Chelsea will begin their quest for a hat-trick of Premier League titles on Saturday looking almost invulnerable after striker Andriy Shevchenko and midfielder Michael Ballack joined the champions.
Bookmakers paid out on Chelsea's 2006 title in September 2005 and they could well repeat the exercise.
Manchester United, who came closest to upsetting the bookies last time, have lost their out-of-favour but prolific striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, snapped up by Real Madrid, and there is no sign yet of a worthy replacement.
After 20 years in charge, Ferguson faces one of his biggest challenges yet in closing the gap on a Chelsea side who have a first-rate coach in Jose Mourinho and seemingly unlimited resources on the transfer market.
Liverpool, Champions League winners in 2005, showed a real improvement in their Premier League performances last term -- winning 50 percent more games than the previous season.
The man behind their recent success, Spanish coach Rafael Benitez, has made no secret of his ambitions for the coming season and the desire to be real title challengers.
Arsenal start the season at their new 60,000-seater Emirates Stadium after bidding farewell to Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires and Sol Campbell but, crucially, after securing French talisman Thierry Henry on a new four-year contract.
Henry, the Premier League's top scorer in four of the last five seasons, will again be key to their hopes of silverware.
Prospects for the top Premier League clubs in the 2006-07 season: >>
Photographs: Getty Images | Text: Reuters
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