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Saturday 28^th November

English Premier League

Fulham v Bolton Wanderers

Fulham play their 3^rd match in 7 days when they come up against Gary Megson’s Bolton Wanderers who will be determined to halt their recent run of bad form having lost their last 3 matches in the league.

Roy Hodgson’s charges have had a hectic season to date having already played 22 games in all competitions thanks to their involvement in the Europa League. They have also had to contend with key personnel being injured with the likes of Danny Murphy, Andy Johnson and Diomansay Kamara missing large chunks of the season to date. All that considered, they are in decent enough shape in the league at the moment as they currently sit in 10^th position, 4 points off of 5^th place. They have gathered most of their points at Craven Cottage, amassing 4 wins from 6 matches. They have defeated the likes of Liverpool, Everton and most recently triumphed over Blackburn in midweek. Their only two defeats at the Cottage this term have been against Arsenal and Chelsea which is no disgrace at all. Hodgson has turned their home ground into something of a fortress and any visitor knows they’ll have to be at the top of their game to come away with anything.

Bolton, after a decent run of form at the end of September and beginning of October have started to slide down the table. Currently in 18^th position, they have conceded 11 in their last 3 matches, scoring just once and gaining zero points. Their latest match against Blackburn was arguably the poorest of their season thus far as they never looked capable of getting much from the game from the first few minutes. Rovers, who were searching for their first away win of the season, dominated large parts of the game and as soon as they opened the scoring they never looked in any real danger. One of Bolton’s problems is the main striker position. They have tried several players in the position but no-one has made it their own and this results in a lack of fluency going forward. Unfortunately for Megson and his side, the other main problem is that they give the opposition too many chances throughout the 90 minutes making them more likely to concede. It’s not often a trait you associate with Gary Megson’s side’s, they are normally hard to beat and stubborn but this season they have shipped 26 goals in 12 games, which equates to more than two goals a game.

Despite key injuries in the last 3^rd of the part for the Cottagers, they still have a lot of options available for Saturday and good ones at that. Erik Nevland and Clint Dempsey both got on the scoresheet on Wednesday night against Rovers so they have staked their claim ahead of Saturday’s match. Hodgson also has the likes of Damien Duff, Jonathan Greening and Zoltan Gera whilst Johnson should be fit enough for the bench on his comeback from injury. Duff and Dempsey especially will cause immense problems for most teams in the league so Bolton’s porous defence will be under pressure from the off. Their movement and ability to make telling contributions at vital stages of the game is crucial to Fulham’s style of play and with a predator like Nevland lurking, they are liable to score goals from the first minute to the last.

Bolton have actually won more games on the road this season than they have at home which is surprising considering the amount of teams which used to struggle at the Reebok. Their wins, however, have come against Birmingham and Portsmouth who, no disrespect, are not as potent at home as Fulham are.

Fulham have had the better of this fixture in recent years having won 3 of the last 4 meetings at the Cottage in the league. Bolton just give too many chances away for my liking and I think the home side’s attacking players will be too much for the visitors.

My selection: Fulham to beat Bolton Wanderers

Best price available: 10/11 available with several bookmakers including Coral

English Championship

Newcastle v Swansea

First versus fourth at St James’ Park on Saturday as Paulo Sousa and his Swansea side travel north to take on league leaders Newcastle who are still unbeaten at home this season.

Newcastle have dusted themselves down and got on with the job at hand after their relegation at the end of last season. They have managed to retain most of their squad with a couple of exceptions but look all the better for it. Chris Houghton has been appointed as manager until the end of the season and this has had a massive, positive effect on the club and its players. One of the most noticeable things about Newcastle this season is they don’t have that one superstar in their team this season that they have had in the last decade or so. It used to be Alan Shearer for so long and he passed the torch to the injury ravaged Michael Owen. Nowadays, they are much more of a team and unit.

Swansea City, after a pretty slow start under their new manager, have rejuvenated their season with a run of 11 games unbeaten in the league which has propelled them right up the table. Sousa has built from the back and made them stuffy, resilient and hard to score against. They currently have the 2^nd best defensive record (Newcastle have the best) conceding just 12 goals. Their defence on the road is the best, losing just 5 goals in 8 games. Scoring goals has proved problematic however as they are the lowest scorers in the division with Craig Beattie their top scorer on a measly 3 strikes.

