Premier League Fantasy Football GW 1 2022 (August 5-7)

The Winter World Cup has long been expected to have a big impact on the European club calendar and it has been the problem that most anticipated as soon as it was announced that Qatar could not back up their boasts of being able to play in the incredibly hot summer the country has every year.

So that means sixteen Premier League GameWeeks have been crammed into the calendar between August 5th and November 13th, while two Rounds of the League Cup and all six Champions League/Europa League/Europa Conference League Group Match Days will have to be completed by November 13th too.

Take away a two week international break in late September and most of the top clubs are going to be asked to play every few days from the end of this month right through to the second week of November.

Most managers will be pleased with the five substitution rule to try and keep players fresh, but I do think the World Cup has a potential to play real havoc on the 2022/23 season with the disruption of the six week break between GameWeek 16 and GameWeek 17 likely to quell all momentum.

Last season I had to take a break from these weekly threads because of work, but I also had a really poor middle to the Fantasy campaign, which meant needing to drop back and think again... A stronger last couple of months is encouraging, but I will get into my thoughts about the upcoming season below.

First, I will have a few thoughts about Manchester United and where the club stand on the eve of a new season.

United Corner

After what can only be described as a miserable season, the proverb 'the more things change, the more they stay the same' is my overriding feeling going into the 2022/23 campaign.

A new manager has arrived... A new 'football operations' team have also been put in place... But while the Glazer family continue to see Manchester United as little more than a 'cash cow', it feels like the entire club is being hamstrung by an ownership that has shown very little interest in trying to improve fortunes in a manner most football fans would expect.

Namely to have success on the field.

Ever since Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill walked out of the door in the same summer of 2013, Manchester United have to be one of the poorest run clubs out of the 'big' European clubs around. A scatter gun approach to picking a manager, buying players has hurt on the pitch, while Old Trafford and Carrington have not been improved and fallen behind some of the other Stadiums and training facilities that have popped up around the country and continent.

So when the news broke that Dick 'Ed Woodward was leaving and the new CEO, Richard Arnold, would be changing the approach, it was met with some trepidation and a feeling that the proof will be in the pudding.

The positives were that an overinflated squad, both in terms of numbers and ego, would be trimmed and that has happened with players like Juan Mata, Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard moving on. Others who have been alleged to be involved in some of the major leaks coming out of the dressing room have also been shifted (hello Dean Henderson), and these moves have been welcomed by the fans.

BUT most fans would also have expected to have seen some replacements being brought in to improve the quality of the squad for the new manager Erik ten Hag who has done a very good job previously with Ajax.

Instead one left back, one centre half and an attacking midfielder have been the sole purchases made... After finishing 6th and seemingly miles off the top four pace.

All five clubs that finished above Manchester United have done sound business in the transfer window and mostly in time for the start of this season. Even West Ham United have signed a couple of players to improve the squad, while keeping Declan Rice, and all the while Manchester United's new 'footballing operations' team have been stuck on a never-ending deal to try and sign Frenkie de Jong.

I understand Erik ten Hag's mindset of not just adding to the squad for the sake of it, but how short do Manchester United look in centre midfield and in the attacking areas- right now I would not be surprised if someone told me the club were expecting Mason Greenwood back, despite the extremely disturbing allegations made against him, and that was the main reason they have allowed themselves to look as short of depth as they do.

With Cristiano Ronaldo angling to move away, Manchester United look like they could be one or two injuries away from having a real disaster and that is simply not good enough when pushing a 'new era' on the fans.

There is no doubt that getting transfers concluded is difficult, but the other main top four rivals all seem to manage it and there was a time when Manchester United would have been doing the same. The window is open for another month, but I have already mentioned how tight the schedule is over the next three months and that means a poor start could quickly spiral out of control.

And it is a tough start- Brighton and Brentford have shown they are very capable of springing a surprise and the month is rounded out with away trips to Southampton and Leicester City where United picked up a total of a single point in the corresponding fixtures last season. We won't mention which team is turning up to Old Trafford in the second home League game.

I won't deny that I have been encouraged by what I have seen from Erik ten Hag and his team in pre-season, but the squad depth is something the manager is clearly worried about. He must be wondering whether the Ronaldo issue can be contained, while some key players were so short of confidence last season that it may only take one or two poor results to put them back in a very negative space.

It is an incredibly difficult job with the limitations being put on the club from the very top, but another poor transfer window suggests nothing has changed.

Even now it wouldn't be a big surprise if the Old Trafford re-development spoken about will end with the club putting out a statement that the switch in the home dugout was all that was needed.

You can't help but be worried about the next ten months barring some big business being done between now and September 1st. The de Jong saga continues to suggest the club have learnt very little from Woodward's disastrous time at the helm and I do think things could quickly go very wrong for the new manager and this limited squad.

The top four places look like they will be too far away in his first season, but Erik ten Hag has to be giving the Europa League plenty of concentration with the second avenue into the Champions League arguably looking the 'easier' to negotiate.

As a fan I think we always go into the new season feeling positive, but another poor window after a truly pathetic season has knocked all that out of me before a ball has been kicked. The players will be under big pressure to win on Sunday, which I think they can manage, but the real tests come afterwards with three away games and Liverpool at home likely to give us a real indication of what lies ahead at Old Trafford.

