The 2018-19 Premier League season begins on Friday with Manchester United facing Leicester City in the opener. It's a 10-month journey for one of the most coveted trophies in the sport. The cream of the crop contenders will try to rewrite history, along with the bottom-dwelling teams, who will spend most of the season trying to fight off relegation. So what should you know about this upcoming Premier League season? Here's everything die-hard fans to casual fans should keep in mind as the action gets underway:

Respect the kings

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Manchester City enters the season as the favorite to win the league after cruising to the title last season, finishing the table with 100 points, 19 clear of second-place Manchester United.

Another league-winning campaign looks likely for Pep Guardiola's men, who haven't done a lot in the transfer market but have such a fantastic base of players. The Citizens did add Riyad Mahrez, Leicester City's superstar, to add depth to an already-stacked wing. 

The central defense with Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones will be the key to this team's success, as both are prone to mistakes that can prove costly. 

The last team to repeat as champs was City's crosstown rival Manchester United in 2009.

The new boys on the block

The three teams that were promoted from the Championship (second division) are Wolverhampton, Cardiff City and Fulham. All three are interesting teams with a real chance to do what all the promoted teams last season did -- survive. Newcastle, Huddersfield Town and Brighton all managed to avoid relegation to continue their participation in the top flight.

The three new teams all have a realistic shot of doing the same, though unlikely. While Cardiff City seems like the most likely to be sent back down due to a lack of talent, Wolves and Fulham may just find themselves closer to mid-table than the bottom of it. 

Wolves are led by experienced manager Nuno Espirito Santo, who joined last year and led this team to a first-place finish in the Championship. The charismatic Portuguese manager, who has also managed Valencia, Porto and Rio Ave, has assembled a fantastic squad that looks more like a team ready to stay up for years to come. This team has flair, featuring seven Portuguese players and one Brazilian. It's filled with some players who have been established stars like midfielder Joao Moutinho and goalkeeper Rui Patricio, while it has those players who fell short of expectations like Ivan Cavaleiro and Raul Jimenez. 

And the heart and soul of the team is none other than Ruben Neves, one of the top young players in the world who had a fantastic season last campaign and has surely caught the attention of other Premier League clubs. The 21-year-old midfielder has the ability to be at the biggest clubs in England, and he's looking to show what he's got in the top flight this season.

Not to be outdone, Fulham is back where they belong. From 2001 to 2014, the Cottagers were in the top flight and are now back after winning the Championship playoff. And don't look now, but you can argue that what this team has done in the transfer window is as good as what any other Premier League club has done. 

They've brought in fantastic midfielder Jean Michael Seri (linked with Liverpool for so long), they purchased Aleksandar Mitrovic from Newcastle after his fine season on loan with the club where he scored 12 times in 20 games for Fulham. Add in talented young defender Alfie Mawson, a goalkeeper in Fabri who is a proven veteran and then Andre Schurrle on loan from Dortmund, and you've got five potential starters that are expected to be enough to keep this team up. 

The big moves

We have already talked about Mahrez's move to City, but rival Manchester United has been busy as well. They brought in Brazilian midfielder Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk, and highly-rated right-back Diogo Dalot joined from Porto. 

Liverpool hopes to finally have the goalkeeper it has dreamed of in Alisson, who signed from Roma this summer. Liverpool also boosted their midfielder with Naby Keita (RB Leipzig) and Fabinho (Monaco), while also surprising many by grabbing Xherdan Shaqiri from Stoke. Oh, and he had a fine debut, scoring a bicycle kick against Manchester United. 

Chelsea and Arsenal should also be a bit sharper if their moves work on. The Blues, with Maurizio Sarri now as manager, brought in Jorginho who Sarri managed at Napoli, while Arsenal added young Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torreira and talented Germany goalkeeper Bernd Leno. 

As for Tottenham, well, the Spurs have yet to add a player, which their fans can't be happy about. 

And keep an eye on West Ham, with Manuel Pellegrini as manager. The Chilean has brought in a lot of talent, with Felipe Anderson joining from Lazio and Jack Wilshere arriving on a free transfer. 

Contender most likely to struggle

While Manchester United is missing some pieces, Arsenal and Chelsea should struggle a bit with their new managers. Sarri is a fantastic coach, but his style will take some time to adjust to. Unai Emery's tenure as Arsenal's boss may not go well if history is any indication. He's proven incapable of winning the most important matches, and ever since he blew a 4-0 lead with PSG against Barcelona, it's hard to trust him to win games when it matters most. 

Newcomer most likely to succeed

Wolves and Fulham will both stay up. Both squads have what it takes to sneak into the top half of the table if all goes well. Cardiff City may find itself back in the Championship next season, though. 

With Wolves and Fulham, you have two teams filled with young talent and hungry to prove they belong among the elite teams. They have experienced managers and a flowing style of play that suits the top flight well. It's hard to pick which finishes higher than the other, but Fulham might get a slight edge. Keep an eye on Ryan Sessegnon, who is going to take the league by storm.

Odds, lines and more

SportsLine has you covered with the league's odds, lines, expert takes and more.

Predicted top four

  1. Manchester City
  2. Liverpool
  3. Manchester United
  4. Tottenham

Predicted relegation

18. Watford
19. Southampton
20. Cardiff City

Opening week schedule

You can watch all of the matches airing on NBC and NBC Sports Network on fuboTV (try for free).  

Friday, Aug. 10
Manchester United vs. Leicester City, 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Saturday, Aug. 11
Newcastle vs. Tottenham, 7:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN
Bournemouth vs. Cardiff City, 10 a.m. ET on NBC Sports Gold
Fulham vs. Crystal Palace, 10 a.m. ET on NBCS Sports Gold
Huddersfield vs. Chelsea, 10 a.m. ET on NBCSN
Watford vs. Brighton, 10 a.m. ET on NBC Sports Gold
Wolverhampton vs. Everton, 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC 

Sunday, Aug. 12
Liverpool vs. West Ham, 8:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN
Southampton vs. Burnley, 8:30 a.m. ET on NBC Sports Gold
Arsenal vs. Manchester City, 11 a.m. ET on NBCSN

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