Premier League Predictions: Which teams will exceed and under-deliver on expectations?

With the Premier League season kicking off in a matter of hours, our prediction series comes to a head with our writers tipping their surprise package and underachievers for the 2018/19 campaign.

SURPRISE PACKAGE

Martin Laurence - Fulham

Fancied by many to beat the drop this season, I think Fulham should do so with relative comfort and a top half finish may not even be beyond them. The best footballing team in the Championship over the past two seasons under Slavisa Jokanovic, the Cottagers have made some impressive moves this summer and have the quality to outplay at least half a dozen sides in the top-flight.

Ben McAleer - Crystal Palace

Had the season started when Roy Hodgson took over at Selhurst Park, then Crystal Palace would have finished 10th in the Premier League. Without the dire start, they would’ve ended the campaign in 7th. If they can hold onto Wilfried Zaha, which looks likely at this stage of the window, then the Eagles have a solid squad. Vicente Guaita is an upgrade on Wayne Hennessey and Julian Speroni, while Max Meyer and Chekhiou Kouyate are both solid signings in midfield. If they can pick up where they left off at the end of last season, Palace could surprise one or two teams.

Josh Wright - Arsenal

I'm not entirely convinced by some of the signings Arsenal have made this summer but I do think they will make a good start to the season. New boss Unai Emery has had the luxury of training with a fair few of Arsenal's best players since the start of the summer and that should only benefit them up until around Christmas. While I can see their season slowly starting to fade as their rivals pick up steam, I think this will be a really positive campaign for Emery to build on going forward.

UNDERACHIEVER

Martin Laurence - Manchester United

While United’s squad was pretty unrecognisable for the majority of their pre-season campaign, the Red Devils preparations have been dire. Jose Mourinho is already disgruntled and understandably concerned, and if his side don’t start the season well things could take a dramatic turn for the worse. Ahead of what will be his third season at the Old Trafford helm the gap to Manchester City doesn’t show any signs of being bridged and instead the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea will have Mou’s men in their sights. A top four finish is by no means a guarantee.

Ben McAleer - Newcastle

Rafa Benitez worked wonders with a shoestring budget at St. James’ Park last season, guiding the Magpies to 10th, which was a highly commendable feat by the Spaniard. However, a summer of broken promises has left Newcastle short in a number of areas coming into the new season. Kenedy’s return is a boost, and Fabian Schar and Yoshinori Muto are solid pick ups, but they could struggle this term, particularly with those around them spending big this summer.

Josh Wright - Everton

After missing out on Marco Silva midway through last season, Everton have finally got their man but I'm not convinced. I know, it's only pre-season, but the results have been awful and I'm still baffled by their £50m blow-out on Richarlison. They are still light in some areas, while there will be a lot of pressure on Cenk Tosun if he doesn't start the season well. While on the face of it the Toffees enjoyed a strong end to the transfer window there’s no guarantee their trio of Barcelona outcasts will flourish and in Anger Gomes, in particular, they’ve signed a player completely devoid of confidence.