Come May 2015, Jose Mourinho and his Chelsea side will be holding the Barclays Premier League title aloft and Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney will be presented with the Golden Boot. That's according to BT Sport presenter Jake Humphrey, who outlined his tips and predictions for the new season with Football Fancast ahead of the opening weekend.
The favourites amongst the bookmakers, many football analysts and experts have predicted that Chelsea will edge a two-horse race with Manchester City for the Premier League crown in the upcoming campaign. Despite his frequent assertions to the contrary, Mourinho's men remained in contention for much of last season before fading late on and eventually finishing third.
This time round though, Humphrey reckons that the Blues will last the pace and that the 'Special One' will lift the Premier League trophy for the first time since 2006, with City coming a "close second."
The 35-year-old presenter believes that the Londoners have addressed the flaws in their squad and conducted "brilliant" business in the transfer window so far. Filipe Luis will provide a more natural option for the left back berth whilst Humphrey expects former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas to "score plenty" and become "Jose's talisman" on the pitch.
However, the television anchor reserved special praise for Diego Costa and predicted that the 25 year old will come to be regarded as the signing of the season. The Spanish striker eventually completed his £32million move in July after netting twenty seven times for Atletico Madrid in La Liga last season.
Despite this fulsome praise, Humphrey believes that Costa will be beaten to the Golden Boot by none other than Wayne Rooney. Empowered by his appointment as club captain, the presenter says that the England striker will "thrive" in his new-look partnership with Juan Mata and win the award for the first time in his career.
In terms of the top four, Humphrey reckons that Liverpool are the club "most at risk" of missing out. The burden of European football and the sale of Luis Suarez may prove too much for the Merseysiders' to handle, despite the influx of new talent at Anfield. With Arsenal and Manchester United buoyed by the arrivals of Alexis Sanchez and Louis van Gaal respectively, Humphrey sees both of these clubs as better bets for a top four finish.
In any case, the wait for Premier League football is almost over. With kick-off just a day away, Chelsea fans will be praying that Humphrey's predictions ring true come May.
"Manchester United v Swansea City is one of 38 Barclays Premier League matches exclusively live on BT Sport this season along with top games from the FA Cup, UEFA Europa League and live action from more top flight football leagues than any other UK TV provider."