Liverpool manager Arne Slot has picked out one team that could stop his side from winning the Premier League this season.
Just three months after they lifted the Premier League title at Anfield, Liverpool get their 2025/26 season underway with a clash with Bournemouth on Friday night.
For the first time in several years, the Reds head into the season as the favourites to once again win the title, no doubt partly due to the signings of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and several other top players.
However, the Reds aren't the only team being tipped to lift the title this season, with several of the biggest teams in England also bringing top talents into their squads this summer.
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But ahead of the defence of their Premier League title, Liverpool boss Slot has revealed the one team that he thinks can rival his side.
Having battled Liverpool for the title last season, many assume that Mikel Arteta's Arsenal will once again compete for the title this season, with some picking the Gunners as favourites.
Of course, the return of Ballon d'Or winner Rodri will no doubt mean that Pep Guardiola's Manchester City will fancy their chances of getting their name engraved on the Premier League trophy for the seventh time.
But it is actually Chelsea that Slot believes could be the biggest rival to Liverpool's title defence, as he opened up about Enzo Maresca's during an interview with talkSPORT.
When asked is the Club World Cup winners were title rivals, Slot confessed: “I expected them to win last season already. The amount of quality they have and they were there at the start of the season.
"They were in [the title race] after ten games. They were still there [in December]."
He continued: “Squad depth, quality, they have a very good manager as well, and I think they've shown this by winning the trophies they won last season.
“It was good for us that they also had a period last season where they struggled and that's why they couldn't compete till the end for the league title.
“But now they're strengthening the team again, so a team that's, in my opinion, one of the ones that are going to challenge for a league title.”
Topics: Arne Slot, Liverpool, Premier League, Chelsea, Football, Enzo Maresca
Ben McCrum