Michael Owen thinks Manchester City might scrape into the Premier League top four in the upcoming season.
The Sky Blues have won the last four league titles and were winners in eight seasons since 2012, so Owen's bold prediction would be a massive departure from the last 12 years of history if it comes to pass.
"In terms of the order [of teams' finishes], my thought process is if City are not gonna win it, they could actually drop away a little bit," Owen told Casino Hawks.
"It's almost like if City are not gonna be really in the race after 10 games then their priority could go elsewhere - I think there could be a big surprise this season.
"I’m going to go for Arsenal first, Liverpool second, Aston Villa third and Manchester City fourth."
Owen, himself a Premier League champion with City rivals Manchester United in 2011, explained that Pep Guardiola's side could prioritize other competitions in the upcoming campaign if they don't get out to a fast start. However, he still expects them to be among the better sides regardless of what happens.
"I think City will either win it or they'll drop away a few places and probably miraculously win the last 10 games to reach Champions League football next season or something strange like that," he said.
"They'll probably end up winning the Champions League if they do fall away in the league, but on the other hand they could go and win it again.
"However, I've just got a funny feeling this year about Arsenal because they've just got so much desire in their ranks, having not won it for such a long period of time. I've just got a funny feeling they could do it.
"With Manchester City and their champion mindset, when it starts to get out of reach it will be quite hard to play for second and having other things on the table might take precedence. I think it will be all or nothing."
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