Manager Mark Hughes (Wales) Last season 12th A run to the Europa League final - which they lost to Atletico Madrid - was the high point ot a sterling season, one where Fulham took some attention away from Chelsea, their illustrious west London neighbours. After the departure of Roy Hodgson, new manager Hughes has earmarked a top-10 finish as the target. Funds to strengthen are likely to be in short supply though, and Hughes is expected to raid Manchester City, his former club, for loan bargains. Key man Clint Dempsey - Impressed at the World Cup with the United States. A goal-scoring midfelder. Key transfers In: Philippe Senderos (Centre-half, 25, Arsenal, free). Out: Chris Smalling (Centre-half, 20, Man Utd, £10m). If they were a movie ... The Rebound - A scorned Welsh lead gets a second shot at happiness after moving to the big city. Watchable but hardly going to be a classic. Prediction 9th
Manager Roy Hodgson (England) Last season 7th With Rafa Benitez's five-year reign consigned to history, Hodgson, 63, is the wise head entrusted with galvanising flagging Liverpool. A summer of reported buy-out rumours have, thus far, failed to oust the club's despised American owners and a cash-strapped Hodgson has had to wheel and deal in the transfer market to freshen up the squad. Key man Fernando Torres - If the Spanish striker stays fit he will terrorise defences. Key transfers In: Joe Cole (Midfielder, 28, Liverpool, free), Milan Jovanovic (Forward, 29, Standard Liege, free), Danny Wilson (Centre-half, 21, Glasgow Rangers, £5m) Out: Yossi Benayoun (Midfielder, 30, Chelsea, £5m). If they were a movie ... The Da Vinci Code - An SOS has gone out to a bookish academic who probably has patches on the elbows of his jackets. Can he decrypt the code and save an ancient institution? Prediction 5th
Manager Roberto Mancini (Italy) Last season 5th After a Europe-leading transfer outlay of over £80 million (Dh468m), a top-four finish is a must for Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed's free-spending City. After labouring to only six away wins last season, Mancini must gel a string of new recruits into a Champions League-chasing unit. Tough opening fixtures - Tottenham (away), Liverpool (home) and Sunderland (away) - could shape their campaign. Key man Carlos Tevez - All-action Argentine striker scored important goals last term. Key transfers In: Jerome Boateng (Defender, 21, Hamburg, £10.4 million (Dh60.8m), Aleksander Kolarov (Left-back, 24, Lazio, £16m), Yaya Toure (Midfielder, 27, Barcelona, £24m), David Silva (Left-wing, 24, Valencia, £25m). If they were a movie ... Pirates of the Caribbean, At World's End - No expense spared during production, but, despite an attractive array of stars, remain an acquired taste. Prediction 3rd
Manager Sir Alex Ferguson (Scotland) Last season 2nd On the basis of United's 3-1 Community Shield win over Chelsea, it looks like United have reinforcements to share Wayne Rooney's goal burden in the shape of Mexican Javier Hernandez and a rejuvenated Dimitar Berbatov. The pursuit of a 19th English title is likely to be the final one for stalwarts Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville. Ferguson has resisted the temptation to recruit a top-shelf acquisition. Key man Wayne Rooney - The 34-goal striker was badly mis-sed when injured last season. Key transfers In: Javier Hernandez (Striker, 22, Chivas, £7m), Chris Smalling (Centre-half, 20, Fulham, £10m). Out: Ben Foster (Keeper, 27, Birmingham, £6m), Zoran Tosic (Winger, 23, CSKA Moscow, Undisclosed). If they were a movie ... Ben-Hur - An oldie but a goodie, with a bigger support cast and more trophies than anyone else. Not that the prizes necessarily came cheap. Prediction 2nd
* The National