Watching Newcastle on Monday night away to Preston was interesting due to the fact that it was almost inevitable that they were going to win the game no matter how much North End threw at them, you always felt United would nick a goal and take all 3 points. It of course did happen and proves yet again that the better teams in the division win games despite not playing all that well. They will create chances at home and have proven even harder to beat at St James’ with 6 wins and 2 draws from 8 games.

I can’t see the game being pretty or having a plethora of goals (cue a 3-3 draw) with such good defences on show. I can, however, see the home side creating a couple of really good opportunities and taking at least one of them such is the form they’re on at the moment. Swansea, I feel, will have to score to get something from the match, at least once, which I think is debatable given their poor scoring record. As a result I think Newcastle will take all 3 points and strengthen their position at the top of the league.

My selection: Newcastle to beat Swansea

Best price available: 5/6 available with Bet365

English Championship

Sheffield Wednesday v West Brom

Sheffield Wednesday, searching for their first win in 6, look to have it all to do against 2^nd placed West Bromwich Albion at Hillsborough.

I tipped against Wednesday last week when opting to go for Ipswich, and but for a masterclass in goalkeeping by Lee Grant, I would have been right. As it was, the keeper had a day out and saved his side, earning a good point in the process. Their home record is better than their form on the road so their fans will be expecting them to be more threatening and adventurous on Saturday. They have already defeated Coventry, Cardiff and Scunthorpe on their own patch this season but they’ll be up against one of, if not the best, side in the Championship when West Brom come calling.

Roberto Di Matteo has fitted in really well with WBA’s footballing philosophy since joining as Manager from MK Dons in July. His side play the best football in the division and have proved too much for so many teams already this season. They are currently the highest scorers in the division, averaging more than two goals a game. They have lost the one game in their last 7, a run which has included thumping wins against Watford and Bristol City and an excellent away victory over Leicester City.

Simon Cox has taken a while to get fully fit after an injury at the start of the season but the £2m signing from Swindon is beginning to find his feet leading the line for the Baggies. Cox has scored twice in his last 3 matches and will fancy of notching against Wednesday who have shipped 4 goals in their last two home games. Cox doesn’t just bring goals to the team, his overall play has made a big difference to West Brom who at times lacked a potent attacking threat up top.

West Brom have brushed aside better teams than Sheffield Wednesday already this season and I for one can’t see Brian Laws’ men getting anything from Saturday’s match. This one is easy enough for me anyway, away win.

My selection: West Brom to beat Sheffield Wednesday

Best odds available: 23/20 available with 888Sport

Good luck and happy punting

Arsenal rediscovered some of their early season form on the weekend, as they thumped Wigan 4-0 in the Premier League. This was after a much tougher than expected away fixture in the Champions League, where the Gunners had to fight their way back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in the second half. That was maybe the wake-up call which they needed after losing to both Manchester teams in the league. West Brom get to visit the Emirates and they can likely bank on playing against much of Arsenal’s youth team. Arsene Wenger is no stranger to putting a lot of trust in his youngsters when it comes to cup ties, and usually likes to run the Carling Cup challenge that way.

That doesn’t mean that the Gunners will be walkover because of that. Arsenal are proud of their youth system, and continuously watch their home bred crop flourish. It was their youngsters which hammered Sheffield United 6-0 at the same stage of last year’s Carling Cup. Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere are two of the young Gunners to watch out for, with a lot of speculation surrounding their potential future international careers.

Ex-Chelsea player and now manager of West Brom, Roberto Di Matteo, has brought his classy Italian style of management to the midlands. The Baggies currently sit atop the Championship after an impressive start, and have yet to suffer a defeat so far. This will be a big night for West Brom, who will ride into London on the back of a 5-0 thrashing of third placed Middlesbrough. That should make for an entertaining and fairly even contest. As has been shown before, the gulf between the top of the Championship and even the bottom of the Premier League is quite wide, and Arsenal’s youngsters will be keen to impress at home in front of the boss.

