EPL Is Hours Away – An Exhaustive Preview!

The Premiership Returns..

The wait is over guys – English Premier League is finally here! Without further ado, let’s have a glimpse of what lies ahead..

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Michael Sheehy a.k.a. Jamrock Rover, takes out time for 11G in this exclusive. Do check his very famous blog at OleOle. Follow him on Twitter @JamrockRover. Read on..

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Tottenham v Manchester City (1245 BST)

The battle of last season’s fourth placed Tottenham and fifth place Man City takes place at lunchtime on Saturday to kick off the new season and it’s a very interesting game. City have spent a lot of money over the summer and they are looking to spend even more money with both Milner and Balotelli possible signings very shortly.Tottenham have a big season ahead of them with a Champions league qualifier coming up very shortly and the prospect of Champions league group games to follow if they can progress. It will be difficult to pick City’s starting team for Mancini but Tottenham have very few changes from last season and the team more or less picks itself. I don’t think there will be too much in the game and I can see it ending up as a score draw. The most interesting thing for me will be who City leave out of the squad as it may be an indication of who will be for sale at the end of the month. .

Prediction: 2-1

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Aston Villa v West Ham

It’s all change at both of these clubs as Martin O’Neill has quit Villa and Avram Grant has taken over from the sacked Zola at West Ham. It’s hard to imagine that Villa won’t be in some turmoil with the sudden departure of O’Neill only a few days ago and transfer speculation surrounding so many of their players. Grant will have his West Ham team well drilled and difficult to break down but I still think that Villa will have a little too much for them.

Prediction: 2-1

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Blackburn v Everton

I think Everton finished last season very strongly and on their day they can beat absolutely any team in the league. They had a very poor start to last season and with a good start this time they are capable of putting in a challenge for the Champions league places. It was important that they held on to their better players and they managed to do that despite interest for Arteta in particular. Blackburn had a very good home record under Allerdyce last season and with their direct approach I expect more of the same from them this season. If you’re looking for a few fantasy football tips you won’t go too far wrong with Blackburn’s David Dunn or Everton’s Arteta as both players love to make and score goals as well as putting in good performances to earn bonus points. I think Everton’s brains might just win out against Blackburn’s brawn but I suspect it will end all square.

Prediction: 1-1

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Bolton v Fulham

Bolton are what they are and they do exactly as it says on the tin but with Owen Coyle in charge they have being trying to slowly change that although it isn’t easy when Kevin Davies is in your team. On the other hand Fulham had a fantastic season last time round which culminated with their appearance in the Europa Cup final. However Roy Hodgson has now moved on to manage Liverpool and Mark Hughes is in charge at Craven Cottage. It would seem that mid table obscurity is in line for both of these teams this season but I think Bolton will manage a win as their home record is far superior to Fulham’s very poor away record in recent seasons. If you’re interested in players to watch for fantasy football both Duff and Dempsey did very well for Fulham last season and Zamora can get a few points at a reasonable price. For Bolton Matt Taylor is always a good bet due to his free kicks and penalties but he wasn’t quite so hot last season.

Prediction: 2-1

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Sunderland v Birmingham

Sunderland had a very up and down season last time round as they started so well and fell off very badly before improving slightly at the end to ward off the threat of relegation. Birmingham far exceeded all expectations last season and it will be interesting to see if they can achieve the same giddy heights of the top ten that was apparently so easy for them last time around. If it wasn’t for Darren Bent Sunderland would not be a Premier league team this season and he will need to reproduce the same form if they are to improve. Birmingham’s biggest problem is scoring goals and if their defence can’t play as well as last season they will struggle in my opinion. I think Sunderland should just edge it and Darren Bent is of course a good fantasy buy along with Andy Reid(if he can stay fit).  a

Prediction: 2-0

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Wigan v Blackpool

Wigan weren’t far from being relegated last season and they look no stronger this time round so I expect them to struggle again. Martinez likes them to play attractive football which is admirable but on their day they can fall to pieces as we saw at Tottenham and Chelsea last season. However, they also managed to win at home to Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal and they would hope to gain quite a few points at home again this season. Blackpool were promoted against all expectations and haven’t really strengthened their team too much which means that they will really struggle in my opinion. I’m sure the players will see the Premier league as an adventure and while they might get well beaten a few times they are also capable of the odd upset with their great team spirit and mad manager. I can’t see past Wigan winning this game but you never know on the opening day what surprises can happen. In the fantasy stakes N’Zogbia of Wigan is a good bet and Adam of Blackpool had a great season last time round in the Championship and he will hope to recreate that form in the Premier league.

