Manchester City
Roberto Mancini's men and the reigning champions (winning by goal difference) are again favourites to retain the trophy with a strikeforce that contains the likes of Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli. Though Mancini missed out on Van Persie, his only addition, Jack Rodwell, could spring a surprise. In pic: Star striker Carlos Tevez
Last year's standing: 1

Manchester United
Sir Alex Ferguson's latest addition is former Arsenal hotshot Robin van Persie and he will look to challenge his 'noisy neighbours' Manchester City for the English Premiership title. With the acquisition of Shinji Kagawa and Nick Powell, Sir Alex's Red Devils will be a force to reckon with. In pic: Manchester United star forward Wayne Rooney
Last year's standing: 2

Arsenal
One pities the situation the Arsenal Football Club is in. Last year, manager Arsene Wenger saw the exit of key players, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, but the team still managed to finish in third place, thanks to a 30-goal scoring spree by Robin Van Persie. Now with him gone to the Red Devils, it remains to be seen if Wenger's summer recruitment of Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla can end their trophy drought. In pic: Theo Walcott
Last year's standing: 3

Tottenham Hotspurs:
The club board sacked Harry Redknapp and appointed former Chelsea boss Andre Villas Boas. The departure of Luka Modric to Real Madrid has been a blow, but Villas Boas has strengthened his squad with the likes of Jan Vertonghen and Gylfi Sigurdsson. In pic: Gareth Bale
Last year's standing: 4

Newcastle United
Alan Pardew's men were on top last season, almost finishing in the top 4. Papiss Cisse has been a revelation last season, scoring 13 goals in 12 appearances, including a match-winning performance against Chelsea. Newcastle United's top priority will be a Champions League spot.
Last year's standing: 5

Chelsea
The last season could well be described as a rollercoaster ride for the players and fans of Chelsea. Their new manager was axed, and their poor form led to several raised eyebrows. But the heroics of Drogba and others saw them lift the Champions League and FA Cup trophy. Though Drogba has left, manager De Matteo has spent 70 million euros on Eden Hazard, Oscar and Marko Marin and has got his fingers crossed. In pic: Frank Lampard
Last year's standing: 6

Everton
Manager David Moyes will be hoping to add a few more recruits before the transfer window closes. Tim Cahill departed for USA, and in came the likes of Steve Naismith and Steven Pienaar. Hotshot Nikica Jelavic remains their star upfront and Everton FC will like to push for at least a top-6 finish this year. In pic: Nikica Jelavic
Last year's standing: 7

Liverpool
The Red half of Merseyside will like to forget their previous season as soon as possible. The sacking of 'King Kenny' was inevitable and now the owners have replaced him with Irishman Brendan Rodgers. The future of striker Andy Carroll also continues to hang in the balance and so Rodgers has his work cut out for him. In pic: Steven Gerrad
Last year's standing: 8

Fulham
The London club have been idle in the transfer market with only the likes of Hugo Rodallega, Mladen Petric and George Williams coming in for free. Martin Jol will look to add more quality to the team, as doubts remain over the eligibility of USA International Clint Dempsey. In pic: Hugo Rodallega
Last year's standing: 9

West Bromwich Albion
The Baggies, as they are fondly known, have had a splendid 2011-12 season under the guidance of Roy Hodgson. But after his selection as the England manager, West Bromwich have appointed Steve Clarke, who in his working days, played second fiddle to the likes of Kenny Dalglish and Gianfranco Zola. Key signings have been made at the Hawthorns, as they look to rebuild form in this season.
Last year's standing: 10

Swansea City:
Last season, Swansea were the favourites to face the drop, but the players fought back hard to avoid relegation. Their slick passing earned them the tag of 'Swansealona' and they also beat Arsenal at their own game. The departure of influential manager Brendan Rodgers was disappointing, but Michael Laudrup has enough experience to carry the team through. Midfielder Joe Allen has departed for Liverpool, but that wont stop Swansea from playing their game.
Last year's standing: 11

Norwich City
With Paul Lambert gone to Aston Villa, Norwich City appointed the experienced Chris Hughton as their manager for the 2012-13 season. The Canaries were left shocked when their star striker Grant Holt asked for a move, but Hughton strictly denied it. New faces have come in and Norwich will look to again beat the drop and stay in top flight. In pic: Grant Holt
Last year's standing: 12

Sunderland
After the sacking of Steve Bruce, all seemed doom and gloom for the Sunderland faithful but with the arrival of Martin O'Neil, hopes have been revived. As the new season kicks off, Sunderland have only signed Carlos Cuellar for free and striker Louis Saha. Sunderland will vie for a top-10 finish. In pic: Kieran RichardsonLast year's standing: 13

Stoke City
The most physical team in the premier league, Stoke City have come a long way. Last year's European adventure did take some toll on the players as Tony Pulis's men faded at the closing stages of the English Premiership. This year Pulis looks to add a bit more quality to his squad as Stoke again look to topple the big sides in their backyard
Last year's standing: 14

Wigan Athletic
Football pundits and critics predicted relegation for Wigan, but Roberto Martinez had other ideas. His side's crucial wins over Manchester United and Arsenal last season helped maintain their top flight status. Though their star striker Hugo Rodellaga has left, Martinez has been active in the transfer market and looks to take Wigan to even greater heights.
Last year's standing: 15

Aston Villa
This year might be a make or break year for Aston Villa, as fans welcome a new manager – Paul Lambert. The former Norwich City boss was a huge favourite to replace Alex McLeish. Lambert has already made his summer buys and looks to revive the team's spirits after a disastrous show last year.
Last year's standing: 16

Queens Park Rangers
Mark Hughes must be a busy man, assigning kit numbers to his new arrivals. He has had a busy time in the transfer market, making lot of changes to his squad. QPR survived a cliffhanger of a season last year and so to not repeat the same mistakes again, the likes of Ji Sung Park and Robert Green have arrived to fight for a top spot.
Last year's standing: 17

West Ham United
Back again in the top flight and right where they belong, West Ham United's revival has been led from the front by the experienced Sam Allardyce. New faces have arrived and Allardyce will fight hard with his team to beat the drop. In pic: Carlton Cole
Newly promoted

Southampton
Their fight to attain top status showed strength of character, and Nigel Adkins brought Premiership football back to St. Mary's stadium. The manager would definitely like to add a few more new faces to his squad as their main priority remains to beat the drop.
Newly promoted

Reading
Back in the top tier of English football, Reading FC will look to prove themselves worthy of the place. Being relegated in 2006-07, the Royals are now back in top flight under the managerial guidance of Brian McDermott. Reading's breakthrough signing this summer was the Russian striker Pavel Pogrebnyak.
Newly promoted