Sports Pundit’s Game of the Weekend;
Liverpool v Arsenal English Premier League’‘Sunday, 5pm (Central European Time)’’
The new English Premiership season gets underway on Saturday, but on Sunday two of the nation’s biggest clubs go head-to-head in an intriguing battle.
Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal weren’t far off the leaders last term and have worked hard to retain key midfielder Cesc Fabregas in the off-season whilst adding some quality upfront in Marouane Chamakh.
Meanwhile, it’s been all change up on the red half of the Mersey River, with Roy Hodgson replacing Rafa Benitez at the helm for Liverpool. Hodgson has brought with him England international Jole Cole and Danish star Christian Poulsen, while he’s secured Fernando Torres’ future for another year at least.
Hodgson’s arrival has been a boost after a poor term last season, but can it inspire the Reds to victory over the Gunners.
Other games worth watching this weekend;
Tottenham v Manchester City English Premier League’‘Saturday, 1.45pm (CET)’’
Spurs broke the stronghold of the big four on the top four in England last season, while big-spending Manchester City looked on with envy.
The Sky Blues, though, have responded by making a host of new signings including Spanish winger David Silva, young Italian star Mario Balotelli and Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure. But will all their big-spending result in trophies, or will it be another false dawn under Roberto Mancini? Spurs won’t be an easy start for City.
Bucaspor v Besiktas> Turkish Super Lig’‘Saturday, 9pm (CET)’’
Ask any Turkish football fan about this off-season and they’ll tell you newly promoted Bucaspor and 2008/2009 champions Besiktas have made the big moves with several impressive signings.
Perhaps Besiktas’ biggest acquisiton is the move for ex-Real Madrid boss Bernd Schuster. The German won the title in Spain and could be a major influence, while he’s brought with him Guti and Ricardo Quaresma. For newly promoted, Bucaspor this will an interesting start to their Super Lig campaign.
FC Barcelona v Sevilla Spanish Super Copa’‘Saturday, 10pm (CET)’’
Spanish football returns this weekend as the Super Copa provides the perfect precursor before La Liga gets underway.
Barcelona are sure to have a challenge in La Liga this term from Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid. The Catalans, though, have retained most of their key men but bolstered their playing stocks with Spanish World Cup star David Villa arriving. How Villa fares with his new teammates will be worth watching.
Lille v PSG> French Ligue 1’‘Sunday, 9pm (CET)’’
After plenty of seasons of frustration, French capital club Paris Saint Germain begun the Ligue 1 campaign in ideal fashion last week with a 3-1 win over St Etienne. It’s inspired increased ambitions in Paris.
But the journey to Lille is never easy, especially considering Rudi Garcia’s men (who narrowly missed qualification for the UEFA Champions League last term) have retained stars such as Eden Hazard and Yoann Cabaye. For PSG – who had new signing Nene score last weekend – this will be a real test of their credentials.