Who wins the league, and where do Villa fit in?

After five days of roundtable questions, we're back for the big one. Leave you answers in the comments!

Who will win the league?

Aaron: United. They got better over the summer, and van Gaal seems to actually know what he's doing. Not having Champions League will give them an advantage as well. But there are five teams that have a legitimate chance of winning this season, which makes it pretty hard to nail down a favorite.

Kirsten: There's something to be said for a team that keeps not just its best players, but every starter and its manager -- as well as bringing in a couple of additions. Provided Manchester City keep their players healthy, they're going to be even more dangerous this season.

Robert: Chelsea. They were in the hunt last year and they weren't really playing their best. Mourinho will have had more of a chance to get the team playing how he wants them and they're going to be dangerous.

Andrew: This time I think Chelsea will win it. The top five battle should be more interesting than ever with City, Arsenal, Liverpool and United all putting together pretty strong squads. From there I guess it's Everton and Tottenham fighting it out for scraps. Sound familiar?

Matt: I'm going with Chelsea. I think it'll be a fun three way race between them and the two Manchester clubs.

Jack: Once again, it's Manchester City's title to lose. That being said, I think Chelsea do it this year. Dumping Romelu Lukaku as opposed to Fernando Torres hurts, but they brought in Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa, and Filipe Luis, not to mention Thibaut Courtois who in my opinion has been better than Petr Cech for two years now. Arsenal may actually make a legitimate title run, but Liverpool and Manchester United will not.

Alex: Manchester United. While they're probably not the most balanced team in the league, the fact still remains that they're an immensely talented team that possesses a lot of guys who know what it takes to win. Add that in with the spark that Louis van Gaal may very well bring and the fact that they'll be playing around 10 fewer matches over the course of the season than their rivals and I think they'll take home the title come season's end.

Thomas: Chelsea. They are way too strong and actually underperformed last season. Fabregas is a massive signing for them. Man City haven't done enough to improve, I think they'll be 2nd.

Total: Chelsea: 5, Manchester United: 2, Manchester City: 1.

Where do Villa finish in the league (points and place)?

Aaron: I think 12-15 and in the neighborhood of 44 points is about right. I expect the Premier League to be relatively poor once again next season.

Kirsten: I'm just hoping for higher than 15th. Even 14th would do. Much of the league doesn't look all that strong, so finishing with more than 38 points -- more than a point a match, hurrah! -- shouldn't be out of the question. Let's go with 41.

Robert: 47 points and in 12th. This club isn't as bad as what we saw last year. I won't tempt fate and say that injuries can't strike like they did again, but they are unlikely to do so. At full health, this team is not terrible and they've added a few pieces that could help. There's going to be improvement this year and as a result the world will be shocked by mediocrity.

Andrew: 42 points maybe - somewhere in the 15-17 range. That's the best I can do. I was ready to say they're going to drop about a month ago but assessing the rest of the league a full-strength Villa should be able to survive.

Matt: The past two roundtables, I've been really optimistic and it's not gone well, so this time I'll be a pessimist. I'll say 15th place. I could see it being as high as like 12th, though. There's a lot of teams I look at and am really not impressed by.

Jack: 46 points, 12th place. September and October are going to be rough, especially without Benteke. It will be a bit of a worry, but this team is better than at least five of the other "relegation candidates" in the Premier League this season. Steal a win from a couple top teams here and there and a top-half finish is possible. Looking around the league, I see 11 teams that Villa could potentially be better than. However this is Villa we are talking about.

Alex: 49 points, 10th place. I really think Villa aren't going to have as horrible of a season as most. I'd contend that they have the most talent of any team that finished in the bottom half last year and if they avoid injuries, I think they'll be more than fine. If Villa can tread water during the brutal 10-match stretch to open the season, they'll put themselves in a great position to be approaching 30 points by mid-January and the 40-point mark by the end of March. The bottom of the Premier League is bad. Like really bad.

Thomas: 45 points, 14th place. I would snatch your hand off for that right now. We just need to stay up until the takeover. I think Southampton and Stoke will be top 10 again, Newcastle have made some good signings, so realistically I think at best we could top the bottom half. At worst, obviously we're a decent candidate for relegation. But I'm confident Burnley, Leicester, and West Brom will finish below us.