Predicting the Results of EPL's Opening Week of 2011-12

The Premier League's Chief Executive Richard Scudamore this morning announced that he and his colleagues have decided to postpone Tottenham Hotspur's home match against Everton.

However, all other fixtures on the opening weekend of the season should proceed as normal despite the rioting which has plagued English cities for the past few days.

Scudamore explained that the police had worked hard to secure the area of North London around Tottenham's White Hart Lane, but that they were still ''unable to hand Tottenham High Road back to the council'' and therefore, secure the safety certificate required to proceed with the fixture.

Although this news is disappointing, it is not surprising. The F.A. had to cancel the midweek international friendly due to take place at Wembley between England and the Netherlands for the same reason.

In spite of the riots, there is a lot to look forward to. How will the promoted trio of clubs fare this season? Will Liverpool and Manchester City challenge for the title on the back of active summers in the transfer market? Which clubs might be left behind, and which players will have breakthrough seasons?

In the opening round of fixtures, notable matches include Swansea travelling to Manchester City, Liverpool entertaining Sunderland and West Brom testing Manchester United's title credentials.

Starting from this week, I will attempt to predict the result for each weekend fixture in the Premier League and invite a fellow Bleacher Report writer to challenge me. There will be three points for a correct score and one for a correct result.

This week's special guest is Will Tidey, the World Football Team Leader on Bleacher Report. Will has more than 500,000 reads, has just written a biography of Sir Alex Ferguson and writes about many sports for several leading online websites.

Bring it on!

Blackburn Rovers V Wolverhampton Wanderers

Date: Saturday 13 August, 3 p.m. BST

Last season: Blackburn 3-0 Wolves

Key Players: Mauro Formica (Blackburn), Roger Johnson (Wolves)

New signings: Rovers boss Steve Kean must decide which of new signings Mauro Formica, David Goodwillie or Ruben Rochina to start in attack and will be pleased he has managed, for now, to keep hold of key defender Chis Samba, who is attracting interest from London rivals Arsenal and Spurs.

Wolves will look for assists and goals from Jamie O'Hara, while their £7 million acquisition Roger Johnson is a sturdy player who should help the club keep more clean sheets.

Odds: Blackburn 11/10 Draw 12/5 Wolves 11/4

Prediction: Blackburn 1-2 Wolves

Will Tidey says: Blackburn 1-2 Wolves

Fulham V Aston Villa

Date: Saturday 13 August, 3 p.m. BST

Last season: Fulham 1-1 Aston Villa

Key Players: Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Darren Bent (Aston Villa, pictured)

New signings: New Cottagers boss Martin Jol could hand a debut to Swiss teenage midfielder Pajtim Kasami and former Liverpool fullback John-Arne Riise but will be without the injured Bobby Zamora.

Villa will rely on Darren Bent to put them ahead early on, possibly linking up with new £10 million signing Charles N'Zogbia.

Odds: Fulham 6/5 Draw 12/5 Aston Villa 14/5

Prediction: Fulham 2-1 Aston Villa

Will Tidey says: Fulham 2-0 Aston Villa

Liverpool V Sunderland

Date: Saturday 13 August, 3 p.m. BST

Last season: Liverpool 2-2 Sunderland

Key Players: Charlie Adam (Liverpool), Asamoah Gyan (Sunderland)

New signings: Reds manager Kenny Dalglish will be expecting big performances this season from new British midfield trio Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing, who should provided chances for forward pairing Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez to score goals in most matches.

Sunderland have brought in the most players in the league, with free signing Sebastian Larsson and former Manchester United defender John O'Shea likely to be influential players this year.

Odds: Liverpool 8/15 Draw 10/3 Wolves 7/1

Prediction: Liverpool 3-1 Sunderland

Will Tidey says: Liverpool 1-0 Sunderland

Queens Park Rangers V Bolton Wanderers

Date: Saturday 13 August, 3 p.m. BST

Last season: N/A

Key Players: Adel Taarabt (QPR, pictured), Gary Cahill (Bolton Wanderers)

New signings: QPR manager Neil Warnock will expect mercurial Moroccan captain Taarabt to set up goalscoring opportunities for new signings DJ Campbell and Jay Bothroyd to capitalise on.