Arsenal to win – 4/9 at Totesport
Draw – 7/2 at Betfred
West Brom to win – 7/1 at Bet365

Betting Tip: Always a tough one to call when a team of mostly youngsters take to the field. West Brom are looking in decent shape and have recent Premier League experience. Wenger is very canny and does not only place trust in his young players, but also expects them to prove their worth and progress. Being at home too, they should just have the edge.

Saturday 7^th February

English Premiership

West Brom v Newcastle

Tomorrow’s clash at the Hawthorns is the proverbial 6-pointer and a match which neither side can afford to lose as we close in the final third of the season.

The visitors have had a lot of upheaval during the January transfer window losing Shay Given and Charles N’Zogbia, whilst they brought in Kevin Nolan and Ryan Taylor, whilst also securing a short-term deal for former Rangers enigma, Peter Lovenkrands.  Given is obviously the big miss, as able a deputy as Steve Harper is, the little Irishman has been a huge player for the Magpies throughout the last decade and it will be interesting to see how they cope without his presence from now until the end of the season. Newcastle may welcome back a trio of strikers in the shape of Viduka, Martins and Smith. They have trained this week but it may be a risk to deploy any of them from a start considering the length of time they have been out for.

West Brom have also been busy in the transfer window. They acquired Arsenal kid, Jay Simpson, on loan till the end of the season. Simpson, however, picked up an injury during the week and is a doubt for tomorrow’s match. As well as that signing, manager Tony Mowbray has also moved to bring in another two strikers. Argentine striker, Juan Carlos Menseguez, and Frenchman Marc-Antoine Fortune have also been added as has PSG midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu. Slowly but surely the baggies injury list is beginning to shorten. Key players are regaining fitness, the likes of Koren, Brunt, Meite and Paul Robinson should all be fit to take their place on Saturday, as should Scottish internationalist, James Morrison.

The home side have begun to pick up more points, especially at home. They have managed to pick up maximum points from 3 of their last 4 home games, including victories over Spurs and Man City. Newcastle’s away form leaves a lot to be desired. Since a pick-up in results when Joe Kinnear first took over, the Geordies have resorted to form; they have lost their last 3 road games, looking incredibly poor in them as well.

The baggies know that their home form will be key to have any chance of survival and their recent form is encouraging. Newcastle may be about to welcome back a number of players, but until they get a few games under their belts, and the new signings adapt to their style of play, I can see them continuing to struggle. The fact that they will also be without Shay Given adds further weight to this reasoning.

My selection: West Brom to beat Newcastle

The best price available for a West Brom win is 13/10 with Ladbrokes

English Premiership

Sunderland v Stoke City

Another clash between two sides battling relegation takes place at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light. It may not be a must win match, but it’s certainly a must not lose game.

Sunderland have been fairly quiet during January with regards to signings. Apart from the sale of El Hadji Diouf and the buys of Calum Davenport and Tal Ben Haim, they go with what they had before the window. The home side will have to contend with a trio of injury problems at the heart of their defence so it’s likely that one, if not both, of the new signings will play from the start.

Stoke have kept all their key players whilst adding two strikers in the shape of James Beattie and Henri Camara.  Beattie has already scored twice for his new club and is proving to be a shrewd bit of business on the part of Tony Pulis. Unfortunately for City, they will be without Rory Delap who has contributed to more than half of their 21 league goals this season, he is suspended for 3 matches after his sending off last Saturday. Stoke also brought in Stephen Kelly from Birmingham and he could take his place from the start because of Delap’s suspension.  

Sunderland fielded a much changed team during Wednesday’s FA cup reply away at Blackburn. Richardson, Cisse, Jones and Whithead are all expected to return amongst others. Manager Ricky Sbragia has definitely made Sunderland harder to beat, especially at home. Since his appointment he has only suffered on league defeat in the North East, winning 2 and drawing 2. Jones and Cisse are beginning to get a better understanding of each other and both are scoring goals regularly. They should also have defeated Newcastle at St James’ last week. Poor finishing and a dodgy penalty decision cost them another two points.

