Barclays Premier League: Man City vs. Swansea

Argentina striker Carlos Tevez will sit out Manchester City's opening game of the Premier League season. The Blues skipper only returned to training this week and, with his future still uncertain, manager Roberto Mancini does not feel it is worth pushing the 27-year-old into the Eastlands fray. Tevez's international colleague Sergio Aguero may be involved for the first time since his club-record £38million move from Atletico Madrid, although Mancini reckons he could contribute only 45 minutes at best.

Captain Garry Monk is a major doubt for Swansea. The defender, who signed a new three-year contract earlier this week, is struggling with a foot injury and may have to wait for the home clash with Wigan to make his first appearance of the campaign. Goalkeeper Michel Vorm comes straight into the squad after completing his move from FC Utrecht and will battle fellow new signing Jose Moreira for the starting berth. Danny Graham, Leroy Lita, Wayne Routledge and Steven Caulker are also in line to make their debuts at Etihad Stadium.

Man City (from): Hart, Pantilimon, Taylor, Richards, Zabaleta, Savic, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy, Kolarov, Boyata, Johnson, Barry, De Jong, Milner, Silva, Toure, Weiss, Wright-Phillips, Balotelli, Dzeko, Aguero.

Swansea (from): Vorm, Williams, Taylor, Caulker, Tate, Bodde, Britton, Orlandi, Beattie, Graham, Sinclair, Dyer, Cornell, Dobbie, Routledge, Monk, Cotterill, Lita, Moore, MacDonald, Moreira, Rangel, Harley, Agustien, Butler.

Betting Recommendation

Manchester City has been made one of the favourites to win the Premier League this season. However, they must win their English Premier League season opener against Swansea City if they are to be considered genuine title threats. Despite losing the Community Cup after going two goals ahead during half-time, Man City looks odds on to beat newcomers Swansea in the opening game. Man City to win this match easily with probable score of 2-0 or 3-0.

Barclays Premier League: Wigan vs Norwich

Premier League survivors Wigan host top flight new-boys Norwich in an intriguing season opener at the DW Stadium.

Both sides go into the game on a high, the Latics after their last day survival at Stoke and the Canaries after securing back-to-back promotions.

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez will be looking to get off to a flier this term after the Latics were hammered 4-0 by Blackpool in the opener at the DW last term and spent the rest of the season struggling.

A good start is equally important to Paul Lambert as the Canaries aim to do better than the last time they were in the top flight in 2004/05, when they suffered a heart-breaking final day relegation.

Both sides have undergone changes in the summer - Wigan have lost talisman Charles N'Zogbia to Aston Villa and Tom Cleverley has returned to Manchester United, while Norwich have brought in seven new signings and six have exited Carrow Road.

Wigan look set to be without midfielder James McCarthy for Saturday's opener.

The Republic of Ireland international twisted his ankle in last week's pre-season friendly against Villarreal and Latics boss Martinez has given him only a 10 per cent chance of being involved.

Striker Hugo Rodallega is available after returning late to pre-season training following his involvement with Colombia in the Copa America but defender Antolin Alcaraz, who reached the final with Paraguay, will be given more time to regain full fitness.

Norwich are hopeful Wales midfielder Andrew Crofts (ankle) and full-back Russell Martin (calf) will be fit for the clash.

Striker James Vaughan, signed from Everton, and centre-back Elliott Ward are sidelined after picking up minor knee injuries during pre-season training in Germany.

Anthony Pilkington could be included in the squad as the former Huddersfield winger continues his rehabilitation from a serious ankle injury.

Possible starting XIs

Wigan: Al Habsi, Caldwell, Boyce, Figueroa, Gohouri, Watson, Moses, Diame, McArthur, Rodallega, Sammon.

Norwich: Ruddy, Naughton, Whitbread, De Laet, Tierney, Bennett, Johnson, Hoolahan, Surman, Holt, Morison.

Betting Recommendation

Wigan has been made favourites this term to be relegated to the Championship next season. Wigan narrowly escapes the drop last term, eluding the relegation zone by just three points. Meanwhile, doubts remain over whether Antolin Alcaraz and Hugo Rodallega will start for the Latics or not, with the pair having only recently returned to the first-team fold following their extended post-Copa America break. James McCarthy, who missed three months of action last season, is extremely doubtful after picking up an ankle knock against Villarreal last Sunday.

