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Former Liverpool goalkeeper David James is expecting the Reds to have a new challenger for the Premier League title this season - and has predicted Arsenal to fall even further behind.
Liverpool kicked off the 2025/26 campaign at Wembley on Sunday, although it missed out on picking up the first piece of silverware of the new season after falling to defeat in a penalty shootout against Crystal Palace.
Mohamed Salah, Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott all missed their spot-kicks after Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong both scored on their competitive debuts, with Arne Slot given plenty to think about ahead of the start of the Premier League season on Friday.
The Reds begin by hosting Bournemouth, and will be aiming to iron out some of the defensive issues that have been apparent during pre-season and at Wembley.
Nevertheless, Liverpool is the favorite to make it back-to-back titles with many people, and Arsenal and Manchester City will be expected to once again be its closest challenger.
James is one of those backing the Reds to retain their crown, although he’s backing a new team to push them close.
Speaking at the launch of Final One Standing by William Hill, James said: “This season will be unique in so many ways because of the Club World Cup.
“That tournament allowed Chelsea – and to a lesser extent Manchester City – an opportunity to get their summer signings integrated into the team in competitive fixtures. That would suggest those two teams come into the first game of the season in a strong position, with somewhat of a head start compared to their rivals.
“Looking at Liverpool’s pre-season, their new signings such as Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike look very good. If Arne Slot has learned from last season and continues to improve not only the players he inherited but the talent they’ve signed and can find a good chemistry in the squad, then they should make a flying start to the season.
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“There will inevitably be a lot of expectation but Liverpool are better than their rivals and even if they do not make a spectacular start, they have a great chance to win the Premier League again - the title is theirs to lose. I can see Man City finishing second, Chelsea third and Arsenal falling back to fourth.”
Liverpool.com says: It will be fascinating to see how this season pans out, and we suspect the title race will be closer than the previous campaign.
Liverpool clearly has some issues to iron out based on what we've seen this summer, but hopefully Slot can sort that out quickly. City will inevitably come back stronger after their slump, and it would be a brave man that writes off Arsenal.
And James is right that Chelsea will be a team to look out for. The Blues certainly seem to be on the right trajectory, although we're not so sure they're ready for a title challenge just yet.
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