The manager has to be backed and getting behind the team is very important, but this has been far from an ideal preparation to 'bounce back' and it truly feels like the more things change, the more they stay the same as has been the case at Manchester United over the last decade.

Premier League GameWeek 1 Fixtures

I am going to place my best picks from the weekend Premier League fixtures here and then we will move into the Fantasy Football portion of the thread.

Crystal Palace v Arsenal Pick: The Premier League begins slightly earlier than when we normally expect it as room is being made for the Winter World Cup beginning in November.

Every top flight club around Europe is in for a challenging period with a huge amount of games crammed into the 'first half' of the 2022/23 season.

Five subs have been introduced to the Premier League to ease some of the demands on the players, while fans will bounce into the new season with plenty of hopes for their own clubs.

Crystal Palace and Arsenal fans have every reason to believe this could be a strong season- both overachieved last year and the feeling is that they can build on the performances and successes. For Arsenal fans in particular, pre-season has raised all expectations, while the arrivals of players like Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus can improve not only the squad, but the actual starting eleven.

There is a lot of encouragement from the pre-season performances Arsenal have produced, but this is a far more difficult test than the prices indicate. Last season Arsenal were beaten in 9 of their 19 away League games, while 4 of their 9 away wins came at the eventual bottom four.

Only 4 of the 9 away Premier League wins came by more than one goal margins and it is hard to forget how poorly Arsenal played away from home down the stretch with 4 losses in their last 6 away League games.

They are also facing a Crystal Palace team who are unbeaten in 8 home games in all competitions and who crushed Arsenal in April. Manchester City failed to win here last season, both North London clubs were beaten and Chelsea and Liverpool needed 89 minute goals to secure their victories at Selhurst Park.

Too many draws held Crystal Palace back here, but they were only beaten in 4 of 19 home League games and I do think the odds are shortening on Arsenal as fans clamour to back a team who have won well in pre-season. This is an early start so there will be some off-season rust to shake off, but Crystal Palace have long enjoyed playing at home and they have enjoyed facing Arsenal with a single loss in 8 against them.

First goals will be crucial on the opening weekend with fitness perhaps making it more difficult to fight back, but I do think Crystal Palace have been underestimated here. Twelve months ago Arsenal were losing at another London club in the opening Premier League fixture and I think the start being offered to The Eagles is far too big to ignore.

Fulham v Liverpool Pick: Any team that is promoted to the Premier League will have one main ambition of consolidating their place at this level.

For clubs like Norwich City and Fulham, it has been very difficult to strike the right balance between the Championship and Premier League and they have once again traded places in the top flight.

Fulham have earned promotion for the third time in recent seasons, but the two previous campaigns having ended in relegation from the Premier League in 2019 and 2021. This time Marco Silva gets the opportunity to guide the club and he has not been as active in the transfer market as predecessor Scott Parker was in the 2021 campaign when signing a host of players before a ball had been kicked.

Consistency with the players may be a bonus for Fulham, but they have only won 13 of their last 57 Premier League fixtures at Craven Cottage. They are going to need to find a way to be much more competitive here and an early reminder of the challenge of the Premier League will be given to them as Liverpool visit on the opening weekend.

13 away wins from 19 League games shows how good Liverpool can be and this team will be bouncing after beating Manchester City 3-1 in the Community Shield. Darwin Nunez is off the mark to ease the pressure of coming in to replace Sadio Mane, while Liverpool have scored at least three goals in beating Norwich City (twice) and Leeds United as newly-promoted opponents in the last three seasons.

Only Leeds United were competitive and Liverpool won 0-3 at Carrow Road twelve months ago. Recent visits to Craven Cottage have been tricky, but you have to believe Liverpool can get off to a strong start to the Premier League campaign and I expect the talent difference to be obvious by the end of this fixture.

In their last Premier League season, Fulham were beaten 0-3 by Arsenal on the opening weekend and I do think they will struggle to keep Liverpool at bay. The visitors won well at Norwich City, Leeds United and Watford last season with Liverpool scoring at least three goals in each of those games and I do think they can produce enough in the final third to secure a relatively comfortable win on Saturday.

Bournemouth v Aston Villa Pick: Scott Parker was massively backed by the Fulham board two seasons ago ahead of the Premier League return, but his squad didn't even break the 30 point mark and were soundly relegated to the Championship.

He is back with a different club so has to be respected for managing another team out of the tough second tier, but Scott Parker has to accept he has benefited from guiding another former Premier League club. It means operating with a financial edge over most in the Championship, but this time Bournemouth have been a bit more frugal than Fulham and the manager feels his squad are not prepared for the Premier League.

It probably doesn't bode well that Bournemouth face Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool before the end of August and that also means pressure on Scott Parker to deliver a positive result on the opening weekend. His team did play well at home last season, but injury and key players returning to their parent clubs after loans means Bournemouth look vulnerable in a number of areas on the pitch.

The big question is whether this Aston Villa team with big ambitions can expose some of those vulnerabilities in this match.

