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#3 Liverpool
Liverpool conceded their first defeat in 25 matches against West Ham United this past weekend. The Hammers proved to be too lively and focused for Jurgen Klopp's men in a match that was decided by fine margins.
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Mohamed Salah has been in terrific form for Liverpool. But the same can't be said of all of their attackers. Roberto Firmino is another player who has impressed this season but he is now out injured. Sadio Mane has been doing better than he did last term but he has not been clinical in the final third.
Their midfield has been rather inconsistent as well. Klopp relies heavily on his full-backs for attacking thrust and both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson have done a good job so far. They are testing out different combinations at the back in a bid to find out who the perfect partner for Van Dijk might be.
But the plan has not yet come together and they are still a little off the pace. That could prove to be detrimental as Chelsea and Manchester City have looked quite formidable this season.
#2 Chelsea
Chelsea are currently top of the table. But they just might not be able to sustain this for the length of the season from the looks of it. They are four points clear at the summit but have a difficult set of fixtures coming up.
They face Leicester City, Manchester United and West Ham United in their next three games. The Blues squandered their chance to pull away from the chasing pack by settling for a 1-1 draw against Burnley this past weekend. The form of their goalscorers is perhaps the biggest concern for Thomas Tuchel.
Timo Werner offers everything but goals and Romelu Lukaku has been sidelined with injury. Lukaku, the club's most expensive signing of all time, has scored just four goals in 11 appearances across all competitions so far.
As a unit, Chelsea are not yet a team whose parts are all working together in perfect condition just yet. That's why we believe Manchester City will eventually catch up with them and outdo them over the course of the season.
#1 Manchester City
We're predicting that Manchester City will retain the Premier League title this term. The lack of a proven goalscorer would have been hugely detrimental to any other side. Even though Pep Guardiola's Manchester City have had their problems in front of goal, they often seem to be able to find a solution.
Their midfield is one of the best in the world and they have some world-class attackers in their ranks as well. City beat Manchester United 2-0 at Old Trafford in their latest outing but it was as dominant a performance as they've produced against their rivals in recent times.
Manchester City are pretty comfortable controlling entire games. All of their players are technically adept and comfortable in possession. They have creators all around the park. This City side are also very familiar with sustaining their momentum over the course of a season, having won the league three times in the last four years.
