.
Who will finish the Premier League's top goalscorer? What does CR7's big move mean for La Liga and Serie A? Who will be crowned the Champions of Europe?
We're about to answer all of those questions (and more) with 100% accuracy.
Here are our 2018-19 season previews and predictions, by league:
Premier League (England)
The Premier League is the world's most competitive league, but the top six is predictable. We don't see another Leicester City miracle happening again this season or any time soon.
The top six teams will undoubtedly include Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal. It's the order that remains to be seen, and it will be a fierce fight to finish in the top four - qualifying for the Champions League.
Top 4
| 1 | Manchester City |
| 2 | Liverpool |
| 3 | Chelsea |
| 4 | Tottenham |
Manchester City, the reigning champions, are the team to beat. They dominated last season and broke record after record after record. Most points? Yup. Most wins? Yup. Most goals? Yup. And, the list goes on...
Surprisingly, they didn't dip into their deep pockets over the summer except for longtime target Riyad Mahrez. It's probably because they are already stacked, so Mahrez will have to be at the top of his game to cement a place in Pep Guardiola's starting lineup each week.
With their depth of talent and perhaps the best manager in the world, we can't see anyone finishing above Man City this season.
The biggest threat to Man City's back-to-back titles is Liverpool.
The Reds spent more than any other Premier League side over the summer. Collectively, Alisson Becker, Naby Keita, Fabinho, and Xherdan Shaqiri cost Liverpool about 170 million pounds.
We all know Liverpool can score goals - Mo Salah was last season's golden boot winner in case you forgot.
The question is: can they stop the other team from scoring?
Chelsea, the 2016-17 Premier League champions, are coming off of a disappointing season.
Fifth place and no Champions League was enough to get Antonio Conte the sack.
New manager, Maurizio Sarri will hope to turn things around and get back to Chelsea's winning ways.
They'll have to do it without Thibault Courtois in goal, though. The big Belgian forced a move to Real Madrid, forcing Roman Abramovich to open up his checkbook for Kepa Arrizabalaga. They also brought in Jorginho.
Tottenham is the first Premier League club to go an entire summer without signing a single player since the transfer window was created in 2003.
Spurs had their eyes on Aston Villa's Jack Grealish, but couldn't get the deal done in time. We're actually more surprised they were able to hang onto their existing talent.
With a young, talented side and a new stadium being unveiled later this year, Spurs have a lot to look forward to.
Ultimately, depth is their biggest weakness, and we think Spurs will finish fourth this season.
Manchester United are no longer the kings of the Premier League or even Manchester.
After a second place finish last season, Mourinho reinforced his side with Fred and Diogo Dalot but has been vocal about the club not spending enough to compete and win.
Mourinho seems unhappy. Pogba seems unhappy. We think they will miss out on the top four this season.
Arsenal will start the 2018-19 Premier League season without Arsène Wenger - a first since 1995. He is one of the best managers of all-time, but the Gunners needed change. His replacement, Unai Emery, will hope to crack into the top four, but we don't think he'll manage it in his first year.
Their summer signings include Bernd Leno and Lucas Torreira.
Golden Boot
Relegated
Burnley, Cardiff City, and Huddersfield
La Liga (Spain)
The 2018-19 La Liga season will be an interesting one. Cristiano Ronaldo, arguably the best player in the world, will no longer be playing his club football in Spain.
La Liga is a two, sometimes three, horse race. So, will Barcelona, Real Madrid, or Atlético Madrid come out on top this season?
Top 4
| 1 | Barcelona |
| 2 | Real Madrid |
| 3 | Atlético Madrid |
| 4 | Sevilla |
Barcelona won the 2017-18 campaign with only one loss, which was the second to last game of the season. So close to earning the Invincibles tag!
Led by the other guy in the world's best player debate, Leo Messi, Barcelona is favorite to retain the title this season, and we think they will do just that.
Real Madrid comes into the 2018-19 season with some big shoes to fill. They lost their manager, Zinedine Zidane, and their best player, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Zidane has been replaced by former Spain manager, Julen Lopetegui. Ronaldo is impossible to replace, but Los Blancos have used the money to bring in players like Brazilian youngster Vinícius Júnior and world-class goalkeeper, Thibault Courtois, who will battle Keylor Navas for the starting job.
Atlético Madrid finished second last season, and some say they are the better Madrid side. We disagree.
Atléti brought in Thomas Lemar from Monaco and a handful of other solid players, but more importantly, they held onto Antoine Griezmann.
Golden Boot
Relegated
Alavés, Rayo Vallecano, and Valladolid
Bundesliga (Germany)
The Bundesliga is Bayern Munich's to lose. Can someone, anyone finally challenge them? Probably not.
Top 4
| 1 | Bayern Munich |
| 2 | Borussia Dortmund |
| 3 | Leverkusen |
| 4 | Hoffenheim |
Bayern Munich has won the Bundesliga six times in a row, and they'll be disappointed in anything less than a seventh.
The German champions didn't spend much in the summer, but it probably won't matter as far as their domestic league goes.
Can they win the Champions League? That's the real measure of success for them, and it's been 5 years since they won Europe.
Borussia Dortmund has a great squad and, other than Bayern, they are the most recent team to win the Bundesliga.
New signings Abdou Diallo and Axel Witsel should strengthen them from a defensive standpoint, and we're all excited to keep an eye on Christian Pulisic.
Golden Boot
Relegated
Nürnberg and Fortuna
Serie A (Italy)
Serie A is in the world football headlines for the first time in a long time. That is thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo who joined Juventus for a whopping $117 million.
Top 4
| 1 | Juventus |
| 2 | Napoli |
| 3 | Roma |
| 4 | Inter Milan |
Juventus are the best side in Italy by leaps and bounds. They should win their eighth consecutive title this season and might even have what it takes to capture the Champions League. They've been painfully close over the past few years.
Golden Boot
Relegated
Chievo, Frosinone, and Parma
Ligue 1 (France)
Along with Bundesliga and Serie A, Ligue 1 is another league where the champion is all but guaranteed. PSG have won six of the last seven campaigns, and our money is on adding another trophy to their trophy cabinet this season.
Kylian Mbappé is coming into his own, and we can't wait to see how he progresses.
Top 4
| 1 | PSG |
| 2 | Lyon |
| 3 | Marseille |
| 4 | Monaco |
Golden Boot
Relegated
Guingamp, Amiens, and Caen
UEFA Champions League
The last three UEFA Champions League titles have gone to Real Madrid. It would be difficult enough to win a fourth in a row, but with the loss of CR7, we think it's someone else's year. The question is: who?
Champions
Barcelona
Conclusion
The unpredictable nature of soccer is one of the many reasons we love it. We also love making predictions that may or may not come true.
Champions
| Premier League | Manchester City |
| La Liga | Barcelona |
| Bundesliga | Bayern Munich |
| Serie A | Juventus |
| Ligue 1 | PSG |
| UEFA Champions League | Barcelona |
There you have it, our 2018-19 season previews and predictions. How do you see things playing out? Let us know in the comments!
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Cheers,
Your friends at Pelé Soccer
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