Steven Gerrard has been well backed and being able to bring in Neil Critchley to assist in the coaching looks a solid move. His first eleven has been improved by the signings of Diego Carlos and Boubacar Kamara, while Aston Villa did win 6 of 13 away Premier League games following Steven Gerrard's arrival as manager.

The wins at Norwich City, Everton, Leeds United and Burnley in that time are particularly notable and Aston Villa were a little more effective in the system away from home than at Villa Park. A much healthier squad is available to the visiting team and I do think there is enough quality to beat a Bournemouth team that may be the weakest in the Premier League this season, barring some incredible recruiting before September.

Scott Parker's Fulham were beaten in 13 of 19 home Premier League games in his only full season as a Premier League manager two seasons ago and they were hammered 0-3 by Arsenal on the opening weekend. Bournemouth are unlikely to be beaten by such a margin in this one, but I do think Aston Villa can edge to the victory and look worth backing on the Asian Handicap which will return half the stake in the event of a draw.

Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton Pick: Opening day fixtures can be difficult to get a good read on, but it may be especially difficult in the 2022/23 season considering the earlier start than usual.

In saying that, there is much excitement about this Tottenham Hotspur team and the squad that has been constructed for Antonio Conte. It looks to have more depth and a solid starting eleven that could give any team a run for their money on Tottenham Hotspur's best day (win over Manchester City and a draw at Liverpool under Conte underlines the point).

Tottenham Hotspur look fresh going into the season and they are not having the same drama as twelve months ago when Harry Kane was linked with a move to Manchester City. Being more settled and with a manager who has been as effective as Antonio Conte has been gives Spurs plenty of optimism and I do think they will have too much for Southampton.

Ralph Hasenhuttl has to be respected and he has certainly been able to keep his players motivated even when things have begun to look like they are spiralling out of control. A poor end to last season has put the manager under some pressure and the early fixtures are not that encouraging, especially as Southampton look like a squad that could potentially struggle in the top flight.

A lack of goals is one thing, but Southampton have conceded far too many away from home and I do think they could be put under immense pressure by Tottenham Hotspur who have had strong underlying numbers since Antonio Conte has taken over as manager.

You cannot completely dismiss Southampton- this is an opening fixture and sometimes that can mean fitness is not where the favourites would like. Last season Southampton also won here and earned draws at Manchester City and Manchester United, but I do think Tottenham Hotspur were very efficient at home under Conte and 6 wins from 7 Premier League games here backs that up.

If Spurs can go in front early as they did when these teams met in February, I do think this current squad has a tougher feel about them defensively. This time I would imagine they would not allow Southampton back in as easily as they did several months ago and I think Tottenham Hotspur will have the firepower to secure a relatively strong win on Saturday afternoon.

Everton v Chelsea Pick: Both Everton and Chelsea will feel they had underachieving seasons in the 2021/22 campaign, and both sets of fans may be a little worried by the transfer market business being done by their respective boards.

Frank Lampard has made it clear that his players have to produce much more if they are going to operate higher up the League table, but poor recruitment has caught up with Everton. Now they have had to sell Richarlison and not been able to spend that money as they would have done in previous seasons and it means Lampard has a tough job in front of him.

At least his Everton team used the home crowd effectively and they were tough to play here down the stretch. Frank Lampard will need all that and more and better health for Dominic Calvert-Lewin who is the absolute key for the team. The English striker is a doubt for this weekend and that is not going to be good news for an Everton team lacking the depth they need.

His counterpart hasn't been much happier with the incomings at Stamford Bridge and Thomas Tuchel may feel he is going into the season with one hand tied behind his back. Big names have departed, but the signings of Kalidou Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling have not been enough to believe Chelsea can close in on the current top two.

More players are likely to arrive, but not early enough to expect them to have an impact in this opening fixture of the season. Chelsea have long struggled to play at Goodison Park and they have lost 4 in a row here, including back in May.

Jordan Pickford had a huge game for Everton that day and will be a key player again for the home team, although Chelsea may have better balance with Ben Chilwell back from a long-term injury. The bigger question for Chelsea is whether they can find a bit more consistency in the final third having ended a long way short of Liverpool and Manchester City in terms of goals last season.

An opening day fixture could see players struggle to maintain their intensity for the full ninety minutes and this may be a tough game for both teams. 8 of the last 10 between Everton and Chelsea have ended in three or fewer goals shared out, including both last season, and I do think this could be a game in which the defences largely come out on top.

I expect Chelsea to have the majority of the play, but Everton showed they can batten down the hatches at home under Frank Lampard and I would not be surprised to see a low-scoring start to the campaign in this late Saturday live offering.

Leicester City v Brentford Pick: Barely missing out on a top four finish in 2020 and 2021 and winning the FA Cup has certainly raised expectations around Leicester City and so the very difficult 2021/22 campaign was one that would have hurt the players as much as the fans.

Brendan Rodgers will point to the injury issues throughout the season, but that won't be enough to appease fans wondering why Leicester City have yet to make a signing. Now clubs like Newcastle United and Chelsea are sniffing around some of the better players on the roster and it will certainly be difficult for Leicester City to ignore the bids if the prices set are met.

Wesley Fofana is one that looks like he wants out, while James Maddison has been a little more silent, but it does not help the manager or their team-mates. Leicester City are about to lose Kasper Schmeichel already and there is a feeling that Brendan Rodgers could soon be feeling the pressure if the team make a slow start.