Stoke are only one of two sides yet to pick up three points on the road this season, they also have the lowest point tally from games away from home this year, a total of 3. As well as those statistics, they have conceded the highest amount of goals on their travels, a staggering 27. They have been unlucky on occasion, a perfect example being their last minute collapse at Stamford Bridge last month. They have lost 5 of their last 6 matches away from the Britannia in the league.   

With the backing of a raucous home crowd and a front pairing of proven quality in the way of Cisse and Jones, I expect Sunderland to have just a little bit too much for poor travelers, Stoke City.

My Selection: Sunderland to beat Stoke City

The best price available for a Sunderland victory is 5/6 available with several bookies including Skybet

Good luck and happy punting  

Everton manager David Moyes believes this season’s battle to avoid relegation from the Barclays Premier League will be the fiercest yet and I’m inclined to agree with him.

Normally, one wouldn’t hesitate in nominating the three promoted teams to fall straight back through the trap door but Hull and Stoke have made excellent starts to life in the top flight and both look capable of amassing enough points in the final two thirds of the season to survive. In Hull’s case, that probably means wrapping Brazilian bargain buy Geovanni in cotton wool on occasions but Tigers’ manager Phil Brown will know that and won’t be overtaxing his prize asset. Stoke’s strength is at the Britannia Stadium, where the likes of Arsenal have already come to grief. Teams will eventually work out how to combat the Potters’ aerial bombardment but it might not be until next season and I’d certainly rather be a layer than a bettor at Skybet’s 4-11 for Stoke to go down, while extrabet’s 4-1 for Hull to crash and burn makes little appeal either, even though the two teams are likely to find winter a lot tougher than autumn.

Last year’s Championship title winners West Brom are a different matter, however. With strikers that, speaking comparatively, lack real quality and a back line that’s leaking goals, it’s no surprise to see the Baggies already propping up the rest of the Premier League. Their defending against Liverpool at Anfield last Saturday was woeful and I’d have no problem backing them at 4-6 with extrabet to still be in the bottom three come May.

West Ham, too, appear to have major problems. Time spent as the Italian U21 coach can hardly have prepared Gianfranco Zola for what he’s come up against at Upton Park. The financial storm clouds were already gathering in the summer when players were being shipped out left, right and centre to put enough funds in the club’s coffers to sort out the Carlos Tevez affair and since then West Ham’s major sponsors have gone bust. The much-reported Icelandic banking crisis has left owner and chief financier Bjogolfur Gudmundsson counting the pennies too and, while the Hammers aren’t yet at crisis point, it was noticeable how quickly the players’ heads dropped when they conceded against Everton at the weekend. The inexperienced Zola undoubtedly has a job on his hands to keep them up and you can still back the Londoners at 17-5 on Betfair to drop a division.

But the surprise name in the bottom three at the end of the season could be Sunderland. Canbet have priced up the Wearsiders at 6-1 which is ridiculous when one considers the likes of Fulham, who have proved a match for anybody at home and have a top-class striker in Andy Johnson in their ranks, are no bigger than 17-5 on Betfair and Bolton, who are proven battlers, no bigger than 2-1. Roy Keane’s men have recorded morale-boosting derby wins against Middlesbrough and Newcastle at the Stadium Of Light this term but they’ve been pretty woeful on the road and even the excellent Craig Gordon has started to look shaky behind an easily-breeched defence of late. Mackem fans may have to get used to supporting a team that’s going to yo-yo between Championship and Premier League for a few seasons yet!

Betfred have joined forces with Talksport magazine, the radio station’s free online magazine, to provide video streaming of odds on a wide variety of events. The deal, though to be worth in the region of  £1/2million, will also see the Lancashire-based betting firm’s name feature prominently on the daily Hawksbee and Jacobs Show.

by Matthew Chapple

A very good start to the Barclays Premiership season which sees Chelsea occupy the top spot with Liverpool level on points in second. Those two, along with Manchester United, are the only sides who have yet to taste defeat. Chelsea got off to the best possible start by thrashing Portsmouth at home in their opening fixture 4-0 and followed it up with a narrow 1-0 away win over Wigan. They let their 100% record slip at home to Tottenham Hotspur when a defensive error let in Darren Bent to level the match at 1-1.