Norwich is also one of the favourites to go down next season. Last season, in the Championship, Norwich is one of the most interesting team to watch, scoring the most goals, with 83 goals, at the same time conceding 58 goals. Norwich were hit by knee injuries to James Vaughan and Elliot Ward during their pre-season training camp in Germany back in July and the pair have no chance of making it at the DW Stadium. Steve Morison arrived at the club from Millwall in the summer but is likely to start on the bench as Paul Lambert sticks to trusted striking duo Grant Holt and Simeon Jackson.

The game between Wigan and Norwich can already be considered a six pointer, as both teams battle to avoid relegation from the English Premier League against one another at the DW Stadium on Saturday. Wigan's form in season openers is nothing short of atrocious, having lost five of six in their past curtain raisers in the top flight. Their pre-season form, however, has been quite the opposite - the Latics have won four of five encounters, drawing the other - meaning Martinez's men may be poised to reverse their opening day fortunes. Expect a win for Wigan, beating Norwich by 2-0 or 2-1 scoreline. Elmander has left for Galatasaray while Lee Chung-Yong suffered a broken leg during its pre-season friendly game.

QPR will be looking forward for their first Premier League home game after being absent from the top flight for 15 years. However, I believe Bolton will have the resilient to hold QPR to a draw.

Barclays Premier League: QPR vs Bolton

Queens Park Rangers will welcome Bolton for their first Premier League game at Loftus Road in 15 years.

The West London club claimed the Championship title last season and will have survival as their ultimate target this year.

Neil Warnock has not been provided with lavish funds to reshape his squad ahead of an arduous and long campaign, despite the vast wealth of his multi-millionaire owners.

Jay Bothroyd, Danny Gabbidon, Kieron Dyer and goalkeeper Brian Murphy have all been signed on free transfers, while DJ Campbell was snapped up for £1.25million from Blackpool.

Debuts

All the outfield players will be handed their Premier League debuts on Saturday as Warnock looks to harness their top-flight experience.

Talisman Adel Taraabt will be a key figure for Warnock this campaign and if the Yorkshirman can find a way to cajole his Moroccan genius, he will be a problem for most teams in the division.

Owen Coyle has been busy this summer at the Reebok Stadium and has swelled his ranks with new signings.

Midfielders Darren Pratley and Nigel Reo-Coker arrived on free transfers from Swansea and Aston Villa, respectively.

Tyrone Mears and Chris Eagles arrived from Burnley for a combined fee of £3million, while Turkey international Tuncay comes in from Wolfsburg on a season long deal.

Tuncay is set to miss the game as he has yet to be granted a work permit, while Reo-Coker and Eagles are expected to make their Premier League bows for the Trotters.

Coyle, though, will definitely be without Mears and Lee Chung-yong, who both sustained broken legs during the pre-season.

Bolton endured a terrible end to the last campaign - losing five of their last six games - and they will want to begin this one by erasing that memory.

Probable starting XIs

QPR: Cerny, Orr, Gabbidon, Shittu, Hill, Dyer, Derry, Taraabt, Faurlin, Bothroyd, Campbell.

Bolton: Jaaskelainen; Steinsson, Knight, Cahill, Robinson, Eagles, Muamba, Reo-Coker, Petrov, Davies, Klasnic.

Betting Recommendation

QPR have retained the services of two main architects of its success in winning the Championship last season, experienced manager Warnock and mercurial captain Adel Taarabt. This partnership also appears to be its best hope to remain in the Premier League. In addition, Warnock has recruited strikers Jay Bothroyd and DJ Campbell from Cardiff and Blackpool respectively, as well as defender Danny Gabbidon and injury-plagued winger Kieron Dyer.

Bolton Wanderers last season have improved, not in the position in the standings, but rather in its style of play. They are playing with a mixture of free flowing attacking football, compared to a direct style used in the previous seasons. These improvements are mainly provided by Korean midfielder, Lee Chung-Yong and their Swedish striker, Johan Elmander. However, both players will be missing in the game against QPR for a very different reason. Elmander has left for Galatasaray while Lee Chung-Yong suffered a broken leg during its pre-season friendly game.