Thomas Frank certainly has more scope for early error with his Brentford team having guided them to promotion and then setting the club into 13th place in the Premier League last season. There are growing expectations around the 'bus stop in Hounslow', although I think Brentford's board would take another year of consolidation.

Losing Christian Eriksen is a blow, despite the solid signings that have been made, and I do think that will hurt Brentford. They were struggling before Eriksen made a big impact with the team and the injuries to some key defensive players ahead of the opening fixture are worrying.

Brentford have not really enjoyed playing Leicester City over the last couple of years with four losses to them during that time. Both Premier League games finished 2-1 in favour of Leicester City and a much healthier squad at Brendan Rodgers' disposal can secure the full three points in this one.

It could be one of the better games of the opening weekend with two teams that like to get the ball down and play attacking football- my only concern for Leicester City is the upheaval that players who wish to leave could cause, but I think Rodgers will have the team ready to compete on Sunday.

Jamie Vardy's wife suffered a demoralising defeat in the United Kingdom courts at the end of July, but the striker can help his team get off to a strong start in August and I think Leicester City are fairly priced to be backed for a win.

Manchester United v Brighton Pick: A new era is beginning at Old Trafford on Sunday, although expectations are much lower amongst the fanbase compared with twelve months ago. After a decent season, Manchester United fans were hoping to see a genuine Premier League title challenge put together, but instead it was a campaign where they missed out of Champions League Football and went through three different managers.

Erik ten Hag will be given time to implement his style, but there has to be some frustration with the poor transfer window up to this point. Instead of having a full squad to work with before the opening fixture, the new manager is still waiting to hear if his top midfield target will be purchased and Erik ten Hag has also asked for more attacking options.

Early pre-season form was decent, but it is all about the real thing on Sunday and Manchester United fans will be judging the players very quickly. Most of those who will be playing on Sunday were also involved in the 4-0 loss at Brighton in May and they will be asked to at least show they care a lot more than they seemed to do in the latter weeks of the last season.

This is far from an easy test for Manchester United as they host a Brighton team who had their highest League finish of all time just a few months ago. Graham Potter continues to get plenty out of his squad and Brighton continue to thrive even when selling some important players.

It has been a summer where Yves Bissouma has moved on and Brighton could also be losing Marc Cucerella, but before last season they allowed Ben White to leave and it did not stop the development of the team. They are a well run club who will find replacements for quality leaving and Brighton proved they can be a stubborn team to play on their travels having ended the season with wins at Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

Brighton have yet to earn a result at Old Trafford since returning to the top flight and I do think the loss of Bissouma will hurt.

Graham Potter's team try to play football and that does earn them results, but also means the top teams can enjoy the matches against Brighton. Manchester United do need to get more out of the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho, but it does feel like they can hurt Brighton as they have tended to do in recent seasons.

It could be an enjoyable match to watch with both teams likely to want to produce plenty of attacking threat. The quality should be with the home team even off a really poor season and I do think Manchester United can score at least twice in a home win to open this campaign.

West Ham United v Manchester City Pick: For most teams you would consider a visit to the London Stadium to be a tough test, but the layers are taking no chances with Champions Manchester City who are plenty short in the market to win here.

It says more about Manchester City and the expectations around them rather than any weakness about West Ham United, but Pep Guardiola will not be worrying about the odds. Instead he will be reminding his players that West Ham United have given them plenty of tough tests in recent times and David Moyes has added some key players to his squad.

Manchester City are potentially down a couple of centre backs for this game and that will be encouraging for a West Ham United team who have been very effective at the London Stadium in the Premier League over the last couple of seasons. In both they have also held Manchester City to draws having scored first and I do think the defensive issues could be exploited by the home team.

Last season Tottenham Hotspur did beat Manchester City 1-0 on the opening weekend and the season before saw the eventual Champions win 1 of their opening 3 fixtures. I do think Manchester City created enough last week in the Community Shield to suggest they will be very difficult to contain when going forward, but West Ham United have plenty who offer a counter attack and that could see them hit the back of the net.

West Ham United scored in every home Premier League game last season and have only failed to score here in 3 of their last 40 League fixtures. I do think Manchester City's dominance of the ball means they will not give a lot of goals away, but the last 4 Premier League fixtures between these clubs have all ended with both teams hitting the back of the net and I think that will be the outcome of the last fixture of opening weekend in the 2022/23 season.

MY PICKS: Crystal Palace + 0.75 Asian Handicap @ 1.85 Bet365 (2 Units)

Liverpool - 1.5 Asian Handicap @ 1.76 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Aston Villa - 0.25 Asian Handicap @ 1.75 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Tottenham Hotspur - 1.25 Asian Handicap @ 1.76 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Everton-Chelsea Under 2.5 Goals @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Leicester City @ 2.05 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Manchester United & Over 1 Total Goal @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)

West Ham United-Manchester City BTTS- Yes @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Fantasy Football GameWeek 1

The 2021/22 season may only feel like it ended last week, but the 2022/23 season is now ready to begin.

And that means the FPL Official Game is back!

