We've put our heads together in the GC office and here are our (well, the football fans amongst us) predictions for the new football season. Let us know yours (or tell us how wrong we are) in the comments below....

Check out our 2010-11 season preview here too

Dan
Premier League Champions
Manchester United: Chelsea, who won by a solitary point last season have weakened their squad and United have strengthened theirs...simples. 

FA Cup winners
Tottenham: Will be eyeing some serious silverware this season and have a good squad – the other “big” teams have a point to prove in Europe...paving the way for a solid spurs domestic victory

Carling Cup winners
Newcastle – This season will inevitably see the glorious resurrection of these North Eastern giants.  

Champions League winners
Real Madrid – Having won the world cup, Barcelona will be tired. Genuine competition for the Champions League is otherwise pretty thin...

Top league scorer 
Tevez...takes penalties and will prove integral to Man City’s premiership assault. He is also integral to my fantasy football league assault.

First manager to get sacked
Man City’s Mancini...has overspent and underperformed...lethal combination in the world of football. 

First manager to storm out of a press conference
Ferguson, when a BBC reporter asks him a question (possible arrest for assault thereafter, if James Ferguson is mentioned...)

Matt
Premier League Champions
Chelsea - they're on a roll after last season and several of their key players will have a point to prove after poor (or non-existent!) World Cups (Drogba, Terry, Lampard, Malouda, Essien, Alex).  Plus I don't see the others having the legs - Man Utd (too old), Liverpool (too inconsistent), Arsenal (not strengthened enough) or Man City (same problems as last season).

FA Cup winners
Aston Villa. A great cup side who are due a trophy after coming close recently. Did I mention I'm a Villa fan???

Carling Cup winner
I genuinely don't care. It's a pointless competition done for one simple reason - money (editor's note - yes, I'm sure you'll be saying this if Villa win!). So I'll go for Man Utd.

Champions League winner
Jose's Real Madrid. He's done it everywhere else, so odds are he'll be successful at the Bernabeu too. 

Top league scorer
Torres is due a good year (as are Liverpool) and I think Joe Cole could give some new life to him after a bad last season.

First manager to get sacked
I'm going out on a limb here and think that the first manager to part ways with their club could be Arsene Wenger, if Arsenal don't get off to a good start. But I don't think he'll be sacked. First sacking I think will be Avram Grant - the good will to him will disappear if the Hammers start off rocky.

And my wild card prediction is that James Milner will spend the season on the subs bench at City, as suggested by his recent omission from the England starting XI.  

James
Premier League Champions
Manchester Utd. Chelsea seem to have gone backwards in the close season, whilst Man U have brought in a few players and no-one else has brought anyone spectacular.

FA Cup winners
Manchester City. Don't think they‚ll win the league, and Mancini has to win something to keep his job so they might concentrate on the cup more than others. Plus they've got a decent squad.

Carling Cup winners
Arsenal. They have to win something and the Carling Cup could be their only chance so the first team players could play.

Champions League winners
Barcelona, unlucky not to get there last year and they've only got better during the summer.

Top league scorer
Drogba. If he stays fit he's the best striker in the league. Rooney, Torres (if fit), Van Persie (if he miraculously makes it through a whole season un-injured) and Bent might be close. 

First manager to get sacked
Roberto Martinez. Wigan will be poor.

Random
Harry Redknapp to leave Tottenham at some point this season (hopefully after they crash out to Young Boys Bern in the Champs League qualifier/get relegated at the end of the season)

Chris
Premier League Champions
Manchester United. Only Chelsea can challenge them but the Champions League will be their number one priority, leaving United to pick up the domestic title.

FA Cup winners
Spurs, because they always win it when the year ends in 1 - well, apart from 1881, 1891, 1911, 1931, 1941, 1951, 1971 and 2001. But still, there's clearly a pattern there.

Carling Cup winner
Aston Villa. I really hope this happens so I can take my friend Matt to the cinema during the final, because apparently he wouldn't be interested in the result.

Champions League winner
Chelsea. It's the only one that matters to them. I expect to see John Terry repeating his mad diving header, one inch above the grass, from the World Cup at some point during the tournament too. That's how much they'll want it.

Top league scorer
The word Kevin and Davies are distinctly lacking from these predictions. So I'll use them here and say that it categorically won't be him. It'll be Rooney, just to piss off all the England fans.

First manager to get sacked
Roy Hodgson. It's got pear-shaped written all over it.

Random prediction
Fabio Capello will not be England manager by the end of the season.

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