English Premier League Match Previews for Matchday 1 of the 2011-12 EPL Season

Despite all the hype, several games look to be on the verge of being postponed thanks to the unrest that is happening all across England. Nevertheless this preview goes ahead as planned.

The day we all have been waiting for is finally here. The summer transfer window is nearly finished and teams are still scrambling to finalize their last minute additions and subtractions for the season that is now afoot.

Saturday opens up the 2011-12 Barclay's Premier League season with a seven game slate of matches that are sure to get all of our blood pumping. It has been only a few months but I have missed the thrill of weekly league matches and the start of Cup ties.

For two months we have speculated and debated over what will come of this season and which teams will be the surprise or expected performers.

This weekend we will get the first taste of all our thoughts, as some great match-ups and drama will already be giving us a tease of what could happen when we reevaluate the expectations come January.

Manchester United will hope to retain their title, while Chelsea and Manchester City look to upend the Red Devils' chance at a repeat. Liverpool claim that the Champions League is their target for next season, but it would be unlike Kenny Dalglish for him to try and chase anything other than a League title after United over took the Reds in the all time Domestic title charts last season.

Big name transfers from within the league and from Europe also look to have an impact on the season as all of the top six, save the North London Derby contingent of Tottenham and Arsenal, have done their best to improve. You may say Arsenal have improved with the addition of Gervinho, but they need a keeper, a defender and with Samir Nasri looking to ride the coattails of Cesc Fabrgas out the door, they might be in need of a whole lot more with little time to pull it off.

Regardless of how it all plays out, this weekend is going to be great to watch. So let's get to the predictions for the coming week with my first of this season's EPL weekly previews right here on your very own Bleacher Report.

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Queens Park Rangers V Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers will open their season with a trip to London as Queens Park Rangers make their debut back in the top flight of English football. Owen Coyle’s side outperformed many expectations for most of last season before a dreadful dip in form saw them end last season by losing five straight games after having achieved a 2-1 victory over Arsenal.

QPR won the Championship to achieve immediate promotion back up, and have added a few names in the last week. The most important new face being former Blackpool forward DJ Campbell who scored nine goals for the Tangerines last season before they were relegated.

Wanderers have something to prove this year as they will be trying to once again break into the top ten and stay there. If they can avoid the slide it will prove that Owen Coyle is still on top of his game with the Trotters. Their loss of Johan Elmander has them still scrambling after another strike partner for Kevin Davies with Ivan Klasnic the only other proven forward in the side.

Stewart Holden is still out for Coyle and he will look to make due until his American midfielder can return after showing great promise last year in his first EPL campaign.

Predicted Line-ups

QPR Starting XI: Radek Cerny; Bradley Orr, Clint Hill, Danny Shittu, Matthew Connolly; Alejandro Damian Faurlin, Adel Taarabt, Shaun Derry, Wayne Routledge; DJ Campbell, Heidar Helguson.

Bolton Starting XI: Jussi Jaaskelainen; Zat Knight, Gary Cahill, Paul Robinson, Gretar Rafn Steinsson; Nigel Reo-Coker, Martin Petrov, Fabrice Muamba, Lee Chung-Yong; Kevin Davies, Ivan Klasnic.

Players to Watch: Campbell was a great attacker for low level Blackpool and Taarabt is a highly prized prospect. Gary Cahill will look to continue his fine form at the back while Ivan Klasniv will hope to fill the shoes of Johan Elmander, and loanstar Daniel Sturridge.

Match Prediction: Bolton welcomes QPR back up with a 3-1 victory to give the newcomers with a ceremonial loss to commemorate a season with higher competition than they have seen in several years.

Wigan Athletic V Norwich City

Norwich will start their first season back up with a trip to the DW Stadium to face a Wigan Athletic club in the worst depleted state of their most recent top flight run. Their opening three games see them face off against all three of the newly promoted teams, so they have a chance to make a quick run for the top of the table at the end of August.