An ever increasing interest in the game has made things a bit tougher all around, but I do think the Draft option will become more popular in the years ahead, especially for mini-Leagues. It will give the game a different and, in my opinion, a better dynamic with one real life player per mini-League as you would have when playing friends and family in any of the American fantasy games.

However, we are where we are right now and I do think the World Cup is going to be a problem to negotiate for all FPL players.

The game has responded by effectively offering a third Wild Card which will be live between GW16 and GW17, but it also means a slight change in approach to the first Wild Card.

It has to be used before GW16 and the challenge now is when best to play it.

The fixture list to open the season has looked pretty reasonable for the top four sides from last season and I think most are going to be dipping into the Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur squads.

Enablers like Nico Williams, Nathan Patterson, Andreas Pereira have emerged to be very popular within the FPL Community and the price point for players looks to be pretty reasonable in building strong squads to start the season.

For me the biggest questions have been the following:

1) Liverpool Triple Choice?: For most Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah are pretty set, but the big choice looks to be coming down to being between Andrew Robertson and Luis Diaz.

With Diogo Jota expected out for the majority of the month, I can see why Diaz is very popular. Unsurprisingly I think Liverpool and Manchester City will be the top scorers in the opening five GameWeeks, and so having a second player who looks like he will be given significant minutes in the attacking third is hard to ignore.

However, Liverpool also have the potential to pick up a number of clean sheets and that is where Andrew Robertson and the extra £1 million could prove to be key.

He has attacking output potential of his own, especially if Liverpool start Darwin Nunez who is a big target to aim for from crosses, while Robertson has been getting much into the box much more regularly when Luis Diaz is playing in front of him and that could be key to attacking returns.

It is a difficult one, but my lean is towards Robertson at the time of writing.

2) Harry Kane or Erling Haaland?: One of my lessons learnt in previous years is you never go with the shiny new toy joining the Premier League over an established player that is guaranteed plenty of points.

However, Erling Haaland could be the exception at Manchester City despite the horrendous miss in the Community Shield.

Harry Kane has played really well since Antonio Conte arrived as manager of Tottenham Hotspur, has impressed in pre-season and has a much easier looking GW1 fixture... But how can you without Erling Haaland in GW2?

I think Manchester City will create chances for Haaland and for now I would expect him to get plenty of minutes in the legs before rotation kicks in around the Champions League Group games. The Champions have an incredibly good looking fixture list to start the season and with the five subs rule in play, all of their attacking players should get plenty of minutes.

Another approach could be to lock in the GW2 transfer from Kane to Haaland, but those decisions can quickly cause problems in the early weeks of the season when you want to avoid taking too many transfer hits.

I've been back and forth between the players so much that I don't even know who I currently have in the squad- some may feel both are an option, but I think that really hurts the balance of the squad and likely means going without Salah.

3) Two Leicester City GK options at £4 million, too good to be true?: Kasper Schmeichel has departed and Leicester City look like a club having one or two financial problems so the feeling is that they will not be able to buy a replacement and instead will go with Danny Ward or Daniel Iverson.

Regular playing time could see Danny Ward take over as the Wales Number 1 ahead of the World Cup in Qatar and he does seem to have the edge. It frees up funds, but the risk is that you have to make a Goalkeeper transfer if Leicester City do decide to bring in more competition.

Those two tough away games at Arsenal and Chelsea may be when you would like someone else between the sticks, but in general Leicester City don't have a bad looking opening set of fixtures as long as they can keep the likes of Wesley Fofana at the club.

Like many, I have done a little tinkering with the squad in the final run towards the GW1 deadline and I think there will be more done before it all gets underway.

The best advice I can give you right now is not to get too engrossed by all of the 'advice' you see people dishing out in the lead up- there is never a truly right way to play a Fantasy game and going with your gut is important.

However, I would also keep an eye out on some of the ownership percentage of players as this is the time of the season you can lose the game, but not win it.

You don't want to be too far behind come the World Cup, but I do think some of the smaller decisions to balance the squad is where an edge can be made.

It would be a surprise if teams in your mini-League don't include three Liverpool players, while I expect most to have at least two 'premium' players (those priced at £10 million upwards in the game).

Gabriel Jesus had a huge pre-season for Arsenal and looks like entering the season as the most owned player on record at a bargain £8 million price point.

My plan is to post my screenshot of my final selection here on Friday at around 7pm.

Good luck to all playing.

Weekend Football and Fantasy Football GameWeek 1 Picks 2021 (August 13-15)

The last month has been something of a blur and I really can't believe that the new Premier League season is set to get underway this weekend.

It feels like it has come around very quickly following the Euro 2020 delayed Finals, but it is a time for excitement up and down the country. There is always a positive feeling on the eve of a new season, but it feels different this season as for many match-going fans it will be the chance to return to grounds for the first time in around seventeen months.

I will be at Old Trafford for the Saturday lunch time kick off and I do think Manchester United have all of the tools to have a very successful season. Making a strong start is so important to clubs at the top of the Premier League after the kind of standards that have been set in recent campaigns and so there can't be a feeling out process or any excuses for poor results.

You can read my thoughts on the opening weekend fixtures below before I get onto the Fantasy Football portion of the thread.

