English Premiership Previews: Round 1
The most exciting football league of the world comes back in action. Millions have been spent during the summer transfer market season in the name of the English Premiership title. Ben Linfoot, David John and Andy Schooler preview the first week's games.
Tottenham v Manchester City(1345 CET) Verdict: Spurs 2 Man City 2 Aston Villa v West Ham(1600 CET) Verdict: Aston Villa 0 West Ham 1 Blackburn v Everton (1600 CET) Verdict: Blackburn 1 Everton 2 Bolton v Fulham (1600 CET) Verdict: Bolton 1 Fulham 1 Chelsea v West Brom(1830 CET) Verdict: Chelsea 2 West Brom 1 Sunderland v Birmingham (1600 CET) Verdict: Sunderland 0 Birmingham 1 Wigan v Blackpool (1600 CET) Verdict: Wigan 2 Blackpool 3 Wolves v Stoke(1600 CET) Verdict: Wolves 0 Stoke 2 Liverpool v Arsenal(Sunday 1700 CET) It has the potential to set the tone for the season - no-one wants to be behind from the off, while if you can beat a quality team early on, confidence will immediately be high. A month ago things looked bad for Liverpool, but they arrive at game one with real optimism. Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres are both staying - losing them could have created chaos at Anfield - and Joe Cole is a marquee signing, while soon a takeover could go through. The fans should be in buoyant mood as they head through the turnstiles - in contrast to the atmosphere which haunted the club at times last season. With that said, it's clear that should Arsenal win this one they will be feeling another title challenge is on the cards. They were right there in the championship race with around a month to go last season only to fade. Now with defender Laurent Koscielny and striker Marouane Chamakh added to their squad, Cesc Fabregas staying and Robin van Persie fit, they too will be confident coming into the campaign. So who to back in this one? Well, as we've already shown, it's easy to make a case for both teams so instead we'll change that to 'what to back' and steer away from the outright market. Instead both teams to score at even money is our call. This is something which has happened in 11 of the last 12 meetings these two have played out at Anfield and with both enjoying positive vibes right now we expect that to continue. As disappointing a season as 09/10 was for Liverpool, only twice did they fail to score in a home game, while Arsenal netted in their last eight away games of last term. The visitors have also started strongly in pre-season, banging in 21 goals in six games, while it's also good news for backers of this bet that they conceded five at Legia Warsaw last weekend (a game they won 6-5). Also in our favour here is that the Gunners could well have to play without a regular holding midfielder with Alex Song a major doubt and Abou Diaby facing a late fitness test. Those worried about Arsenal can also take comfort in the fact that they've won eight of their last nine opening-day fixtures, the other being drawn. Some will point out Liverpool have been somewhat goal-shy in their warm-up games (they failed to net in their three friendlies and have only scored against Europa League minnows Rabotnicki) but many of those games were played without both Gerrard and Torres. Gerrard bagged one against the Macedonians and two delightful goals for England in the week, while don't be surprised if Torres plays some part in this one after his groin injury following a period of rest. Expect both teams to net. For those looking for more value, backing Samir Nasri to get one of those expected goals looks a good idea. The French midfielder has been flying in pre-season, impressing in his get-forward role and netting five times in the process. Both Andrey Arshavin and Fabregas have had considerable success coming from deep aainst the Liverpool defence in recent years and Nasri looks a decent pick to torment them this time. He's 12/1 to score the first goal (9/2 at any time) so we'll back that each way with bet365, who offer unlimited goals in their place terms. Verdict: Liverpool 2 Arsenal 2 PICKS:
The first match of the Barclays Premier League season promises to be a cracker with last season's fourth taking on the fifth and it will be an early indicator of where Manchester City are at. After spending £80million this summer, Champions League qualification looks a minimum requirement for Roberto Mancini and Tottenham are one of their biggest rivals in the race for a place. But whatever you think about the long-term prospects of these two put them to one side as this is all about who is ready to hit the ground running. Unfortunately for us it's pretty hard to gauge which side has the better short-term prospects as we wouldn't advise having a punt solely on the back of pre-season form. Tottenham backers will be clinging to the hope that City's stars will need time to gel, but I don't really buy into this theory. More of a concern to City will be Tottenham's form at home last season, where they only lost three in 19. One of their 14 wins was a 3-0 thumping of City but we'd be surprised if Spurs dominated in a similar way on Saturday. This should be close and we shouldn't be lacking in goals either. Both sides did well offensively last season, with Spurs averaging over two per game at White Hart Lane. With the attacking talent City have in their ranks they could well match whatever Harry Redknapp's team throw at them and we'll plump for a high-scoring draw. 2-2 pays 16/1 with Sky Bet and we'll begin with a small-stakes, speculative punt.
Aston Villa begin the post-Martin O'Neill era with a home game against West Ham, who are starting afresh themselves with Avram Grant. Crucially, though, the Irons have had plenty of time to get used to life without Gianfranco Zola while Villa will still be reeling from the sudden departure of their boss. Even with O'Neill in control Villa struggled for cohesion at home last season, their counter-attack tactics not working so well on their own patch. Villa finished 12th in the 'home league table' last campaign, failing to win 11 of their 19 matches at Villa Park. This included a goalless draw with West Ham, who often set their stall out well away from home under Zola. We know Grant likes to play with two banks of four from his days at Chelsea and Portsmouth so there's every chance West Ham will be difficult to beat in what could be a tense affair. Villa's recent woes have been compounded with the late loss of James Collins and Carlos Cuellar at the back and, at 7/2, the Hammers could sneak all three points.
