Gloucester head coach Dean Ryan says the mid-table teams are closing the gap on the top clubs in the Premiership.
Ryan's side have topped the table for the past two seasons, only to twice lose in the play-offs to Leicester.
He told BBC Radio Gloucestershire: "The important thing this year is the number of sides with greater depth.
"Sides like Harlequins, Saracens and Worcester have all added significantly. It makes it much harder to predict who will make the play-off places."
Gloucester have brought in Olly Barkley from Bath, Llanelli centre Matthew Watkins and New Zealand prop Greg Somerville, who will join the club in December.
Once again the Cherry & Whites will be fancied for a top-four finish, and Ryan says his focus is on getting into the play-offs rather than actually winning them.
"They are two very different challenges. It's very difficult for people to sit here nine months away from them and say when we get there we'll hopefully have learned some things. Lessons learned in play-offs don't necessarily transfer into campaigns."
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