Brentford v Arsenal Pick: The Premier League returns on Friday night as Brentford become the 50th club to play at this level since the start of the 1992/93 season.

In recent years Brentford have proved to be one of the best run clubs in England with a business model that has forced outsiders to respect the methods being used. This is a data driven club, but it has proved to be very effective as Brentford have overcome losing some big name players and found the right replacements to keep the club developing in a positive manner.

It has also led to Brentford moving to a new home and the idea was that the Brentford Community Stadium would be ready for Premier League Football as soon as it opened. The Covid-19 pandemic has ensured that dream has come true, albeit in a round about way, and Brentford fans will be piling into the Stadium on Friday to produced an intense atmosphere from the start.

Home advantage was somewhat lost last season as clubs played in front of empty stands, but I do think the return of fans will be a big boost for teams up and down the country. Brentford played well at home last season anyway, but they did have too many draws for Thomas Franks' liking and having the fans pushing the players on should help.

Of course Brentford are playing at a higher level now and they were beaten here by Leicester City in the FA Cup. However, Brentford also reached the League Cup Quarter Final with wins over Southampton, West Brom (Penalties), Fulham and Newcastle United and that should let the players know they are capable of performing against Premier League clubs.

First up is an Arsenal team that will not have European Football on the calendar for the first time in 25 years and who look to have hit a low point in their recent history. They did end the Premier League season in good form which will be encouraging for Mikel Arteta, while Arsenal won 10 of their 19 away Premier League games last season.

Ben White is the only signing of note to this point, but Arsenal have some quality younger players that look to have taken a step forward in their development over the last twelve months. The Gunners still have the quality of Alexandre Lacazette, Nicolas Pepe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the final third too and they were a pretty stubborn team to break down in the Premier League last season before adding Ben White to the mix.

Arsenal were unbeaten away from home at the seven clubs that made up the bottom of the Premier League last season and they won 6 of those games. While I do think Brentford are capable of surviving at this level, Arsenal finished with a top four away defence according to the underlying stats last season and they are capable of opening up with an important win here.

This will be far from easy, especially when you consider how tough Brentford are at home, but the jump in level and the expected improvement of Arsenal gives them an edge here. The Gunners won 0-3 at newly promoted Fulham on the opening weekend of last season and, while the odds on quote is far from appealing, I do think they can open this Premier League campaign with a victory.

It won't be as comfortable as it was in a different part of West London last September, but Arsenal can do just enough to secure the points.

Manchester United v Leeds United Pick: When the fixtures were produced for the 2020/21 season, the one that a lot of Manchester United fans would have most been looking forward to was renewing the rivalry with Leeds United. There is no love lost between the Lancashire-Yorkshire rivals and a real sense of disappointment would have developed when seeing the large majority of the season played behind closed doors.

Things change on Saturday with a full Old Trafford ready to welcome Leeds United back into the big time and there is a real sense of belief that Manchester United are ready to compete for the Premier League title. Buying an experienced, quality defender like Raphael Varane and adding the talent of Jadon Sancho has only improved the starting eleven, although both players will likely begin their Manchester United careers on the bench.

Some doubt is raised by the return of key players from major international tournaments this summer and that does mean Manchester United may have to utilise the squad against one of the tougher teams to face in the Premier League. After finishing 9th in the Premier League table, Leeds United proved the Marcelo Bielsa style can be highly effective in the top flight and the strong end to the season curtailed any concerns about whether the squad could cope with the demands placed on them by the manager.

Leeds United won their last 4 Premier League games and they did win 10 of 19 away League games last season which is an impressive number for a newly promoted club. However, they were beaten in 6 of the 8 away games played at clubs that finished above them in the Premier League table and that includes the heavy defeat at Old Trafford last December.

Marcelo Bielsa showed he learned from some of the early experiences when his Leeds United team were perhaps far too open and they closed out the campaign with a single loss in 11 League games. That was the sole game in which Leeds United conceded more than one goal in that run and they held the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester City below two goals in that time too.

In that time Leeds United also played out a goalless draw with Manchester United and I do think the change in philosophy made Leeds United much tougher to deal with.

I expect they will take that into the opening weekend of the season after losing 4-3 at Anfield in their opening game of the 2020/21 Premier League campaign. The balance between attack and defence helped Leeds United finish up very strongly last time out, and that has to be a concern for Manchester United who will not be able to call on some key players to open this fixture.

An early goal could really spark this fixture, but I think it will be a tight, tough game for both Manchester United and Leeds United. The visitors were vastly more secure defensively in the second half of last season as they got to grips with the Premier League, while Manchester United were tough to break down at times too.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knows the importance of a strong start and I think it will see him look to make life difficult for Leeds United who will be intense and full of energy. That means making sure Manchester United are not overly progressive and looking to take advantage of set pieces, a weakness for Leeds United defensively last season, and I think this might be a low-scoring fixture with neither looking to give too much away.

4 of the last 6 Leeds United Premier League fixtures against clubs that finished above them in the standings finished with fewer than three goals shared out and that may be the case at Old Trafford too.

Burnley v Brighton Pick: Both Burnley and Brighton have to be very happy with the fact they have kept hold of their managers through the summer and both Sean Dyche and Graham Potter are going to be massively important for their respective clubs over the course of the season.