Liverpool have made a shakey start to the season with narrow victorys over both Sunderland and Middlesborough but could only manage a dull -0- draw against Aston Villa at Villa. One slight positive for them is that they have got the result without playing well. When they do start playing well they should pick up points more comfortably. They have been delt a blow which is that they will be without Gerrard for the match against Manchester United and Fernando Torres could also miss the tie.

Their haven’t been many surprises so far with the only real shock result coming at Old Trafford where Manchester United were held by Newcastle in their opening fixture. Also, a late Djibril Cisse goal seen all 3 points go to Sunderland when they beat Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane 2-1.

Hull got their first ever Premier league victory at the first attempt when they beat Fulham 2-1. With 4 points from their first three games they find themselves in a respectable 10th position. The other two new clubs haven’t made matching starts with Stoke being hammered 4-1 in their first outing and West Brom picking up just the one point after their first three fixtures.

Outright Betting: Chelsea are justified 6/5 favourites after their first three preformances and look a good bet as they will almost certainly be thereabouts come the end of the season. Despite Liverpool currently lying in second place in the table, the bookies have priced them up as just 4th favourites for the title at 8/1. Arsenal look a poor bet at 6/1 after they looked shakey when they lost to Fulham on their travels while Man Utd are second favourites at 7/4.

Relegation Betting: Despite Hull finding themselves in 10th position at this early stage the bookies have priced them up as joint favourites for the drop with Stoke City at 3/10. With West brom not far behind in the betting at evens, it is clear to see that the bookies don’t fancy their chances of survival. The value in this market looks to be with Bolton Wanderers. They are currently 3/1 and with no recognised striker they could struggle for goals. They may have thrashed Stoke City 4-1 but Stoke were poor and they won’t get many easier games then that.

Arsenal
Players in: Aaron Ramsey, Samir Nasri, Mikael Silvestre
Players out: Mathieu Famini, Jens Lehmann, Kerrea Gilbert, Philippe Senderos, Justin Hoyte, Alexander Hleb, Gilberto Silva
Key Player: Cesc Fabregas
Prediction: 4th Despite them having a very young and in-experienced side Arsenal once again finished in the champions league places in 3rd. They have lost several key players though with Mathieu Flamini and Alexander Hleb moving on to so called better things with AC Milan and Barcelona. They did eventually manage to keep hold of Adebayor who was second top goalscorer in the premiership last season and with Cesc Fabregas and new boy Samir Nasri providing the creativity, Arsenal should be thereabouts come the end of the season.

Aston Villa
Players in: Curtis Davies, Steve Sidwell, Brad Friedel, Brad Guzan, Luke Young, Nickey Shorey, Carlos Cuellar, James Milner
Players out: Patrik Berger, Thomas Sorensen, Luke Moore, Shaun Maloney
Key player: Gareth Barry
Prediction: 5th We like Aston Villa a lot. They are a young side full of pace. Gareth Barry has the ability to control the midfield while pacey English winger Ashley Young has the ability to beat his man and put in a decent ball to the two tall forwards, John Carew and Gabriel Agbonahlor. They did very well to keep Gareth barry out of the clutches of Liverpool and they have a great chance of snatching a European spot.

Blackburn Rovers
Players in: Paul Robinson, Carlos Villanueva, Danny Simpson, Vincenzo Grella, Keith Andrews
Players out: David Bentley, Brad Friedel,
Key Player: Roque Santa Cruz
Prediction: 9th With a new manager at the helm in the form of Paul Ince, Blackburn will be looking to build on their finish of 7th last season. A big negative is the transfer of David Bentley. Not only did he provide the strikers with extremely good service from the wing but he contributed with his fair share of goals. They did keep Santa Cruz who is now their most high profile player and with him singing a new long term contract, Fans will be hoping for more goals from the Paraguay international this season. The key to their season will be centred around this man and if he can continue scoring like he did last season then they could have a decent season.

