Archived Premier League Football Betting Tips

Roy Keane showed in his first season in management that he's nobody's fool and played a big part in getting Sunderland into the Premier league when he took over after a poor start to last season. He's had full backing from the board and has been quite active in the transfer market looking for value players that are capable at Premier league level. The Mackems, with Keane at the helm, have the potential to be the surprise package this time around and no side will relish an away trip to the Stadium of Light, but hotly tipped Spurs are the first to make the arduous visit and will want to start their season well. Jol has been given funds to strengthen his team and has had the luxury of not losing any of the players that made such an impact last season. Spurs' second consecutive fifth position has everyone drooling at this season's promise but if Jol is to keep the fans and the board happy, then Spurs will have to break into the top four and Darren Bent will have to deliver a decent return on his £16.5m investment. Jol has pulled together arguably the best crop of young players in the Premier league (many of them English) and now is the time to reap the benefit. Sunderland will be no pushover but Spurs might just nick it.

The irony of this fixture coming at the earliest point in the calendar won't be lost on either Sam Allardyce or Sammy Lee. The question for Bolton will be whether or not Big Sam's old number two has what it takes to keep the club performing at the same level or possibly even taking it forward; to be honest, maybe Sammy Lee's bitten off more than he can chew and Allardyce's shoes will prove too big. Bolton have signed a glut of players, none of which really stand out, and the big loss could turn out to be Ben Haim to Chelsea. Their opponents, Newcastle, are enjoying their new funding and their new manager hasn't wasted any time in sorting the wheat from the chaff and strengthening where required i.e. in defence and attack. Owen looks like he'll miss the start but they now have additional cover with Viduka and Smith; 2 excellent acquisitions amongst a fair number of shrewd purchases. Allardyce will be eager to put one over on his old side and get his new side off to the best possible start.

Billy Davies has already admitted that he only has 75% of the squad that he feels is able to compete in the Premier league, and it won't be until the end of the transfer window that he hopes to have a full complement of players. Davies is probably not selling himself short as it's the reality of their situation; Derby are favourites to finish bottom so they're likely to take a leaf out of Watford's book by doing as well as they can with the resources available and not embarass themselves financially. The key is building for the future and they'll want a squad that can propel them back up to the Premier league should they suffer relegation. Portsmouth are the visitors to Pride Park and whilst their away record isn't fantastic, Harry has been splashing the cash to reinforce the areas that looked vulnerable. Both Nugent and Utaka are unknowns at Premier league level and represent big risks but the dividends could be big. The Pompey manager has also brought in Distin and Hreidarsson as backup for Campbell and Primus, as well as addressing the end of Johnson's loan period from Chelsea. Portsmouth haven't lost any key players and should be expected to go to Derby and get a result.

The Toffees probably did better than expected last season but Moyes has failed to attract any highly rated talent in the close season; ever the Scotsman and not keen to splash out this could be their downfall but at least they have tightened up their squad ridding themselves of some dead weight. Top six will again be a tough call but at least Everton should get off to a good start at home against a Wigan side that just managed to escape relegation last time around. The departure of Jewell plus key players (Baines, de Zeeuw and MCulloch) will leave Wigan in unknown territory and Chris Hutchings will have his work cut out in his first season as a fledgling manager at the top end of his profession, the Premier league. Most Evertonians are right behind their manager and should be expected to be right behind their team when they get off to a winning start.

Once again Boro survived a disappointing season but Southgate needed (and was given) time in his first season at the helm, and I'd expect the chairman will be asking for some improvement during this campaign. At least he managed to sign Woodgate on a permanent deal but the loss of Viduka could have further reaching implications; when Yakubu's goals dried up towards the end of last season, Viduka was the man converting goals into precious points. They play host to a Blackburn side that missed out on Europe last season despite a late run of good form. Hughes has strengthened his squad with the highly rated Santa Cruz and the promising young Dutchman, Rigters. A sure sign of which way they are headed was the fact that Hughes held on to the likes of McCarthy and Pedersen, and there's no doubt Bentley will be fit after walking out on the England under 21 side. Once again, Boro are in for a tough time and it's likely to be a home defeat in their first game.

Sven finally took over at Eastlands and has wasted no time in spending the cash on European 'talent'. Either Sven is exceedingly shrewd and he has the players to take the Premier league by storm or he hasn't yet realised what the Premier league is about. Will his new crop of players have the passion, work for the team and be able to produce the goods when they have to go away from home and dig out a result? Time will tell! At least the FA aren't still paying him! They travel to Upton Park where West Ham will be desperate to make a better start than they did last season. Their eventual survival saw some good young players come through, such as Mark Noble, even though others decided they would rather move elsewhere. If Curbishley can get the most out of Bellamy without him upsetting the rest of the squad, and they can keep the likes of Ashton injury free, then it could be an enjoyable season for the Hammers. If West Ham start quickly they could well knock Sven's new look City side out of their stride.

Villa's squad is fairly thin after O'Neill finally decided to part with a host of players that didn't fit into his plans Although they have some very good young players, the worry will be that they need to make a few more signings in addition to Reo-Coker and Harewood. Villa finally have a new chairman and a manager coveted by numerous other clubs, the honeymoon period is over and better things will be expected of them this time around. Liverpool are the vistors to Villa Park and most Villans will be hoping that the Reds start in the same fashion as they did last year; a draw away at Sheffield Utd and finding goals very difficult to come by, they had a pretty disappointing start to the season. Benitez has been given time and money, and the one prize everyone at Anfield wants is the Premier league; much is resting on Torres's shoulders to provide the ammunition and with 2 decent wide men maybe Gerrard will resume his most effective role in the centre. Liverpool's weakness could again be new players gelling as a team in such a short space of time and consequently finding the back of the net; the suspicion is that Villa could be good enough for a draw.

Arsenal are once again being touted as the big underachievers as this season kicks off; the loss of Henry, Ljungberg and Dein, and their respective experience shouldn't be underestimated. However, Wenger has never bought big; generally, he buys young or lesser known players with the intention of developing them over a couple of years. This season it's likely to be the turns of van Persie, Fabregas and Gilberto to grab the headlines but any serious injuries could scupper the Gunners' chances of a top four place; if all goes well, Henry going could have done them a favour. Their opponents, Fulham, now have Sanchez in charge and if anyone likes an upset, it's the ex-Wimbledon FA Cup final scorer of the winning goal. Lawrie hasn't bought big but turned to players he thinks can do a job for him; team spirit will be the main ingredient at Craven Cottage and with any luck , David Healy will be able to provide the goods at the highest level. Fulham should do better this season but they are unlikely to return with anything from the Emirates.

Chelsea's grip on the Premier league fell by the wayside last season and the consolation prize of the FA Cup didn't quite atone for losing out to Man Utd. The Blues have since strengthened with the signings of Malouda, Sidwell, Ben Haim and Pizarro but their injuries are mounting with the season so close to kickoff. Key players Terry and Drogba both look to be out of the opening fixture and a whole host of other big names seem to be carrying niggles, but such is the size and quality of their squad that they should still be expected to secure victory at home to newly promoted Birmingham. Steve Bruce has done some rebuilding work with the Premier league in mind but many are already touting his side to drop straight back down; however, Bruce has been here before and will no doubt be better prepared this time around. Chelsea's side will be depleted but Birmingham will still face a team that cost far more money to assemble than Bruce has ever had. Injuries aside, the result should go Chelsea's way.