5 bold predictions for the 2015-16 Premier League season

Will there be a surprise title winner? Can someone break the monotony of the top four? Will a big-name veteran rise from the ashes and regain the form that once made him one of the world's most fearsome attackers?

Here are five bold predictions for the 2015-16 Premier League season.

Radamel Falcao will thrive at Stamford Bridge

Right off the bat, we'll go for the boldest of bold predictions: Radamel Falcao, the struggling Colombian forward, will find his form again at Chelsea.

Sure, Falcao looked awful last season, and yes, he looked just as atrocious for Colombia during the 2015 Copa America. But this is Chelsea, and with Jose Mourinho's brand of personal man-management, Falcao won't just turn it around, he'll be smiling once more, too.

He won't displace Diego Costa from the starting XI, but he will link up with him once more, an advantage he hasn't had in a long time. With these two Atletico Madrid boys reunited up top, Falcao will score 10 to 12 goals next year off the bench or in his starting appearances. And he'll score a winning goal against Manchester United, too, leaving Mourinho with a sly smirk of his own on the touchline.

Liverpool will finish in the top 4

It's the dawn of a new day at Anfield, and Liverpool's loyal supporters will be rewarded with a Champions League spot at year's end. With a new crop of Reds, including the likes of Roberto Firmino, Christian Benteke, and Nathaniel Clyne, Liverpool will be consistent throughout the year, picking up points when it counts to claim a fourth-place finish.

There's no denying it, though; the absence of Raheem Sterling will hurt at first, and Mario Balotelli won't really help matters much, either. But Liverpool will find form soon enough, and might even beat Chelsea at Anfield to secure a top-four finish this season.

Harry Kane will follow the path of Lambert, Carroll

Harry Kane burst onto the scene with Tottenham last season, scoring 31 goals in all competitions, including 21 in the Premier League. The papers had a collective fit of jubilation and nauseating pride over the new "savior of English football," but 2015-16 will, inevitably, provide a much-needed reality check.

Remember Daniel Sturridge in 2013? Rickie Lambert in 2012? Andy Carroll in 2010? James Beattie in 2003? Each had a blisteringly hot season and then followed it up with a dud year.

Kane could very well have a great season, but more likely than not, he's been figured out by opposition managers, and is destined for an average year with Spurs. He'll certainly score in the double digits, but he won't hit 20 again.

Swansea City will qualify for Europa League

Ah, Swansea City. The little club that could. The Swans came oh so very close to a Europa League spot at the end of the 2014-15 season, finishing in eighth place (a historic high for the club). That was one spot away from a coveted Europa League berth, and that goal will be met this season at the Liberty Stadium.

With new additions like Eder and Andre Ayew, "Swancelona" will enjoy a strong year, finish in seventh, and then turn its attention to Europe's (second) finest competition the year after. Bafetimbi Gomis, Gylfi Sigurdsson, and company have to perform to get there, though, making this team one to certainly keep an eye on this year.

Arsenal, Chelsea will be deadlocked until final match day

Book it right now. Chelsea and Arsenal will be neck-and-neck throughout the 2015-16 season, and the title will be decided over the course of 90 minutes on the final match day of the year.

Manchester United will be comfortably locked in third. Manchester City will be competing with Liverpool and Tottenham for spots four, five, and six. Arsenal and Chelsea will end up drawing each other twice, and will swap the first and second spots throughout the year. Chelsea will control the table come Christmas, but Arsenal will come out firing after the New Year.

Both sides will be just one or two points apart until the last three match days, and both will remain in contention all the way until the final day of the campaign. Chelsea takes on Leicester, Arsenal takes on Aston Villa, both at home, and one of those two matches will end in disaster while the other ends in glory. Who will it be? That might be too bold a prediction to make.