The Trotters have struggled in the transfer market and the potential move for England winger Shaun Wright-Phillips may not be completed in time for the player to make his debut on Saturday.

Odds: QPR 7/5 Draw 23/10 Bolton 12/5

Prediction: QPR 2-2 Bolton

Will Tidey says: QPR 1-1 Bolton

Wigan Athletic V Norwich City

Date: Saturday 13 August, 3 p.m. BST

Last season: N/A

Key Players: Ali Al-Habsi (Wigan, pictured), Kyle Naughton (Norwich)

New signings: Wigan's last-day survival came courtesy of some inspired attacking football from former winger Charles N'Zogbia, and nerveless goalkeeping from new signing Ali Al-Habsi.

Although they have not added any significant names to their squad this year, they should be able to overcome a Canaries team shorn of new signing James Vaughan. 

Odds: Wigan 6/5 Draw 12/5 Norwich 11/4

Prediction: Wigan 1-0 Norwich

Will Tidey says: Wigan 0-2 Norwich

Newcastle United V Arsenal

Date: Saturday 13 August, 5:30 p.m. BST

Last season: 4-4

Key Players: Yohane Cabaye (Newcastle), Robin van Persie (Arsenal)

New signings: Chateauneuf Uni, Newcastle United's new name! That's right...there's a French revolution on Tyneside with the Magpies signing three French men (Gabriel Obertan, Sylvain Marveaux and Yohane Cabaye) and a French-born Senegalese forward (Demba Ba) in the offseason.

Arsenal are about to lose key midfield duo Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri but have more in reserve than the home team, with Ivorian forward Gervinho (pictured) ready to form a lethal partnership with Dutch forward van Persie.

Odds: Blackburn 10/3 Draw 13/5 Wolves 20/19

Prediction: Newcastle 2-3 Arsenal

Will Tidey says: Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Stoke City V Chelsea

Date: Sunday 14 August, 1:30 p.m. BST

Last season: Stoke 1-1 Chelsea

Key Players: Matthew Etherington (Stoke), Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

New signings: Stoke have strengthened in defence with the capture of experienced English duo Jonathan Woodgate and Matthew Upson, deals which will not hinder their pursuit of Spurs duo Peter Crouch and Wilson Palacios.

Hyped Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku, 18, will probably be on the bench alongside fellow new signing Oriol Romeu.

Odds: Stoke 5/1 Draw 14/5 Wolves 7/10

Prediction: Stoke 1-1 Chelsea

Will Tidey says: Stoke 1-3 Chelsea

West Bromwich Albion V Manchester United

Date: Sunday 14 August, 4 p.m. BST

Last season: West Brom 1-2 Man Utd 2

Key Players: Peter Odemwingie (West Brom), David de Gea (Man Utd)

New signings: Man Utd have maybe been most successful in their transfer activity over the summer as Sir Alex Ferguson has looked to add pace and youth to an already successful squad.

Winger Ashley Young and defender Phil Jones should adapt to life at Old Trafford quickly, but new No. 1 David de Gea showed signs of nerves on his competitive debut in the team's 3-2 Charity Shield win last weekend.

Yesterday, West Brom signed Irish forward Shane Long, who excelled last year in the Championship. This could be the most entertaining match of the weekend.

Odds: West Brom 6/1 Draw 10/3 Man Utd 8/15

Prediction: West Brom 1-3 Man Utd

Will Tidey says: West Brom 0-4 Man Utd

Manchester City V Swansea City

Date: Monday 15 August, 8 p.m. BST

Last season: N/A

Key Players: Toure Yaya (Man City), Scott Sinclair (Swansea)

New signings: Much excitement will surround the Premier League debut of Argentinian striker Sergio ''Kun'' Aguero, who could initially partner wantaway compatriot Carlos Tevez, while former Arsenal full-back Gael Clichy will add an extra attacking threat from left-back.

New Swans signings Leroy Lita and Wayne Routledge have experience in the league, and Spurs loanee Steven Caulker is highly rated by those who have seen him play in defence in the lower leagues.

Odds: Man City 3/10 Draw 5/1 Swansea 25/2

Prediction: Man City 4-0 Swansea

Will Tidey says: Man City 2-0 Swansea