Goal Mouth Blog: Chelsea to take Manchester United's title

(CNN) -- So here we go again. The European football season is upon us and every single club has a dream. Some will attain it, most will fall short, but all of them are aiming to exceed expectations and win some kind of silverware.

A lot may still happen in the transfer market and certainly much will change until the season ends, but I am going to put my neck out and give my predictions for the upcoming season in England, Spain and Italy.

Let's start with the English Premier League, which is is kicking off this weekend.

And feel free to send me your feedback. Am I nuts? Am I a genius? Let me know...

English Premier League:

Champions - Chelsea

It may be Luiz Felipe Scolari's first season as a club manager in Europe, but his leadership skills combined with the quality in Chelsea's squad makes the Blues the favorites in my eyes.

Deco is a fantastic addition to a midfield that was lacking a cutting edge and the fact Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard both stayed means the club managed to retain two of their most influential players.

Considering Chelsea have never won the Champions League, one could argue winning that competition would be the priority for this team, but Scolari will not be putting all of his eggs in that basket.

Scolari has not won a trophy since guiding Brazil to the World Cup title in 2002 and he will want to compete on all fronts.

Manchester United will challenge for the League title of course, but Cristiano Ronaldo's injury and a lack of options in the striker position could mean the Red Devils come up short.

Overachievers - Manchester City

Mark Hughes is a brilliant young manager and he will inspire City to a top-six finish this season, which would be their highest placing since 1993.

Record signing Jo could take a while to adapt to the pace of the Premier League, but a strong midfield featuring Elano, Gelson Fernandes and Martin Petrov should be able to compensate for that. Sven Goran Eriksson laid down the groundwork and Hughes can now take the club to another level.

Underachievers - Arsenal

Unless Arsene Wenger strengthens his side in August, the Gunners will struggle to keep up the pace with the top three and could finish out of the Champions League positions.

I don't know what the French manager has been thinking, but to lose Alex Hleb, Mathieu Flamini and Gilberto Silva and not sign an experienced midfielder is bordering on suicidal.

Denilson and Aaron Ramsey are still too green to fill the role and there is just not enough depth in the squad for Arsenal to mount a serious challenge this season.

Spanish Primera Liga:

Champions - Barcelona

With Frank Rijkaard and Ronaldinho both now out of the dressing room, Barcelona will become a lot stronger this season.

Rijkaard was too soft for this group of players and since the Champions League victory of 2006 struggled to motivate his players, while Ronaldinho was recently more interested in finding the best disco rather than finding the back of the net.

New manager Pep Guardiola may be inexperienced, but so far he has shown maturity beyond his years and the fact he allowed Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o to stay could prove the key to Barca's first league title in three seasons.

Overachievers - Atletico Madrid

For so long they have threatened to become challengers, and this could be their year. A lot of money has been spent by the Colchonero board to bring in quality players so manager Javier Aguirre won't have many excuses if his side fail to deliver the goods.

Atletico finished fourth last year and could move up to second place if Sergio "El Kun" Aguero continues to blossom and Diego Forlan keeps hitting the back of the net. A new solid goalkeeper should also help -- Gregory Coupet has one of the safest pair of hands in Europe.

Underachievers - Real Madrid

After winning back to back titles, Real's motivation to win another league crown will be lower and I suspect Bernd Schuster will actually focus most of his attention on the Champions League.

The club has not progressed past the quarterfinals of the competition since 2003 and chairman Vicente Calderon wants improvement in that department.

The fact they failed to get Cristiano Ronaldo also means they have not improved. Rafael Van der Vaart is a good signing, but all he will do is take over Wesley Sneijder's duties.

Italian Serie A:

Champions - Inter Milan

The Nerazzuri have won the last three league titles (including one in the courts) and I don't see that run ending this season.

With Jose Mourinho at the helm, Inter will be solid and hard to beat, at home and away. The additions of Mancini and Sully Muntari have added athleticism to a team that was already a force to be reckoned with.

If Mourinho can inspire Adriano to regain his form of old, Il Imperatore can form a deadly partnership with Zlatan Ibrahimovic up front.

Overachievers - Fiorentina

Cesare Prandelli has built a young and exciting unit at the Stadio Artemio Franchi and the Viola will battle for the title along with Inter, Roma and Juventus.

Adrian Mutu continues to improve and the signing of Alberto Gilardino could make all the difference. The former Parma hit-man could rediscover his best form after a disappointing spell at Milan.

Underachievers - AC Milan

There is not enough quality or depth in the Milan squad for Carlo Ancelotti to challenge for honors this season. If they don't strengthen an ageing back line, the Rossoneri could miss out on the Champions League again next season.

The only major signing was Ronaldinho, but even if the former World Player of the year regains his best form and Kaka continues to shine, they still need new defenders. Plus, the midfield isn't getting any younger either. Oh, and there is really not a pure striker in the squad, except for Pippo Inzaghi, who is, what, 47 years old now?