Last Season: Finished 2nd in the Premier League - 85pts
Manager - Luiz Felipe Scolari
Odds of Winning Title - 15-to-8

INS:
AMF Deco - 16m US
RB Jose Bosingwa - 33m US

OUTS:
CDF Tal Ben Haim
DF Khalid Boulahrouz
CMF Steve Sidwell
CB Harry Worley
ST Hernan Crespo
DMF Claude Makalele
CDF Slobodan Rajkovic
ST Ben Sahar (loan)
AMF Jimmy Smith (loan)

Possibles:
MF Robinho - Real Madrid
ST Obafemi Martins - Newcastle
MF Bastian Schweinsteiger - Bayern Munich
MF Diego - Werder Bremen
MF Kaka - AC Milan
ST Mario Balotelli - Inter Milan

What's Left in the Kitty - 151m US

What Lies Ahead:
Aug 16 Portsmouth (H)
Aug 23 Wigan (A)
Aug 30 Tottenham (H)
Sep 13 Manchester City (A)
Sep 20 Manchester United (H)
Sep 27 Stoke City (A)
Oct 4 Aston Villa (H)

Possible Starting XI:
GK Petr Cech
RB Jose Bosingwa
CB Ricardo Carvalho
CB John Terry
LB Ashley Cole
RMF Joe Cole/John-Obi Mikel
CMF Michael Essien
CMF Deco/Michael Ballack
LMF Frank Lampard/Michael Ballack
FW Didier Drogba/Andriy Schevchenko
FW Nicolas Anelka/Florent Malouda

How They'll Stack Up:
Chelsea missed out on the title last season by two points - in large part because of that home draw versus Wigan on April 14th.  Now, many Blues fans hope Scolari is the difference maker this term.  Our own Bobby McMahon says Scolari should be worth another 5-points to the team which would put them in front - and I tend to agree.  Chelsea have the most talented squad in the Premiership and if Scolari can get them to come together while keeping the egos in check, they should win the title.  Last season the team beat both Arsenal and United at Stamford Bridge - but then drew seven times versus lesser teams - Wigan, Fulham and Bolton among those.  That won't happen this time.  I would expect Chelsea to stay unbeaten at home - but with very few draws.  The back four are among the best in the world - and while everyone pumps up John Terry, anyone who watches Chelsea on a regular basis and keeps track, knows that Ricardo Carvalho is the MVP of that defence.  Through the middle of the park, Scolari has an embarrassment of riches - and with Lampard signing a new 5-year deal this week, it'll be interesting to see what kind of time he gets.  Coming into the final weeks here, looking at Chelsea's alignment, I had Lampard on the outside looking in more often than not.  And he may still wish he'd been more receptive to a move to Italy come November.  Scolari has been experimenting with a 4-4-2 in the pre-season but he could be more prone to using a 4-2-3-1 to get everything out of his MF.  That's what he used in Portugal - and his Chelsea MF is just as talented.  Up front, Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka should both have better seasons thanks to Scolari's influence - and even Schevchenko and Malouda could add a little more.  Scolari has propped them both up as players he would like to see improve.  The margin for error is so slim at the top, it's tough to pick who will win the title between Chelsea and Manchester United.  But with Cristiano Ronaldo out for two months, I think that gives the Blues the edge.  They should fly out of the gate and they look the team that is likely to be more consistent overall.  And after coming so close to the league and European titles last term, this is a team that is hungry.  Chelsea to win the title.

Coming up Friday - Manchester United