QPR will be looking forward for their first Premier League home game after being absent from the top flight for 15 years. However, I believe Bolton will have the resilient to hold QPR to a draw.

Barclays Premier League: Fulham vs. Aston Villa

Bobby Zamora will lead the Fulham attack against Aston Villa despite having a broken hand.

The England striker suffered the injury playing at NK Split in the Europa League two weeks ago, but played the return leg while wearing a protective cast and will do the same on Saturday. John Arne Riise is likely to make his Premier League debut for the Cottagers but his brother Bjorn Helge is out with a minor hamstring problem and Simon Davies (knee) is also unavailable. Jol had worried that this weekend's clash in London would be called off due to the unrest in the capital.

With the game now being given the go-ahead, Jol is relishing his return to the English top flight after spending the last six weeks playing Europa League qualifiers against sub-standard opposition. "We are very happy that the game is on," Jol said. "The main thing was that we wanted to play football.”I don't see there is a lot of difference in playing friendlies (or playing in the Europa League qualifiers). It wasn't as if we were playing Inter Milan or Ajax. It was Crusaders and Split. "Hopefully it will have given us enough preparation for the season." Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has virtually a full squad to pick from.

Striker Darren Bent and central defender James Collins have recovered from shoulder and back injuries respectively which prevented their involvement with England and Wales this week. Charles N'Zogbia and Shay Given are poised for their league debuts following their summer arrivals with Rangers target Carlos Cuellar (knee) the only player unavailable for selection. McLeish has called for patience from Aston Villa fans accustomed to demanding success as he sets his sights on a season of "steady progress." In an ideal world, McLeish would like to surpass the 2010-11 achievement of finishing ninth and challenge for a European spot. But he is also realistic after losing several experienced players this summer, including Stewart Downing and Ashley Young, and having to reduce a sizeable wage bill.

McLeish is looking for some of the club's promising youngsters, such as Fabian Delph, to make their mark plus players out in the cold under Gerard Houllier in Stephen Warnock and Stephen Ireland. The Scot said: "We've lost some very experienced players, don't forget, and we are looking for young players to make the breakthrough.”That might not happen so people may have to be patient in terms of where we finish in the league. We finished very healthily in ninth position after the first half of last season was difficult. "If we can maintain a steady progress throughout the season, that would be heading in the right direction.”Would a top 10 finish would be okay? I think that would terrific. I think that would be an achievement for the players but we will try and aim higher than that."

Betting Recommendation

Fulham’s new boss Martin Jol had the opportunity to gather a few competitive games thanks to the Europa League qualifying albeit against weaker sides. Fulham have beaten Crusaders from the Northern Ireland and Split of Croatia to qualify for the next playoff round. Thus, Martin Jol’s men should be match fit and more settled ahead of the clash with Aston Villa.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa, also with new manager, Alex McLeish, who made the controversial switch from relegated Birmingham City to cross-city rivals Villa in the off-season, have suffered from the lost of key men in Ashley Young and Stewart Downing. With both starting wingers leaving the club, McLeish will most likely field Marc Albrighton and his newly acquired winger from Wigan Athletic, Charles N’Zogbia, alongside with Stilian Petrov and Barry Bannan in the middle.

The lost of the key men in Downing and Young, in my opinion, has weakened the midfield area for Aston Villa. N’Zogbia prefers to take players on rather than putting crosses in for the always dangerous Darren Bent. Fulham to beat Aston Villa will be my choice for this game together with a small wager on Fulham winning to nil.

Arsenal Sign Costa Rica's Joel Campbell

Arsenal have agreed terms with the Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa to sign the striker Joel Campbell. The 19-year-old was in his country's squad for the Copa América and the Under-20 World Cup.

Arsenal revealed on Friday that the transfer is subject to the completion of "formal agreements and processes". The manager Arsène Wenger told www.arsenal.com: "Joel Campbell has already shown that he is a player with great ability and has also performed well on the international stage at a young age.

"We look forward to the formalities of the transfer being completed and working with Joel when he joins us at Arsenal."

Campbell is predominantly left-footed and has made six full international appearances, scoring twice. He scored on his debut in a 5-0 win over Cuba at this year's Concacaf Gold Cup, helping his side reach the quarter-finals.