It was so important for Burnley to keep hold of Sean Dyche who has shown he has all of the ability to extract everything out of this squad. He has largely kept Burnley clear of the relegation fight, but Dyche has not been as backed in the transfer market as he would have hoped since the takeover of the club was confirmed.

The January window may have come too soon, but only Nathan Collins has arrived so far in the summer and Burnley are a couple of serious injuries away from struggling. At least they are going into the season with the key players available and with Chris Wood back from the Olympic Games after representing New Zealand.

A strong start will be important for Burnley who ended last season in miserable form. They suffered some heavy defeats at home and the form at Turf Moor will have to be improved significantly if Burnley are going to avoid the drop, but having the fans returning will be a boost.

Brighton are a tough opening fixture for Burnley and one that may give the fans some concern as to the direction the season could be heading. Last season Brighton only finished 2 points above Burnley, but this is a progressive team who would likely be much higher up the League standings if they can find someone to put a clinical touch to all of the build up play.

It may be possible for Brighton to find the improvement in the final third within the squad, but I do think they need to buy a striker who can push Neal Maupay and Danny Welbeck. The latter is too injury prone and will miss out this week and this has proved to be a difficult ground for Brighton to secure the full points.

They certainly look plenty short in the market as one of the 'trendy' picks to finish much higher up the League standings this time around. You can't argue with the quality of chances Brighton can create, but over the second half of the season they did have some difficulties being as effective going forward away from home as they were at The Amex Stadium.

Burnley will have their tried and tested backline together for the opening fixture and I think they can do enough to earn a positive result. It should be another tight fixture with 6 of the last 8 between these clubs ending with fewer than three goals shared out, but Burnley may have enough to at least earn a point in this one.

Brighton should be stronger overall this season, but they had a poor end to the last campaign on their travels and that may show up here.

Chelsea v Crystal Palace Pick: Two years ago Liverpool won the Champions League and followed up by winning the Premier League the following season and it is a path that Chelsea fans believe their team can tread under Thomas Tuchel. The Champions League success in Porto in May was a surprise, but it underlined the kind of improvement Chelsea made when their new manager took over from Frank Lampard and extracted a lot more from a squad that had been struggling.

Romelu Lukaku looks to be added to the mix and that only strengthens Chelsea further, but Thomas Tuchel will be looking for his team to make a strong start to the season. The fixture list has been far from kind to Chelsea who will face Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City in their first six Premier League fixtures and it does mean they can ill afford an opening weekend disappointment.

It is far from ideal that Chelsea had to play in the European Super Cup on Wednesday and even picking up a trophy would not have made up for the fact they needed Extra Time and Penalties. That comes after many of their top players would have been late returning to the club after playing in the major international tournaments this summer and that does leave Chelsea potentially vulnerable.

However, they do benefit from facing a Crystal Palace team that will be learning new methods under the guidance of Patrick Vieira who has taken over from Roy Hodgson. It was something of a left field appointment and the last time Crystal Palace tried that they lost their first 4 Premier League games under Frank de Boer without scoring a goal.

Patrick Vieira has experienced the Premier League as a player and he had links with Manchester City which should have kept him up to date with the League. He is going to be changing the philosophy of the Crystal Palace squad that has been accustomed to being set up to be hard to beat, but there has been some upheaval with plenty of experience leaving the club this summer.

The former Arsenal Captain has had a mixed time as manager of New York City and Nice and I do think Crystal Palace will need time under Vieira's guidance. The learning curve means they are vulnerable to a Chelsea team that scored four goals in both Premier League wins over Crystal Palace last season and who have beaten this London rival 4 times in succession at Stamford Bridge.

A huge effort on Wednesday might mean Chelsea have to rotate their squad, but they have the quality at both ends of the field to break down this Crystal Palace team. With big away games at Arsenal and Liverpool to come before the first international break, Thomas Tuchel should motivate a big performance from his team to get this Premier League campaign off to a winning start and I think Chelsea will take advantage of some of the uncertainty that will surely be in the visitor's camp.

Chelsea should be strong enough to win by a couple of goals on the day and I think they will cover the Asian Handicap as they get their title challenge going.

Everton v Southampton Pick: There are more questions than answers about the state of Everton and Southampton ahead of the opening fixture in the 2021/22 season.

Rafa Benitez has come in as manager of Everton, but his arrival has been anything but universally approved by the fans and that puts the Spaniard on the back foot from the off. Not many have forgiven Benitez for calling Everton a 'small club' when managing across Stanley Park at Liverpool and that means a slow start is not really going to be tolerated by the returning fans.

He does benefit from a good looking fixture list through the first two months, but Rafa Benitez could be without some big name players on Saturday and that is far from ideal. Richarlison is a doubt having only just returned from international duty, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Moise Kean are both doubts and you do wonder if they can take advantage of the poor form Southampton were displaying in the second half of the last campaign.

Ralph Hasenhuttl will be given time by the Southampton board, but he is another manager that needs a positive start to the campaign. Losing Danny Ings to Aston Villa is a massive blow and Southampton conceded goals for fun away from St Mary's last season which saw them drop alarmingly towards the bottom three.

