Preview: Man City the team to beat but Arsenal look strong in Premier League

LONDON, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) 

The Premier League season begins on Friday night with last season's champions, Manchester City, facing newly promoted Burnley. With Pep Guardiola's men being the ones everyone is aiming to dethrone, what can we expect as the world's best league gets underway?

After securing the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the Champions League, Manchester City is the team to beat. Guardiola will be pleased to welcome back Juanma Lillo to his coaching staff.

City has fortified their defense with the significant signing of Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig. Matteo Kovacic has joined from Chelsea and youngster Shea Charles from Southampton.

However, they've lost winger Riyad Mahrez to the Saudi Arabian league and Ilkay Gundogan, who chose to move to FC Barcelona rather than sign a new deal. There is uncertainty whether Kovacic can entirely fill the shoes of the German international. Guardiola might be hoping that Kalvin Phillips will step up after barely playing last year. Still, he's aware that players like Kevin de Bruyne, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, and Julian Alvarez can all change the game in a heartbeat.

 Arsenal led the Premier League for most of last season under Mikel Arteta's exceptional guidance, only to falter as City turned up the heat in the campaign's closing weeks.

 Arsenal has splurged to sign England midfielder Declan Rice from West Ham for 105 million pounds. They've also made significant investments to bring in Kai Havertz from Chelsea and defender Justin Timber from Ajax, suggesting they've added to all areas of the field.

 Martin Odegaard will again be crucial, as will Bukayo Saka. The young team will have gained experience after last season. However, they'll start the season without Gabriel Jesus due to a knee injury, shifting the focus immediately onto Havertz.

Manchester United rebounded from a slow start under Erik ten Hag last season to finish third. They've strengthened in all areas, with Rasmus Hojlund giving them a specialist center forward. Mason Mount brings mobility and goals from midfield, and Andre Onana is expected to bring greater calm in goal.

Much, however, will depend on Ten Hag continuing to work tactically with a squad that needs players like Raphael Varane and Marcos Rashford to stay injury-free.

It will be intriguing to see how Newcastle United perform this season with the added challenge of participating in the Champions League. Harvey Barnes and Sandro Tonali should provide more options in the attacking midfield. However, the departure of Allan Saint Maxime to Saudi Arabia will be felt.

Liverpool appears to be rebuilding with Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, James Milner, Nabi Keita, and Roberto Firmino all departing. World Cup winner Alexis MacAllister and Dominik Szoboszlai should bring freshness to the midfield. Still, coach Jurgen Klopp needs Darwin Nunez to start justifying his substantial signing from Benfica last season.

Mauricio Pochettino's arrival at Chelsea was one of the summer's biggest stories. The former PSG, Tottenham, and Southampton boss has overseen a massive turnover this summer in a squad that has seen plenty of arrivals and departures over the last 18 months.

Mount, Cesar Azpilicueta, N'Golo Kante, Havertz, Kovacic, Kalidu Koulibali, Christian Pulisic, and Eduard Mendy have all left, with speedy forward Nicolas Jackson arriving from Villarreal. Also, defender Axel Disasi, Christopher Nkunku, and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez have come in.

Pochettino's first task is to form his squad into a team. But even though it may be tough to lose so many experienced players at once, it's hard to envision Chelsea being worse than last season.

Tottenham also underperformed last time around, and their season will depend on two factors. How quickly new coach Ange Postecoglou can adapt to the Premier League and whether Harry Kane remains at the club or decides to join Bayern Munich. 

Aston Villa experienced a fantastic second half of the season under Unai Emery and have recruited wisely with Pau Torres joining from Villarreal, midfielder Youri Tielemans arriving on a free transfer from Leicester City, and winger Moussa Diaby coming in from Bayer Leverkusen.

Brighton shined under Robert De Zerbi, and even though they have lost Sanchez and MacAllister, their signings seem to be well-calculated and their commitment to attacking football remains unshaken.

Brentford, which has punched above their weight in the last two years, will have to make do without England striker Ivan Toney until the New Year following his suspension for betting.

Fulham performed admirably in their return to the top-flight but have been surprisingly quiet in the transfer market. Similarly, West Ham, Wolverhampton, and Everton have failed to address issues that plagued them last season.

West Ham's coach, David Moyes, and Julen Lopetegui at Wolves have both been reported to be contemplating their futures following a lack of transfer activity.

Roy Hodgson's return brought stability to Crystal Palace, who need to replace Wilfred Zaha. Simultaneously, the arrival of Andoni Iraola as coach at Bournemouth signals exciting times at a club who have Justin Kluivert among their summer acquisitions.

Nottingham Forest have had a quiet summer following over 20 signings last year. The club will depend on Steve Cooper to work his magic again.

Burnley appears to be the best prepared of the three promoted teams, with Vincent Kompany's side easily achieving promotion last season. Sheffield United will rely on a strong home atmosphere to help them stay afloat, while Luton have prudently decided against breaking the bank to strengthen what appears to be a balanced but limited squad for the Premier League.