Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra still maintains that Manchester City and Liverpool are the “favourites” to win the Premier League.

While the Citizens have made a strong start to the season, Jurgen Klopp’s side have been struggling but Evra claims the two teams will be the main contenders by the end of the campaign:

“It’s a crazy Premier League, there have been a lot of surprises. The favourites were Liverpool and City, but anything can happen. More games are coming and I always say you know more around December, but now we’ve got the World Cup. So, everything is weird. I think City and Liverpool are still the favourites, but you have so many others too including Tottenham, Arsenal, and Chelsea.”

Evra is right to point to the unique circumstances caused by having a World Cup in the middle of the season. You could have some teams in great form before the break in November, while others may only get into gear when club football returns in the New Year.

Still, you would rather be a team, such as City, who have got points on the board early on, than having to be in the chasing pack in the second half of the campaign. There is, of course, still a packed fixture schedule to get through in the next six weeks but Pep Guardiola’s side look primed to challenge for their fifth title in six years.