The Canaries are out to prove they belong once more as Norwich was an original founding member of the Barclay's Premier League.

Grant Holt will be looking to lead his club to an opening day victory, and he will be more than up to facing the Premier League stoppers as he has been waiting years to take a crack at the EPL.

Wigan lost Tom Cleverly as he returned to Manchester United at the end of his loan, and have also lost Charles N'Zogbia to Aston Villa.

It will be a tough season for both as Norwich hopes to start their campaign for 40 points or more with hopes that that will keep them completely safe from the drop. Meanwhile Wigan will hope for the same three points as they can not afford to go down.

Predicted Line-ups

Latics Starting XI: Ali Al Habsi; Maynor Figueroa, Antolín Alcaraz, Gary Caldwell, Emmerson Boyce; James McCarthy, Ben Watson, Mohamed Diame, Jordi Gomez; Hugo Radelega, Conor Sammon.

Canaries Starting XI: John Ruddy: Russell Martin, Kyle Naughton, Marc Tierney, Ritchie De Laet; Andrew Crofts, Bradley Johnson, Andrew Surman, Anthony Pilkington; Grant Holt, Simeon Jackson.

Players to Watch: Grant Holt has been a proven goal threat no matter what tier of English football he plays in. Hugo Raelega is Wigan's best player and will have to prove that game after game this season.

Match Prediction: Norwich gets out of the gate with a 3-2 victory.

Blackburn Rovers V Wolverhampton Wanderers

In a rematch of the ending fixture for both clubs last season, it will be interesting to see the result.

Blackburn came out the 3-2 winners over Wolves, but goals from Jamie O'Hara and Stephen Hunt were enough to keep Wolves up despite the loss on the final day.

Rovers have finally started to bring in some new faces with David Goodwillie and Radosav Petrovic both coming in during the last week, but the loss of Phil Jones hampers the development of their defensive unit as a whole.

Mic McCarthy has been busy trying to improve his squad as well, as he hopes to make a push to break into the lower half of the middle pack. The permanent move of Jamie O'Hara from Tottenham looks a shrewd move. The additions of newly announced captain Roger Johnson from Birmingham City and former Swansea City keeper Dorus De Vries also show promise for the future.

Predicted Line-ups

Blackburn Rovers Starting XI: Paul Robinson; Michael Salgado, Chris Samba, Ryan Nelson, Martin Olsson; Morten Gambst Pederson, Brett Emerton, David Hoilett, El-Hadji Diouf; Jason Roberts, David Goodwillie.

Wolves Starting XI: Wayne Hennessey; George Elokobi, Jody Craddock, Roger Johnson, Kevin Foley; Mart Jarvis, Jamie O'Hara, Stephen Hunt, Adam Hammill; Kevin Doyle, Steven Fletcher.

Players to Watch: Jamie O'Hara will be looking once again to prove his worth to Wolves after they decided to bring him in permanently, and Matt Jarvis is always a threat from the wings. Chris Samba will have to be a rock at the back, while David Goodwillie will look to start his Rovers career off with a bang.

Match Prediction: Wolves to flip the table from last season and come away 3-2 victors rather than losers.

Tottenham Hotspur V Everton

Everton won the battle between these two clubs last season as they drew 1-1 at White Hart Lane, and took a 2-1 victory at Goodison Park.

The Toffees looked like they were way off the pace last season but charged back into the top half to finish in seventh place right behind Merseyside rivals Liverpool and Tottenham.

This season David Moyes will hope to continue to keep his squad in the top half with minimal investment in the market, other than the loan of Sporting Lisbon player Eric Dier.

Tottenham addressed the biggest hole in their roster with the signing of Brad Friedel. They hope that if they can stop bleeding goals at the back then perhaps the front line will take care of itself.

However, the London Riots look to have the game on hold until the unrest is settled.

