Trio gunning for Man Utd

BBC Sport's John Motson expects Arsenal, Liverpool and Leeds United to push Manchester United for the title.

The psychological warfare is nearly over as another Premiership season gets underway.

Once again the Premiership elite are all aiming to gun down last season's deserved champions Manchester United.

Last year was a little bit unusual because the likes of Leeds, Chelsea and Arsenal all had poor autumns, leaving Sir Alex Ferguson's side with a much easier job of winning the Premiership than they would have expected.

This term, I fully expect Leeds, Arsenal and Liverpool to push the red side of Manchester all the way to the championship, with Chelsea leading the chase for Uefa Cup qualification.

Arsenal have spent wisely in the summer, strengthening their squad in every department in a bid to evade that perennial mid-season slump they always seem to encounter.

  Motty's predictions

Top five
1. Manchester United
2. Leeds
3. Arsenal
4. Liverpool
5. Chelsea

Bottom three
18. Southampton
19. Everton
20. Bolton

If they can avoid being distracted by their exploits in the Champions League and Patrick Vieira can spend more time on the pitch than off it then the Gunners are capable of toppling United from their lofty perch.

United will also be extremely weary of Liverpool after feeling the wrath of Gerard Houllier's side twice last season.

The Anfield side will still be buzzing from their cup treble and, although they have elected not to freshen up their squad in the summer, signing only Norwegian international John Arne Riise, they still offer a real threat.

Gerard Houllier's revolution is almost complete and, with Jamie Redknapp back in midfield and an embarrassment of riches up front, they are more than capable of adding the Premiership to their trophy cabinet.

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Leeds brought in two of the best youngsters around last season and I expect Robbie Keane, Harry Kewell and Rio Ferdinand to play vital roles for the Yorkshire giants this season.

They have enjoyed a fantastic pre-season and have the benefit of not being involved in another Champions League campaign.

At the other end of the table, there are eight or nine teams who could face a battle against the drop.

The key thing is to make a confident start. Teams like Spurs, West Ham, Aston Villa and Newcastle should all be pushing for a Uefa Cup place but a poor start, like the Hammers had last year, can have devastating repercussions.

In contrast it will be the annual struggle for the likes of Everton, Derby and the promoted teams with the possible exception of Fulham.

However, I believe the game is booming at the moment and expect every Premiership game to be a complete sell out every week.

The Intertoto Cup crowds have reinforced my belief that the game is on the crest of a wave and, having been to four friendlies in pre-season, the appetite of the supporters this season is bigger than it has ever been.

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John Motson was speaking to BBC Sport Online's Peter Sanderson