Blackburn's record at Ewood Park last season was excellent as they took 36 points from their home matches, losing just three along the way. One of those three defeats, though, came at the hands of Everton who landed maximum points thanks to Tim Cahill's 90th-minute winner. The Toffees got off to a dreadful start last season, losing 6-1 to Arsenal on the opening weekend, but all the noises coming out of Goodison Park ahead of this campaign are positive ones. David Moyes has pretty much a fully-fit squad to choose from and with no European competition to distract them Everton will be hoping to quickly build momentum in their Premier League campaign. It won't be easy at Rovers, who are very tough to beat at home, but we like the look of Everton this season and believe they can kick-off with awin here. It has the makings of a tight encounter and we wouldn't put off anyone who fancies the Toffees to win by one goal (10/3 with Blue Square), but we'll keep it simple and back them at 6/4 in the win market.
Bolton fans will be asking themselves if the new manager curse will strike on the opening day again. Sam Allardyce returned to the Reebok to win his first game in charge of Newcastle in their 2007-2008 season opener and Steve Bruce repeated the trick with Sunderland last season. Mark Hughes is the man hoping to nail the hat-trick as he begins life in charge of a well-balanced and vibrant Fulham team that have benefited from the stewardship of Roy Hodgson over the last three years. Yet he does have one problem to address and that is Fulham's continued troubles on the road. They finished 15th in last season's 'away table', with just one victory in 19 trips from Craven Cottage (this fixture ended 0-0). That is woeful for a team who reached the Europa League final and Hughes will be wanting vastly improved away results this campaign. However, this is a tough start for Fulham, with Owen Coyle's Bolton hoping for more than just survival this season. If they have serious aspirations of mid-table obscurity they will be looking to take three points off one of the worst away teams in the competition. We're finding it difficult to seperate these two, though, and Bolton do look a little too skinny at 13/10. A watching brief is advised.
The reigning Premier League champions start their defence on the back of four straight pre-season losses, including last Sunday's 3-1 reverse in the Community Shield. They have understandably been playing down the significance of the defeats and a decent win here against one of the division's new boys would have them up and running nicely. But they looked a tad sluggish, bar a few exceptions, to my eye at Wembley and with some of their leading lights still quite early on in their fitness regimes following the World Cup, Saturday could see them caught a little cold. The Baggies are back in the top flight and boss Roberto Di Matteo has admitted this will be an emotional bow having spent six successful years of his playing career at Stamford Bridge. He is under no illusion as to the task ahead - they are 20/1 with Sky Bet for the three points - but has said he is out to cause an upset on the day. That may be stretching things a bit far but Chelsea have struggled in the opener against the likes of Hull, Birmingham and Wigan in seasons gone by and the visitors could be worth an interest on the handicap with a two-goal start.
Two teams who established themselves in mid-table last season but a little bit of transfer upheval on the eve of the season for the Black Cats may mean a period of adjustment. Out of the door has gone striker Kenwyne Jones with boss Steve Bruce believing he got a fair deal at £8million for a player who was talented and frustrating in equal measures. Manchester United's Danny Welbeck comes in on a season-long loan as replacement to partner Darren Bent, who notched 24 goals last year in the Premier League. The latter missed England's midweek friendly win over Hungary with a back problem and is considered a doubt for the campaign opener on Wearside. The visitors have enjoyed a fair pre-season and the fear for Alex McLeish is a drop-off in performance following their surprise ninth place in 2009/10. A lot of that success was down to Joe Hart's performance in goal and new £6million signing BenFoster has a tough act to follow. This looks a close one to call with both sides pretty evenly matched at the moment on the paper. There were goals in both league encounters last season but a repeat seems less likely on this occasion. With the question marks over Sunderland's front-line and Birmingham far from prolific on the road last season, an interest on under 1.5 goals could be the way to go.
Bizarrely, Blackpool are William Hill's biggest ante-post loser for the Premier League title and all the fivers and tenners from fans on their team has seen their odds slashed from 10,000/1 down to 2,000/1 before a ball is kicked. Ian Holloway has made five new signings this week to bolster his squad and it will be fascinating to see how his unconventional management strategy fares in the top flight for the red-hot relegation favourites. This is not the most daunting fixture for them as Wigan are an inconsistent and flaky side. They finished the last campaign with a 8-0 drubbing at the hands of Chelsea but also showed what they are capable of with a vital 3-2 win over Arsenal in April. Roberto Martinez has been making some positive noises in pre-season and was happy with the way his side were shaping up after the 3-1 defeat of Dundee United in a friendly. It is no easy task picking a winner here but Tangerines striker Brett Ormerod catches the eye for a potential goalscorer at some stage. He has form against Wigan previously - he scored a hat-trick back in August 2001 - and has looked sharp in pre-season. There looks like being goals and he will be among them.
This duo shared two draws last season in the Premier League and the visitors might just fancy their chances of getting the upper hand here at 23/10 with the recent boost of Kenwyne Jones' signature for a club record £8million. Tony Pulis admits to being a big fan of the frontman and his physical presence makes him just the type of player the Potters like. He should get his share of goals with quality service on offer from Liam Lawrence and Tuncay. Mick McCarthy's hosts fail to set the pulse racing once again and it looks like being a long hard grind for survival. A change of tactics last year ensured they were much better in the second half of the season but they lack any real invention and a first-choice attack of Kevin Doyle and Steven Fletcher could be consistently struggling for goals. Wolves lost the most games at home last season (8) after Portsmouth and that should be encouragement enough for the visitors along with the arrival of Jones.
One of these sides, or perhaps both, will be playing catch-up in the title race after just one game come Sunday evening so this is a real crunch clash.