Predicted Line-ups

Spurs Starting XI: Brad Friedel; Alan Hutton, Michael Dawson, Ledley king, Benoit Assou-Ekotto; Aaron Lennon, Luka Modric, Rafael Van Der Vaart, Gareth Bale; Roman Pavlyuchenko, Peter Crouch.

Toffees Starting XI: Tim Howard; Tony Hibbert, Sylvain Distin, Phil Jagielka, Leighton Baines; Marouane Fellaini, Jack Rodwell; Mikel Arteta, Tim Cahill, Leon Osman; Jermaine Beckford.

Players to Watch: Gareth Bale is a constant threat along with Van Der Vaart and Modric. Beckford looks to continue his growth while Tim Cahill is an aggressive poacher when in front of the net.

Match Prediction: Tottenham start this series with another draw as they play the Toffees to a 2-2 stalemate.

Fulham V Aston Villa

Fulham looks to have a stronger side under Martin Jol than many believe to have been left after the departure of Mark Hughes. It was expected that many key names would have left during the summer window but it seems that the new manager has been able to keep hold of his charges for now.

The Cottagers have already been in the heat of battle this summer. With the early start to their Europa League campaign so far being a success, they hope to try and push for another high profile finish in UEFA's second tier tournament.

Summer addition John Arne Riise could prove to be one of the best moves made for a EPL team this summer as the former Liverpool man has a solid footballing background in the Premiership and was a proven goal threat for both the Reds and at AS Roma.

Aston Villa, on the other hand, have lost a good bid of firepower this summer with John Carew now a Hammer, Stewart Downing a Red, and Ashley Young a Red Devil. The additions of Shay Given to replace Brad Freidel, and Charles N'Zogbia to up the opposite wing from Marc Albrighton will have a positive effect on the Villains outlook.

Predicted Line-ups

Fulham Starting XI: Mark Schwarzer; Carlos Salcido, Brede Hangeland, Aaron Hughes, John Arne Riise; Damien Duff, Danny Murphy, Dickson Etuhu, Clint Dempsey; Andrew Johnson, Bobby Zamora.

Aston Villa Starting XI: Shay Given; Luke Young, Richard Dunne, Cirian Clark, Stephen Warnock; Charles N'Zogbia, Stephen Ireland, Fabien Delph, Marc Albrighton; Darren Bent, Gabriel Agbonlahor.

Players to Watch: Clint Dempsey led the Cottagers with 12 goals last season, and John Arne Riise will want to make an impression on his return to the EPL. Charles N'Zogbia will have to prove his worth as will Darren Bent. Shay Given has already shown he can provide excellent service for the Villans at the back.

Match Prediction: Craven Cottage sees a great match that ends with a 2-1 Fulham Victory as they are a little more match fit after their early start to the season. Aston Villa's new look attack hasn't yet had enough time to gel.

Liverpool V Sunderland

Last season Liverpool took four points from their matches with Sunderland. A 2-2 draw contest was overseen by Roy Hodgson in the early part of the season when the Black Cats came to Sunderland.

The March 20, 2011 contest under Kenny Dalglish saw the Reds march into the Stadium of Light and rock the baby in honor of Lucas Leiva as Dirk Kuyt and Luis Suarez both scored to take home a 2-0 away victory.

This year will see totally different sides as both clubs have strengthened from last campaign. Sunderland also will be likely to see a former friendly face as their once bright prospect, Jordan Henderson, could see his Anfield League debut against his former employer.

Barring any unimpeded beach balls landing on the pitch I see the Reds taking their home opener and starting the season off on the right foot.

Predicted Line-ups

Liverpool Starting XI: Pepe Reina; Martin Kelly, Jaime Carragher, Martin Skrtel, Fabio Aurelio; Charlie Adam, Lucas Leiva; Dirk Kuyt, Alberto Aquilani, Stewart Downing; Andy Carroll.