Bolton Wanderers
Players in: Johan Elmander, Danny Shittu, Ebi Smolarek, Fabrice Muamba
Players out: Daniel Braaten, Abdoulaye Meite, El-Hadji Diouf
Key Player: Kevin Nolan
Prediction: 17th A club with only one real aim for the season which is Premiership survival. Gone the days when they used to finish around the UEFA Cup spots. They lack quality players with their captain being their only player worth mentioning. They spent somewhere in the region of £12,000,000 on Toulouse striker Johan Elmander which i don’t think is a good piece of business. Kevin Davies has lost his sharpness and won’t bag them enough goals this season. They have to beat the teams around them else they could be lured into a relegation dogfight.

Chelsea
Players in: Jose Bosingwa, Anderson Deco, Slobodan Rajkovic
Players out: Ben Sahar, Steve Sidwell, Claude Makelele, Khalid Boulahruz, Tal Ben Haim, Claudio Pizarro, Andriy Shevchenko, Shaun Wright-Philips
Key Player: Anderson Deco
Prediction: 1st Chelsea already had one of the strongest teams in Europe but went ahead and improved their squad by adding two Portuguese internationals in Jose Bosingwa and play-maker Anderson Deco from Barcelona. Deco will be a fantastic addition to Scolari’s squad. He has the ability to pull the strings and can ship in with a few goals. Bosingwa also adds more width down the right hand side and will be tricky to handle. With Lampard and Drogba remaining with the blues Chelsea remain one of the favourites for the crown and will certainly be up there come the end.

Everton
Players in: Segundo Castillo, Carlo Nash, Louis Saha
Players out: Lee Carsley, Thomas Gravesen, Andrew Johnson
Key Player: Mikel Arteta
Prediction: 12th Everton had a very good season last term and finished in 5th position. However, they haven’t brought in any new recruits over the summer that are worth making a note off with maybe the exception of Louis Saha. Everton do lack quality in depth and with Andrew Johnson heading to Fulham, if they were to get a few injuries then they could struggle. Mikel Arteta will be key for them. If he could form some sort of partnership with Louis Saha then maybe they could have a decent season but we doubt they have enough to match last season finish.

Fulham
Players in: Mark Schwarzer, Zolton Gera, Toni Kallio, Bobby Zamora, John Pantsil, Andrew Johnson, Dickson Etuhu, Julian Gray
Players out: Dejan Stefanovic, Ricardo Batista, Hameur Bouazza, Steven Davis, Alexei Smertin, Antti Niemi
Key Player: Andrew Johnson
Prediction: 15th Probably the most active team in the transfer market over the summer which seen Andrew Johnson and Zolton Gera join the Fulham squad. Both could be very influential. Fulham will be hoping the new boys will help them push away from the relegation zone and a mid-table finish would be a great result for Fulham. Their early win over Arsenal at home proved they can play very well on their day and i think they will have enough to stay away from a relegation battle.

Hull City
Players in: Craig Fagan, Geovanni, Bernard Mendy, George Boateng, Peter Halmosi, Anthony Gardner, Marlon King, Daniel Cousin
Players out: David Livermore, Simon Walton
Key Player: Daniel Cousin
Prediction: 20th With very little in quality entering the club over the season. Hull could find themselves in a tricky situation earlier then then they would want. The Premiership is one of the hardest leagues in the world and Hull just don’t have enough decent players to survive this time around. Geovanni looked decent in his opening game but he did the same at Man City and rarely got a gamer come the end of the season. Daniel Cousin could be a decent capture and they will need him to get his shooting boots on straight away if they are to put up a fight.

Liverpool
Players in: Phillip Degan, Andrea Dossena, Diego Cavelieri, David N’Gog, Robbie Keane, Albert Riera
Players out: John Arne Riise, Harry Kewell, Danny Guthrie, Peter Crouch, Scott Carson, Sebastien Leto, Andriy Voronin, Steve Finnan
Key Player: Steven Gerrard
Prediction: 3rd The under achievers in Liverpool will be hoping to close the gap on the top two this season. They were disappointing last season finishing in 4th. 11 points behind winners Manchester United. Fernando Torres was phenomenal last season scoring over 30 goals in his first season for the reds. He will need to pick up where he left off and form another lethal partnership with Gerrard if they are to get closer to Chelsea and Man Utd. Robbie Keane should be a good buy if he clicks with Torres. After the first few games they have yet to gel but I’m sure they will get it together soon. We’re not sure if they have what it takes to go all the way this season.