Campbell has had two seasons in his native Primera División, where he played for Deportivo Saprissa and on loan at Puntarenas, making a total of eight league appearances.

Man United And Arsenal In £10m Battle To Sign France Playmaker

Manchester United and Arsenal are set to battle it out for highly-rated France playmaker Marvin Martin.

The Sochaux midfielder burst onto the scene last season with a series of outstanding performances that saw him dubbed the 'French Xavi'.

Interest is mounting in the 23-year-old, with free-spending PSG as well as Arsenal and Manchester keen on the France international.

Martin has revealed he would be tempted to move if the terms on the table were acceptable to both Sochaux and himself, with the Ligue 1 outfit reportedly demanding a fee in the region of £10m.

The Red Devils are on the lookout for a replacement for the retired Paul Scholes and have turned to Martin after growing frustrated in their pursuit of Inter Milan's Wesley Sneijder, who is demanding a staggering £200,000 week in wages.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has received glowing reports on the France international having sent several scouts to monitor the youngster's Ligue 1 performances last term.

While Arsenal scout Giles Grimandi is big admirer of Martin having watched him progress from Sochuax's prestigious youth academy to the clubs first-team squad and has urged Arsene Wenger to make a move for the diminutive midfielder.

Martin is a number of candidates Wenger is considering to replace the soon to be departed Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, with Valencia's Juan Mata and Shakhtar Donetsk’s Jadson linked with a move to the Emirates.

Spurs To Offer Cash Plus Bassong To Land Samba

Spurs have stepped up their interest in Blackburn defender Chris Samba and are ready to offer cash plus Sebastian Bassong as part of the deal.

The Congo international has expressed his desire to leave Ewood Park, despite signing a new five-year contract earlier this year.

It’s been reported that Arsenal is his preferred destination, but north London rivals Spurs look in pole position to land the 27-year-old stopper.

And they are ready to part company with 26-year-old Bassong, who has fallen down the pecking order at White Hart Lane, in a bid to push the deal through.

The Cameroon international joined Spurs from Newcastle in 2008 and started just 12 league games last season.

Catania Sign Free Agent David Suazo

Catania have snapped up free agent David Suazo, the club said via a statement on Friday.

The 31-year-old was expected to rejoin Cagliari after leaving Inter in June following the expiry of his contract at San Siro.

The forward spent a few weeks training with the Sardinian side, but recently left after being told that a deal was not forthcoming, giving Catania the chance to land him instead.

A statement on the club's official website reads:

"Calcio Catania S.p.A communicates to have acquired David Suazo on a permanent basis. Suazo signed a one-year deal until June 30, 2012, but he has to option to extend until 2013."

The Honduras international was at Inter last season but he never featured.

Roma Look At Thiago Alcantara

Roma are looking to another Barcelona and Spain young talent, as they resume a bid for Thiago Alcantara.

The 20-year-old has shot to fame in the last few months with pre-season appearances for Barça.

He also made his senior Spain international debut in their 2-1 friendly defeat to Italy this week.

Former Barcelona B Coach Luis Enrique has already brought Bojan Krkic over to Roma and is reportedly setting his sights on Alcantara.

His contract with Barcelona runs to 2013 and he has quickly become very hot property on the transfer market.

Thiago Alcantara was born in Italy because his father, Brazilian Mazinho, was playing for Lecce at the time.

He grew up largely in Spain and has opted to play his international football for his adopted country.

Zenit St. Petersburg's Fernando Meira Will Sign For Real Zaragoza

Zenit St. Petersburg coach Luciano Spalletti has confirmed that defender Fernando Meira is on the verge of joining Real Zaragoza.

The Portugal international has the subject of a rumoured move to the Zaragoza since last summer, when the Spanish side first baulked at the 33-year-old's transfer fee.

However, the two clubs now appear to be edging closer to an agreement for Meira, who joined Zenit from Galatasaray in 2009 for €4.5 million.

The centre-back has been a fringe figure at Zenit since the arrival of compatriot Bruno Alves from Porto last summer, and is looking to move on as a result.

"Yes, Meira will effectively be transferred to Zaragoza. He needs playing time, so he cannot stay in the team," AS quote Spalletti as saying.

The former Benfica and Stuttgart man is regarded as a replacement for Matteo Contini, who has been loaned out to Siena.