Gary Neville believes Chelsea will have to do 'battle' with two of their rivals to achieve the final top four spot in this season's Premier League.
The Blues have started the season with an underwhelming points return after six fixtures of 10 points from an available 18. On the bright side, it's the same tally Antonio Conte achieved at the start of the 2016/17 season and you know how that one ended, with a Premier League title. Whether or not Thomas Tuchel can achieve the same with a squad that will have Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Denis Zakaria available for the game week 7 London derby against local neighbours Fulham remains to be seen in the long run.
But the inconsistencies shown by the traditional top six in the opening knockings of 2022/23 have meant that the title race is very much open for a team to grasp as the traditional Man City-Liverpool title race dominance ceases to exist if the current form goes on for both sides. Man United's Super Sunday win over the unbeaten Arsenal has taken the gloss off Mikel Arteta's side and has eliminated the last 100% winning record in the top flight this term
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The current top four contains Arsenal, Man City, Tottenham and Brighton whilst all of Chelsea, Man United and Liverpool loom outside the UEFA Champions League qualifying places.
Who ends up in the top four remains to be seen with so much football still to be played out. With that being said, all of Roy Keane, Paul Merson, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Neville himself had a go at predicting who they believe will bag the prize of Champions League football for 2023/24.
Whilst Keane and Merson were split on Man United and Arsenal in this debate, Neville couldn't decide whether or not the Blues would make the cut whilst former Chelsea striker and icon Hasselbaink has backed the west Londoners to achieve top four once more above Erik ten Hag's and Mikel Arteta's side.
Neville started: "I think Man City, Liverpool and Tottenham will be the top three. I think it's a big battle between Chelsea, Arsenal and Man United. I think Liverpool, you think they are going to come good just because of what they have done in the last few years.
"I think United will struggle to get in the top four personally."
Hasselbaink then weighed in: "I think United will find a way of playing, they cannot keep on playing the way they have been playing for the early parts of this season. But I think they will get above Arsenal. I think Chelsea will get in the top four with Man United, City and Liverpool."
Chelsea fans - Who do you think will end up in the top four come the end of the season? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
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