twenty teams competed in the league – the top seventeen teams from the previous season and the three teams promoted from the championship. the promoted teams were wolverhampton wanderers, birmingham city and burnley returning to the top flight after absences of five, one and thirty-three years respectively. this was also burnley's first season in the premier league. they replaced newcastle united, middlesbrough and west bromwich albion, relegated from the top flight after sixteen, eleven and one year respectively.