Sunderland Starting XI: Simon Mignolet; Kieran RIchardson, Wes Brown, Michael Turner, Phillip Bardsley; Sebastian Larsson, Lee Cattermole, Craig Gardner, Ahmed Elmohamady; Asamoah Gyan, Ji Dong-Won.

Players to Watch: Dirk Kuyt Scored two of the Reds four goals against Sunderland last season. Charlie Adam also scored against the Black Cats when with Blackpool in 2010-11. Asamoah Gyan will have to have a great season up front and the additions of Craig Gardner and Sebastian Larsson should give him extra support.

Match Prediction: Kenny Dalglish leads his team to a 2-0 victory in front of the home fans.

Newcastle United V Arsenal

Fox Soccer Channel labeled the last meeting of these clubs as the 2010-11 game of the season when a 4-4 draw displayed some amazing goals, amazing heart and ventilating drama.

Both clubs could look drastically different in many ways from last season as Newcastle United have a new look attack and midfield, while the Gunners could definitely have a new look midfield if Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas leave this week.

St. James' Park will be rocking in full voice this weekend, and the Geordie's will hope that their renowned hostile atmosphere will help their boys from the Toon hold off a possible misfiring Gunners.

Predicted Line-ups

Magpies Starting XI: Tim Krul; Danny Simpson, Steven Taylor, Fabricio Coloccini, Ryan Taylor; Hatem Ben Arfa, Yohan Cabaye, Joey Barton, Gabriel Obertan; Leon Best, Demba Ba.

Gunners Starting XI: Wojciech Szczęsny; Bacary Sagna, Johan Djourou, Laurent Koscielny, Kieran Gibbs; Alex Song, Aaron Ramsey, Abu Diaby; Andrei Arshavin, Marouane Chamakh, Gervinho.

Players to Watch: Demba Ba was sensational for West Ham last season, thus prompting his move to the EPL after relegation with the Hammers. Joey Barton and Leon Best both played a hand in the four goal comeback last season.

Gervinho will be hoping to impress in his English League debut, while the rest of the Gunners will hope to put their stamp on a possible permanent spot.

Match Prediction: St. James' Park provides amazing atmosphere but the Magpies fail to hold off Arsenal and fall 3-2 in favor of the Gunners.

Stoke City V Chelsea

Fernando Torres looks to be ruled out of the clash with Stoke City on opening day as he suffered a head injury in Spain’s recent friendly with Italy. Branislav Ivanovic is also expected to miss the first match of the season.

Chelsea are finally starting to get in their new recruits for the coming campaign as Romelu Lukaku appears set for a switch to Stamford Bridge in the next 24 hours after arriving for his medical. The Blues have also bolstered their youth contingent with Oriol Romeu from Barcelona and keeper Thibaut Courtois from Racing Genk.

Stoke City are also in the midst of the scramble to lock up their transfer targets. Jonathan Woodgate and Matthew Upson have both joined to solidify the defense, but it is the attack that is causing the most problems.

Moves for Liverpool's David N'Gog, Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner and Birmingham City's Cameron Jerome all seem to have failed. The last effort on the table appears to be a double switch that would see both Wilson Palacios and Peter Crouch join from Tottenham.

Chelsea have taken advantage of Stoke so far since the potters return to the top flight. The Blues took four wins from six matches and slumped to two 1-1 draws over the last three previous seasons.

Predicted Line-ups

Potters Starting XI: Thomas Sorensen; Ryan Shawcross, Jonathan Woodgate, Robert Huth, Glen Whelan; Jermaine Pennant, Rory Delap, Dean Whitehead, Matthew Etherington; Jonathan Walters, Kenwyne Jones.

Blues Starting XI: Petr Cech; David Luiz, Alex, John Terry, Ashley Cole; Florent Malouda, Frank Lampard, Ramires; Salomon Kalou, Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka.

