You BetPremier League champions Chelsea favourites to win back-to-back crowns
Burden is on top tier rivals to catch up to Blues with City and Arsenal likely to offer the strongest test in 2015-16 campaign
Jose Mourinho's Chelsea are the team to beat in the English Premier League this season and, having set the bar high last term, must have a healthy opportunity of becoming the first repeat champions in seven years.
Chelsea are rightly favourites again, and at odds of 2.35 they are not much shorter than they were 12 months ago, even though they have since proved their quality with last season's title success by a margin of eight points over Manchester City.
That gap has been exceeded only twice in the past nine seasons and the likelihood is that the onus will be on their closest rivals improving to that level, rather than Chelsea dropping back.
The biggest danger for Chelsea backers might come from prolonged involvement in the Champions League
Mourinho sets high standards and his seasonal points totals in completed seasons with Chelsea are 95 (won the title), 91 (won), 82 (third) and 87 (won). There is little reason to suspect Chelsea will not be pushing into the high 80s again, especially as Mourinho's teams are so good at setting a strong pace from the start of the season.
One of Chelsea's big advantages is that, in common with all Mourinho teams, they have a strong home record (a league-leading 49 points out of a possible 57 last season).
Another key factor is that most of Chelsea's top players are in their prime - Eden Hazard, last season's best performer, is 24, Diego Costa is 26 and Cesc Fabregas is 28. The biggest question age-wise is how long John Terry, now 34, can continue to perform at the high level of last season.
The biggest danger for Chelsea backers might come from prolonged involvement in the Champions League, which could be prioritised by Mourinho and owner Roman Abramovich if they reach the semi-finals.