Manchester City
Players in: Jo, Robinho, Tal Ben Haim, Shaun Wright-Philips, Pablo Zabeleta
Players out: Emile Mpenza, Geovanni, Georgios Samaras, Bernando Corradi, Vedran Corluka
Key Player: Robinho
Prediction: 6th A turbulent last day of the transfer market saw Manchester City get bought by Abu Dhabi who have already promised the fans a top 4 finish this season and the title next season. We seriously doubt their first claim. They purchased the club too late and although they have made a fantastic signing in Robinho, they still lack quality in depth. They are very inconsistent and Mark Hughes would need the likes of Wright-Philips and Elano to perform week in, week out if they are to get close to their target. They need a lot more players to achieve this and we fancy them to fall short.

Manchester United
Players in: Dimitar Berbatov
Players out: Chris Eagles, Louis Saha, Mikael Silvestre, Fraizer Campbell
Key Player: Christiano Ronaldo
Prediction: 2nd With very little transfer activity over the summer man Utd will be looking to their new signing Berbatov for goals. With Ronaldo out until mid October they will rely heavily on Scholes, Carrick and Rooney for creativity in the center of the park. Wayne Rooney has yet to get going while Tevez is yet to score. If Berbatov settles in well at the club then he could be a great signing. It will probably be a two horse race between them and Chelsea which could go all the way once more.

Middlesborough
Players in: Marvin Emnes, Didier Digard, Justin Hoyte
Players out: Mark Schwarzer, Fabio Rochemback, Lee Catermole, Luke Young
Key Player: Stuart Downing
Prediction: 10th Gareth Southgate will be looking to push his side into the top half of the table and with players like Alfonso Alves and Stuart Downing, they have a chance. They have a defender in David Wheater who can score from set plays and looks destined for a regular England place. Stuart Downing is a class apart in that team. Many clubs have shown interest but yet to confirm it with a serious offer. He will be their key player for the season. He can beat his man on the wing and can certainly whip in a decent ball. Alfonso shown bits of good form last season but will need to vastly improve his form if Middlesborough are to make this season worth remembering.

Newcastle United
Players in: Jonas Gutierrez, Danny Guthrie, Fabricio Coloccini, Nacho Gonzalez, Xisco
Players out: Stephen Carr, Peter Ramage, David Rozenhal, Emre, James Milner
Key Player: Michael Owen
Prediction: 13th A club in turmoil right now. With Kevin Keegan walking out and the departure of James Milner, it is clear there is unrest at the club. With the new manager still yet to be decided it is a surprise Michael Owen didn’t follow Keegan out the door. He is too good for Newcastle. His is rather unfortunate with all his injuries but when he plays he is England’s best striker by far. Jonas Gutierrez looks a good buy but if Newcastle are to have any sort of season they will need Owen to avoid any more injuries. Troubles in the boardroom doesn’t help a club and we fancy them to struggle this season.

Portsmouth
Players in: Glen Little, Ben Sahar, Peter Crouch, Younes Kaboul
Players out: Sulley Muntari, Pedro Mendes
Key Player: Jermaine Defoe
Prediction: 7th Harry Redknapp really has transformed Portsmouth and with the amount he has spent over the summer we reckon they will do alright this term. Sulley Muntari moving to Inter Milan will be a massive loss and he was a rock in the centre of midfield. The capture of Liverpool forward Peter Crouch looks a decent one and if he and Defoe can click form the off then they could form a good partnership. Defoe will enjoy playing off Crouch’s knock-downs and they could complement each other. They will need to work hard to get a UEFA spot but they have a good chance.