Players to Watch: Drogba and Anelka both have something to prove as the new guard of Chelsea forwards are threatening their reign. Pennant was an excellent addition to Stoke arsenal last season and his crosses will be key for Jones and Walters on the attack.

Match Prediction: Chelsea go after the Potters and a cagey home match ends in a late winner for the Blues to take a 2-1 victory back to London. 

West Bromwich Albion V Manchester United

Roy Hodgson may have been a failure at Liverpool by nearly every account, but he was the savior for West Bromwich Albion last year. He arrived with a sinking ship and steered them back to an impressive 11th place finish.

Sir Alex Ferguson continued to push forward with business as usual. Although his highest paid attacker in Wayne Rooney had an off season, a Golden Boot winning performance from Dimitar Berbatov and the surprise quick adaption of Javier Hernandez to the English game made up for it.

Both teams have been busy in the market with United bringing in Ashley Young, David De Gea and Phil Jones who have all looked promising thus far. Young Thomas Cleverly has returned from a season long loan to Wigan Athletic and is looking ready to push for a starting place in the United line-up.

The Baggies have brought Zoltan Gera back to his first English team, and have just recently acquired the services of former Reading striker Shane Long. Long will partner with Peter Odemwingie who scored 15 goals last campaign. Both together might be one of the most underrated strike forces in the Premier League this season. The arrival of former United keeper Ben Foster also has them set for a better defensive season.

Predicted Line-ups

Baggies Starting XI: Ben Foster; Nick Shorey, Jonas Olsson, Abdoulaye Meiti, Steven Reid; Zoltan Gera, Chris Brunt, Paul Scharner, Youssuf Mulumbu; Shane Long, Peter Odemwingie.

Red Devils Starting XI: David De Gea; Chris Smalling, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Fabio Da Silva; Ashley Young, Anderson, Michael Carrick, Nani; Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov.

Players to Watch: Wayne Rooney, Ashley Young, and Nani are all playing like men possessed with something to prove. Odemwingie wants to continue his form from last season with the help of new man Shane Long.

Match Prediction: United build on their recent FA Community Shield success by taking the game to the Baggies and coming away with a 4-1 margin.

Manchester City V Swansea City

Swansea City is the first Welsh Club to find their selves in the English Premier League. With that in mind they will be looking to grab as much from their match from Manchester City as possible.

It will be a tough season opener at the newly renamed Etihad Stadium. The City fans will be out for blood after suffering a painful loss to crosstown rivals Manchester United last Sunday in the Community Shield match.

City has added significant firepower upfront with the signing of Sergio Aquero, as he could make his Premier League debut this coming Monday. His partner will be either Carlos Tevez if he does not find a way out by then, or Edin Dzeko who experienced a great game on Sunday with a superb strike past Aguero's former teammate David De Gea.

Swansea have strengthened to the best of their ability so far with additions of Steven Caulker on-loan from Tottenham, Leroy Lita, Michel Vorm and Danny Grahm all of whom bring more class to the Swans. The loss of Darren Pratley has been softened by the additions but still will have an effect.

Predicted Line-ups

Citizens Starting XI: Joe Hart; Vincent Kompany, Micah Richards, Joleon Lescott, Aleksandar Kolarov; James Milner, David Silva, Nigel De Jong, Adam Johnson; Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko.

Swans Starting XI: Michel Vorm; Neil Taylor, Steven Caulker, Garry Monk, Angel Rangel; Ashley Richards, Leon Britton, Wayne Routledge, Joe Allen; Danny Graham, Scott Sinclair.

Players to Watch: Dzeko could just have his breakout season in the EPL after showing why the Citizens signed him last Sunday. Danny Graham was prolific in the Championship last season, and he will be expected to transfer the form in the coming campaign as the Swans seek to retain their EPL place for the future.

Match Prediction: Manchester City should have no real issue with taking a victory on their opening day, but you can never underestimate a recently promoted team's high during their first few months up. City, however, should take at least a 2-0 victory from the match.