Most pundits are predicting that Manchester City and Liverpool will be the teams to beat in the 2018/19 season.
City looked a level above all other challengers last term while Liverpool have strengthened massively since the turn of the year. The lack of summer spending from Manchester United and Spurs could well see them struggle to mount a significant challenge but not in the mind of Dimitar Berbatov.
Berbatov believes his former sides will finish in first and second, with United winning their first Premier League title since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
“The top four will be the same as last season but in this order – Manchester United, Spurs, Manchester City, and Liverpool,” Berbatov told Betfair.
“I was going to say Chelsea because of the ‘new manager’ effect, the team start to perform better especially the first couple of matches but I think Liverpool will finish above them because they’ve bought more talented players, so I’ll stick to the same four as last year.”
United manager Jose Mourinho has admitted that his team could be “in trouble” ahead of his third season in charge at Old Trafford and has vented his frustrations about the fact that the club has failed to bring in his top targets.
Mourinho is now favourite to be the first managerial casualty of the upcoming season and plenty of supporters have already turned on him but Berbatov would not be surprised if the Red Devils’ boss manages to deliver a title next year.
Berbatov added: “Manchester United need to get back to being champions again, to do this you need to do one thing, and one thing only, you need to win. It doesn’t matter how many goals you score; one goal is enough if you don’t let one in your net.
“It’s getting more difficult as in the League, teams are getting stronger. Everybody wants to be the team that people say, ‘They play great football,’ but at my time at the club and how we used to do things, there aren’t that many changes. You still pass the ball and you move, it’s not difficult, and now United have talented players in the team and can improve on being runners up.
“Mourinho is the best at this, you cannot question his ability with the silverware he’s won. When I go back to the training ground, players tell me how the team is well built and I can’t wait to see them as champions.”