Stoke City
Players in: Dave Kitson, Thomas Sorensen, Abdoulaye Faye, Ibrahima Sonko, Tom Soares, Danny Higginbottom
Players out: Marlon Broomes, Jon Parkin
Key Player: Dave Kitson
Prediction: 18th Another of the new boys in Stoke City. They have a tough challenge if they are to survive this season. Like Hull they have failed to buy anyone of real quality and lack depth. Dave Kitson could be a good signing and if he contributes with goals then they could have a slight chance of surviving. They are a powerful side and their best chance of getting goals looks to be from set pieces. They will have a tough season ahead which could end in disappointment.

Sunderland
Players in: Teemu Tainio, Pascal Chimbonda, El-Hadji Diouf, Steed Malbranque, Djibril Cisse, David Healy, Anton Ferdinand, George McCartney
Players out: Andy Cole, Dickson Etuhu, Danny Higginbottom
Key Player: El-Hadji Diouf
Prediction: 11th Roy Keane did well to get his side to 15th in the league table last season and has made signings over the summer in a bid to improve on that finish. Diouf is a lively character and could be just what Keane needs. Not only can he score but he can create chances as well. Djibril Cisse will also be crucial for Sunderland this season. Keane has loaned him from Marseille and it took him just minutes to repay his manager and score the winner over Spurs. Anton Ferdinand should strengthen their back four along with pacey full back Pascal Chimbonda from Spurs. They have put in some decent performances thus far but were rather unlucky to lose to Liverpool in their opening fixture. A win over Sours was duly deserved and a sign of things to come possibly. We fancy them to better their position this time around.

Tottenham Hotspur
Players in: Geovani Dos Santos, Luka Modric, Gomes, David Bentley, Roman Pavlychenko, Fraizer Campbell, Vedran Corluka
Players out: Teemu Tainio, Paul Robinson, Pascal Chimbonda, Robbie Keane, Dimitar Berbatov, Steed Malbranque, Younes Kaboul
Key Player: Luka Modric
Prediction: 8th A disappointing season last year looks set to continue after a poor start once again. With two defeats against Middlesborough and Sunderland and a 1-1 draw with Chelsea shows their in-different form. They are very inconsistent despite the quality they have at the club. The fans will be devastated with the departures of both Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov and will be looking towards Darren Bent and new signing Pavlychenko for goals. Luke Modric has the ability to play his part in the centre of midfield but Tottenham are too inconsistent to mount any sort of challenge to the UEFA cup spot. Another disappointing season beckons.

West Brom
Players in: Luke Moore, Gianni Zuiverloon, Marek Cech, Scott Carson, Borja Valero, Ryan Donk
Players out: Zolton Gera, Curtis Davies, Kevin Philips
Key Player: Scott Carson
Prediction: 19th A season at the foot of the table beckons for WBA. Despite spending a fair amount over the summer they still lack a recognised striker. I honestly cannot see where the goals will come from and they will rely heavily on Scott Carson in goal to keep out their opponents. With just 1 points from the first 3 games it doesn’t look good. Them and Hull looked doomed from the off.

West Ham
Players in: Valon Behami, David Di Michele
Players out: Bobby Zamore, John Pantsil, Richard Wright, Anton Ferdinand, George McCartney
Key Player: Dean Ashton
Prediction: 16th Another club in trouble after Alan Curbishley walked out on West Ham just last week. The board were selling several key players without his consent with Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney both heading out of the club without Curbishley’s acknowledgement. They are another club i think will struggle this season as they don’t have any players that stand out in the creativity department. Dean Ashton can score when given the chance but i seriously doubt they can provide the English forward with consistent good supply. Too many good players have left with very little in return. Wouldn’t be surprised if they were involved in a battle for survival come the end of the season.

Wigan Athletic
Players in: Daniel De Ridder, Olivier Kapo, Amr Zaki, Lee Catermole
Players out: Marcus Bent, David Cotterill, Marlon King, Carlo Nash
Key Player: Wilson Palacios
Prediction: 14th Wigan should go well this season. They were terribly unlucky to lose their fixture with Chelsea after they went down 1-0 at home but enjoyed the majority of the possession and had the better chances. They followed this performance with a great victory over Hull which ended 5-0. Palacios and Valencia look good on the wing while new signing Zaki looks sharp in front of goal. If they can keep hold of Emile Heskey for the whole season then they should go well and stay clear of the drop.