Prediction: 2-1

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Wolves v Stoke

Wolves did very well to avoid relegation last season considering how few goals they scored but their usually tight defence and very strong teamwork were a large factor in that. Stoke managed to finish in mid table yet again and will be hoping to push on from that this season although they can only go so far with their agricultural brand of football in my opinion. I don’t expect too many goals in this game but Wolves will need Kevin Doyle to be fit if they are to score and Stoke will probably rely on javelin thrower Rory Delap to help them out with his throw ins. If you want an exciting Saturday afternoon steer clear of this game as it would be more entertaining to watch paint dry. I’m predicting a bore fest for all and if you have any Wolves players in your fantasy team expect points for a clean sheet.

Prediction: 0-0

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Chelsea v West Brom

In the Saturday evening kick off last season’s double winners get their campaign off with a home game against yo-yo team West Brom and they will be expecting to win well despite the fact that they haven’t played too well in pre-season. Chelsea’s defence wasn’t up to it’s usual high standards last season and with Carvalho leaving I expect it to get worse but West Brom will still have a massive task on their hands to get anything out of this game. The sensible money says Lampard is a safe bet to be made fantasy captain this week but with Chelsea the goals can come from anywhere. Their defenders are over priced in my opinion and I will be steering clear of them for my team. I will be pleasantly surprised if West Brom get anything from this game but if they can stay tight at the back they will hope to hit Chelsea on the break.

Prediction: 3-0

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Liverpool v Arsenal (1600 BST)

The Sunday afternoon game is the most appealing fixture of the weekend in my opinion and not just because I’m an Arsenal fan. Liverpool are looking to rebuild after the departure of Benitez to manage Inter Milan and the arrival of Roy Hodgson to replace him and Arsenal are looking to end their five year trophy drought. Liverpool have added quite a few players to their squad but I wonder if any of them are actually good enough to help them challenge at the highest level while Arsenal, despite spending the summer chasing players, have only added Koscielny and Chamakh.

Liverpool will probably be without Torees but they will be encouraged by the form of Gerrard for England on Wednesday night while Arsenal already have an injury list to challenge the dark days of last season when they were almost struggling to put a team together. A lot will depend on the availability of Cesc and Van Persie and how their new players fare in their competitive debut but regular readers will know I always predict an Arsenal win. If Arsenal can get their game going I expect Nasri to be very influential as they win at Anfield for the second season in a row and of course Arshavin is bound to score at least one goal in the ground he loves to play in.

Fantasy football wise I would say to stay away from Arsenal defenders with the exception of Vermaelen but Liverpool might be a little tighter at the back under Hodgson with Glenn Johnson a possible  good buy over the length of the season. Arsenal’s attacking options are great and Cesc, Nasri, Arshavin and Van Persie are all worth having in your team when fit. When he’s back to full fitness you won’t find a better captain than Cesc for your fantasy team in my opinion. Liverpool’s best attacking options are obviously Torres and Gerrard but as always they tend to be curtailed by injuries.

Prediction: 1-2

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Manchester United v Newcastle

On Monday night we will see Manchester United take on Newcastle in what should be a relatively easy enough game for them. They have strengthened a little from last season and if they can keep their defenders fit and injury free this time they are many peoples pick to win the title. It will be interesting to see how Rooney plays after his poor performance at the World Cup but I expect him to be back to his best and score.

Newcastle were by far the best team in a poor Championship last season and they, like so many others, haven’t strengthen too much so I’m not expecting too much from them. I saw them a few times last season and it wasn’t pretty so I think they will be happy to finish anywhere above the relegation places. I can’t see them getting anything out of this game but stranger things have happened. Personally I think they lack firepower and I expect a comfortable win for United.

Prediction 3-0

That’s it for my predictions and I’ll be watching the games with a lot of interest and working out all the fantasy combinations too seeming as I’m the administrator of a league with over 500 teams in it.

JamrockRover

All kick-offs 1500 BST unless stated

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PS: Do check Arsenal Interactive – The Home of Arsenal Fans

What Is Arsenal Interactive?

Arsenal Interactive is a Match Day experience centered around bringing Arsenal fans (and, let’s face it, Gunning Hawk supporters, who are the smartest bunch of football fans in the world) together to share in pre- and post-match revelry. You can rate every Arsenal player after every match, write up your own comments on the ratings, give your thoughts on the game itself, share the entire interactive anthology with a host of social networking sites and chat in real time with fellow Arsenal fans!