The two hot favourites to be crowned EPL champions

WE ARE not even four weeks removed from the World Cup final in Russia and already it's time for the start of a brand new English Premier League (EPL) season. Manchester United took on Leicester City on Saturday morning (Singapore time) in what was the first of 380 league matches, as 20 teams battle it out over the next nine months for football supremacy in England.

If the bookmakers are to be believed, the teams most likely to finish first and second this season are defending champions Manchester City and big-spenders Liverpool. BT Weekend takes a closer look at what's in store for these two clubs.

Manchester City

The club's fans could not have asked for a better sophomore campaign from Pep Guardiola as he guided the team to the 2017/18 championship with ease by playing a stylish brand of football.

The Citizens racked up a record 106 goals and amassed 100 points, feats unmatched by any top flight team in English football history. Such was their hold on the top spot that even as early as last Christmas, their triumph was never in doubt.

The likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and, to a lesser extent, Arsenal, have beefed up their squads with depth signings. Tottenham Hotspur, which finished third last season, have not signed any new player.

Moreover, with Jose Mourinho throwing what is now a customary third season tantrum at Manchester United, there is little to shake the belief that Guardiola's men will retain the EPL crown for the first time since their counterparts in the red half of Manchester did so 10 years ago.

Recent EPL history, however, suggests that defending champions are likely to make feeble attempts to retain the title. Still, it will be surprising if Manchester City slip up like Chelsea last season due to the gulf in class that already exists between themselves and the rest of the top six.

It is difficult to find players to shore up an already complete team but with the addition of Leicester's Riyad Mahrez for £60 million (S$105 million), not only do City have a player who is well adjusted to English football, but one with great versatility, flair and speed.

The thought of the former Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Player of the Year coming off the bench will only add fear in the hearts of the chasing pack. Other than that, the rest of the senior players - with the exception of Yaya Toure - are unchanged.

Kevin de Bruyne and Sergio Aguero will continue to be focal points while Leroy Sane looks set to build on a fan-tastic campaign where the 22-year-old German won the PFA Young Player of the Year.

Its unlikely that City will be complacent, especially with Guardiola at the helm. After all, squad familiarity has its perks. Manchester City dispatched Chelsea with ease in last Sunday's 2-0 win in the Community Shield at Wembley. They were on point with their finishing, capping a decisive performance in both attack and defence. There's another feat on the cards for Guardiola's personal credentials. If he wins again with Manchester City this season, he would have led teams in Spain, Germany and England to back-to-back league titles. - By Navin Sregantan

Liverpool

After an enthralling 2017/18 season, followed by a high-spending summer transfer window, Liverpool are well placed to pip Manchester City to what will be their first league championship in nearly 30 years.

Liverpool's weakness last season was their defense. Their shaky back line conceded 38 goals - the highest among the top four teams - averaging one goal per game. Although there were 17 clean sheets, 13 of them came at Anfield where they stayed unbeaten all season.

Manager Jurgen Klopp took a significant step towards plugging the leaky defensive partnership of Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip by buying Virgil Van Dijk in December.

During the summer, Liverpool took giant steps to strengthen the spine of the team. First, the imminent arrival of Naby Keita adds some steel in midfield and will, together with another newcomer Fabinho, provide protection to the defensive line.

The record purchase of Brazil's Alisson Becker from Roma will provide much needed stability to Liverpool's goalkeeping, which has been a major source of their defensive woes in the last few seasons.

One of the Reds' challenges has been their inability to secure points against teams in the bottom half of the table as they drew against Burnley, West Brom, Watford, Newcastle and Stoke and lost to Swansea. Their record against the top six teams was not much better either - amassing a meagre 12 out of 36 possible points.

Klopp's pressing, pacy attacking game worked well with many teams but not with those that sat back and packed their defences, especially with creative midfielders Adam Lallana and Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain out injured and Philippe Coutinho now sold.

Xherdan Shaqiri, whose creative and outside-the-box play can unlock tough defences, will help Liverpool in this regard, as will the resurgence of Daniel Sturridge, who has been in sterling form.

The addition of both Shaqiri and Sturridge will be crucial in the event that Liverpool's dynamic front three of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah fall short of matching their remarkable 91-goal haul of last season.

Arguably Liverpool's biggest strength this season is their team spirit and camaraderie. There was certainly initial scepticism among some of the club's fans that the arrival of Keita, Shaqiri and the return of Sturridge would upset dressing room harmony.

But the three of them have blended in well and formed a good bond. Klopp's famed man management skills could certainly prove to be the X-factor in Liverpool's quest to win the EPL at long last. - By Malminderjit Singh