Graeme Souness believes Arsenal and Chelsea will miss out on a top-four finish this season.
The Scot is backing Manchester United to join rivals Manchester City and Liverpool plus Tottenham at Europe's top table.
Chelsea finished in the top four last term under Maurizio Sarri before the Italian left to join Juventus after a solitary season at Stamford Bridge.
And Souness says new boss and Blues legend Frank Lampard will struggle to repeat the feat.
Arsenal , meanwhile, threatened a top-four finish for much of last season but fell away at the end of the campaign to miss out.
Manchester United will play in the Europa League this term but Souness is tipping them to get back among the elite following the £80million signing of Harry Maguire.
"I still think, even though Maguire will make them better, it doesn’t make them good enough to challenge at the top," said the former Liverpool midfielder.
"I see it being between the big two again [champions Manchester City and runners-up Liverpool. The nearest challengers will be Tottenham – and after that United. Neither Arsenal or Chelsea are good enough."
United paid a world-record fee for a defender to land Maguire from Leicester , but Souness thinks he could be worth every penny as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer strengthens his backline.
"If things aren’t going well, he [Maguire] is someone who will step into midfield to make things happen. There’s so much to like about him," he added.
"As well as the quality he brings himself, it’s the knock-on effect this will have on the rest. Teams liked playing United last year – they were vulnerable defensively. But that has definitely changed now.
"Not just because of Maguire’s own input but the calming influence he’ll have – like Van Dijk – on those around him."
