Chelsea news: The Blues have been predicted to finish in the top four this season by former star Florent Malouda, while Manchester United and Arsenal have been snubbed.

Chelsea have been predicted to get into the top four over Arsenal and Manchester United (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)×

Ex-Chelsea star Florent Malouda has backed his former side to finish in the top four in the Premier League this season and make a return to the Champions League, all while snubbing rivals Arsenal and Manchester United.

It comes as the Blues made a promising, though far from ideal start to their campaign after the first two matches of the Mauricio Pochettino era. Plenty of new faces have been added to the squad for the season ahead, with the ownership’s spending now nearing the £1billion for transfer fees over the past year or so.

Moises Caicedo has been one of the big names to make the switch to Stamford Bridge, joining from Brighton in a British transfer record deal worth up to £115million. Add to that the signings of Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia and Nicolas Jackson and the Blues could look to bounce back from last year’s disappointment.

A draw with Liverpool first up showed signs of improvement against one of their rivals for a European place and promised plenty more was to come. A trip to West Ham followed and while the early moments swung in their favour, a second half collapse saw the Hammers run out 3-1 winners.

The west London outfit will hope that their first three points can come on Friday when they face Luton Town at Stamford Bridge in a huge opportunity to take on the newly promoted side. Taking a look at the overall view of the campaign to come though, there’s still uncertainty over expectations at Chelsea.

On the one hand, the side slumped to 12th last season and now have a new look side of young players who will need time to gel. On the other, the owners have invested heavily, leading many to believe that their ambitions should be set higher than just settling for a European place.

As for former Chelsea star Malouda, he believes a Champions League place is possible and even thinks they will pip Manchester United and Arsenal to the top. He told Betway: “I think Chelsea will struggle to get in the top-four – but I think they’ll still do it. Manchester City are above all teams in the league, then I would pick Liverpool, Newcastle and Chelsea after that. It’s a transition season for them, but I’d pick them over Man Utd. To make it in the top-four now is very difficult. City will be champions again.”

That would represent a huge swing in comparison to last season, where the Gunners were clear title challengers for most of the season, while United ended up comfortably finishing third. Add to that the long-term improvement that could be ahead for most of the squad and it would paint a picture of a team that could challenge for a title in the future.

It remains to be seen if that is the case come May though, with the Blues hopeful of returning to the Champions League, with a win against Luton on Friday kickstarting that charge.

Soucre: football.london