Micah Richards predicts where Chelsea will finish in the Premier League this season

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Chelsea are just two days away from getting their Premier League campaign underway in the highlight clash of the weekend.

The Blues will take on Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in what is certainly a baptism of fire for new manager Enzo Maresca.

The pre-season campaign will have likely given him an indication on who he feels confident to start in the opening weeks, with Romeo Lavia making a real case to be involved straight away.

• READ MORE: Chelsea predicted XI vs Manchester City… £58m player starts at Stamford Bridge for first time

Chelsea have strengthened in the transfer window too, with so far their highlight addition being Pedro Neto from Wolves.

After finishing sixth last season under Mauricio Pochettino, there will no doubt be a desire to move on and qualify for the Champions League.

Micah Richards think Chelsea miss out on Champions League

Micah Richards however believes this is going to be a step too far for the Blues in the new campaign.

He said to ‘The Rest is Football’: “I’m thinking just miss out on Champions League. I think the manager is cooking up something in pre-season, they were trying to play out even when they were conceding, it’s a bit dangerous but they were having a bit more confidence.”

“If they can keep Chilwell fit this time. I just think they have a better squad than they had last year. I’m going to say miss out on Champions League but get Europe.”

The Blues will also be fighting for a European honour this season in the form of the UEFA Conference League, with the qualification campaign for that getting underway in less than a week’s time.

Chelsea linked with Jadon Sancho

It looks as if Chelsea may well not be done exploring avenues in this transfer window either, with reports today linking them to a late swoop for Jadon Sancho.

They have also been linked to the signing of a new striker, with talk of Victor Osimhen still not going away.

The Blues are clearly waiting for the perfect opportunity to bring the forward in, and are hoping that comes in exchange for a permanent sale of Romelu Lukaku.