Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo concedes they have a lot of catching up to do after defeat in the Community Shield to Manchester City.
An improvement on last season's sixth-place finish is clearly imperative, and the manager pointed to this afternoon's opponents as the team to overcome if we are to finish top of the pile next May.
"They are the champions, we have to catch up 25 points from last season," he said. "They are favourites, there's no doubt about it.
"Manchester United will be chasing City as well, they have a strong squad, I'm not sure if they will make any more signings but they have a strong team."