With the new fixtures having been announced we have passed from the old season into the new and can begin to look forward to what August will bring when it all begins again.

Before then we have eight weeks to weigh up whether our teams will win their opening matches, what will happen when they face the top sides and whether that last game will matter. With that in mind we look at all four professional leagues in England and give our early season predictions.

Premier League

It is tough to look beyond Manchester United after they managed to win the title last season without really breaking a sweat. While all other the sides around them stuttered Sir Alex Ferguson’s men kept their cool and broke Liverpool’s league record. With United looking to improve their options during the summer they should come back stronger than last season. United are the 13/8 favourites and might be worth backing now before the price comes in. The fixtures computer has been kind to Ferguson’s team as well, as they end the season with games against Swansea and Sunderland.

The usual contenders will be there or there abouts and the title fight could come down to the two Manchester clubs if City can continue to bring in the best players the world has to offer. Roberto Mancini’s men are 10/3, while last season’s runners up Chelsea are 5/2. Look beyond that and you get to Arsenal, who look to be a club in turmoil and without too much hope at this stage of the summer. They are priced at 7/1.

Championship

As always with the second tier of English football you could put a pin in a board and come up with a case for why the team you picked at random could go up. Your best bet here might to stay away from the outright market and look towards the promotion odds. West Ham lead the way in the promotion betting at 13/8 and it’s tough to see how Sam Allardyce won’t get them back up if he is allowed to do his job. They may not fly out of the blocks with all the changes that have taken place, but should come good given enough time and support. As for the other promoted clubs, Birmingham have big financial problems and it is unlikely lightening will strike twice at Blackpool.

Hull City might not be a bad outside bet to go up at 7/1. Nigel Pearson has been trying to put together his squad quickly and, having ended the season strongly, the Tigers could be the dark horses to shock the Championship again.

League One

Yorkshire should be the place to be for winners when it comes to League One, with Huddersfield Town the 5/1 outright favourites, Sheffield Wednesday 6/1 and Sheffield United 8/1. Most people would be surprised if at least one of those teams didn’t win the division given their history, although the Blades might find it tough given that this is the first time in a while they have been in the third tier. The Owls should get off to a flyer given their first three games are against Rochdale, Bournemouth and Bury, three clubs who shouldn’t do as well as last season. For an outside bet how about Exeter City – Paul Tisdale has been working his magic down in Devon for some time and they only just missed out on the play-offs by a point last season. The Grecians are 33/1.

League Two

As usual this division should be very close and again a pin in the board would probably pick you out a team you could make a case for.  Newly-promoted Crawley Town are the 10/3 favourites to win the league outright given the large amount of money they have to spend on new players. They might find the going a bit tougher than people are predicting though and Bristol Rovers (12/1) and Swindon Town (10/1) are two clubs who cannot be discounted. Based on their new recruits Oxford United (12/1) could also be ones to watch out for, Chris Wilder having acquitted himself and the club very well since their promotion in 2010.

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