English Premier League Round 1 (14-16/08)

Tottenham v Manchester City
Blackburn v Everton
Wigan Athletic v Blackpool
Aston Villa v West Ham United
Bolton v Fulham
Wolverhampton v Stoke City
Sunderland v Birmingham City
Chelsea v WBA
Liverpool v Arsenal
Manchester United v Newcastle United


Saturday, August 14

Tottenham v Manchester City

Verdict: Not surprisingly, Manchester City have been the most active team in the transfer market during the off-season and they are not done yet. Just after completing the signing of Balotelli, Milner is next in line to add to the 6 new names at the City of Manchester Stadium. In total contrast, Harry Redknapp, has signed only one player this summer in Brazilian midfielder, Sandro.

Mancini is likely to hand at least four of his new signings their debuts with Kolarov, Yaya Toure, Boateng, and Silva the most likely to be included in the starting line-up. Tottenham have few injury concerns so I expect Redknapp to field a strong, and stable line-up that produced solid pre-season wins over Benfica and Fiorentina. With so many new faces at Man City, I expect a feeling out process for the Sky Blues until new players become accustomed to the pace of the league, team formation/tactics, culture, etc. The visitors had some poor results in the off-season, and I can't help but think that it will be a few months yet before we see Man City at their best.

Pick: Tottenham -0.25AH @2.08 (ibcbet, 10 units)
Tottenham 0 - 0 Manchester City

Blackburn v Everton

Verdict: Towards the end of last season, this fixture served up a fantastic encounter with Everton coming on top in a 3-2 thriller. Everton were dominant that day but Blackburn struck two outstanding goals (N'Zonzi and Roberts) to keep the score respectable. It's been a quiet summer for both sides in terms of transfer activity. Blackburn have signed Mame Diouf (on-loan) from Manchester United whereas Everton have strengthened the depth of their squad with Jermaine Beckford, and French U21 international, Magaye Gueye.

Blackburn will definitely be with out the services of Vince Grella, while Kalinic and new captain Samba are doubts. Everton have few injury worries with Anichebe the only one to miss out. Everton only suffered two league defeats on the back end of last season following a terrible start to the season with injuries. This year, Everton manager David Moyes has the luxury of choosing from a full squad. I fancy Everton here as they have a number of creative outlets that can find a way to goal (Arteta, Pienaar, Cahill, Rodwell, Fellaini) whereas Blackburn rely heavily on the services of an ageing David Dunn.

Pick: Everton -0.25AH @2.11 (sbobet, 10 units)
Blackburn 1 - 0 Everton

Aston Villa v West Ham United

Verdict: Aston Villa go into this game in trying circumstances as manager, Martin O'Neill, left the club earlier in the week and star player James Milner is wanting a move to Manchester City. Visitors, West Ham United, have also made some changes during the summer with Avraam Grant taking over the reigns from Italian, Gianfranco Zola. A new manager means new players and Grant has wasted no time in bringing in no less than 6 players to bolster his squad.

Villa have doubts of strikers Carew and Agbonlahor whereas defenders, Cuellar and Collins, are almost certainly ruled out. West Ham's new signing and former Villa man, Thomas Hitzelsperger, definitely misses out following an injury on midweek international duty. With Milner added to the squad, I expect an unusual atmosphere at Villa Park. In addition, the fact that Villa's two main striking weapons are in doubt coupled with West Ham's lack of firepower, I expect a tight and cagey encounter.

Pick: Under 2.5 goals @1.80 (sbobet, 5 units)
Aston Villa 3 - 0 West Ham United

Monday, August 16

Manchester United v Newcastle United

Verdict: Following the impressive 3-1 win over Chelsea in the Community Shield, Manchester United will look to get off to a good start against another proud club from the North, Newcastle United. The Barcodes are back in the EPL after winning the Championship division in a canter. Worryingly for Newcastle, they don't seem to have added too many new faces since they were relegated from the Premiership two seasons back. With Simpson, Sol Campell, and arguably Newcastle's best defender Steven Taylor all unavailable, the visitors are bereft of any quality in defence. Add to the fact they are also short on any creativity in midfield with Smith, Barton and Nolan expected to start, I expect the visitors to have a tough time of it at Old Trafford.

Pick: Manchester United -1.5AH @1.74 (sbobet, 10 units)
Manchester United 3 - 0 Newcastle United