The squad looks much weaker than last season with Ryan Bertrand another who has moved on, but Southampton did make a positive start to the last campaign and they could take advantage if there are some nerves in the home camp. Southampton have only lost 2 of their last 5 visits to this ground and the long injury list to end last season contributed to their overall poor form.

James Ward-Prowse looks to be absent and that is a miss for The Saints, but the back four should be more settled and Everton's forwards look like they will either be short of training time or perhaps a little fatigued having played at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

It could mean a lack of goals in the home team and you do wonder how the atmosphere will turn if Southampton can get their noses in front. They can certainly do that despite the horrific away form to end last season and I think Everton look like one of the more vulnerable home favourites on the opening weekend of the season.

Leicester City v Wolves Pick: The opening of a new season will always bring new hope and optimism in any fan base, but it feels like things are a little more uncertain for those who support Wolves. After a successful era under Nuno Espirito Santo, Wolves decided the time was right to move on and change direction after finishing 13th last time out.

Much is going to depend on how quickly Bruno Lage finds his feet as the new manager of the club.

The fans are not entirely sure what they can expect after Lage's previous job with Benfica saw him win the Portuguese title, but then also oversee some of the poorest runs of results that the former European Champions have experienced for over a generation. He has some previous experience of English Football and Bruno Lage has promised to bring more attacking football to Molineux, but finding the right blend and balance will be a challenge.

Wolves have some quality players, but they are dealing with a long injury list as they get set to visit Leicester City.

The Foxes impressed in their 1-0 win over Manchester City in the Community Shield last week and they started the Premier League very strongly last season. That is encouraging as Leicester City were trying to bounce back from a disappointing final day defeat to Manchester United at the end of the 2019/20 season which cost them Champions League Football and now Leicester City have to try and do the same following the final day defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in May which left them in 5th place.

Brendan Rodgers knows his team have to improve at home, but they were not helped down the stretch with injury costing them key players. Harvey Barnes and James Maddison both missed out on England duty over the summer because of those injuries, but that may be to Leicester City's benefit and they can get their season off to a strong start.

Leicester City did score at least twice in their last 4 Premier League games at the King Power Stadium and they created some good chances in their win over Manchester City last week. A more positive Wolves team may also be a little more vulnerable than they usually are and I think Leicester City can take advantage on the opening weekend.

Games between these clubs have been tight over the last two seasons, but the last two have not lacked for chances. Leicester City have won 3 of their last 4 at home against Wolves and I think they are good enough to score at least two goals here which should be enough for an opening three points in the 2021/22 campaign.

Watford v Aston Villa Pick: Losing 'one of their own' has felt inevitable for Aston Villa fans for some time, but Jack Grealish's decision to leave for Manchester City has helped the club bring in some real quality as they look to improve on their 11th place finish in the Premier League last season.

Dean Smith will be without John Terry this season, but the manager has to be given a huge amount of credit for the improvement Aston Villa have made under his watch. Last season was their highest League finish in a decade and Aston Villa have bolstered the squad by bringing in quality like Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey and Danny Ings.

Between the three of those players, Aston Villa are confident they can make up for the absence of Grealish. It will be a test for the club considering how much weaker they looked in matches where Jack Grealish was absent last season, but Aston Villa will head into the opening weekend as the favourite when taking on a newly promoted club.

Watford are back in the Premier League after spending a season in the Championship, but Xisco Munoz will be under pressure from the off considering how often this club will change managers. The Pozzo family have been successful in making the decision to replace managers in their time running Watford, but two seasons ago four names were not able to keep the team in the Premier League.

The squad has plenty of experience at this level, but Watford will be quite happy to finish 17th in the Premier League table and just consolidate their place back in the top flight. They did win 19 of 23 home League games in the Championship and the form at Vicarage Road is going to be vital for Watford if they are going to avoid another relegation.

Their underlying stats at home were pretty decent last season, but much was based on being difficult to break down. Against the added quality of Premier League opponents it will be difficult, and Watford need to win more than the 6 home wins managed in the Premier League two seasons ago if they are going to avoid finishing in the bottom three of the Division.

Having the home fans back should only aid Watford and they are facing an opponent who struggled to break down those teams they were likely to be considered favourites to beat. Since the turn of the calendar year, Aston Villa failed to beat the likes of Newcastle United, Brighton and West Brom, while losing to Sheffield United, Burnley and Crystal Palace.

Dean Smith will want his team to show more creativity against those teams willing to defend deep against his team, but Aston Villa could be missing Emiliano Buendia, Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey on the opening weekend. They will still be dangerous with Danny Ings leading the line, but Watford look like an underdog that could ride the momentum of their end to last season to earn a positive result to open this one.

Watford have a decent record at home against Aston Villa in recent seasons and they may just have enough to avoid defeat if their visitors are not able to call upon their most creative and attacking players this weekend.

Aston Villa had one of the weaker away defences in the League in terms of chances being allowed during this calendar year and Watford could earn an 'upset' here with the fans finally back to support them.

Norwich City v Liverpool Pick: An immediate return to the Premier League saw Daniel Farke fulfil his requirements as manager of Norwich City last season, but it will be his experiences of two seasons ago that will determine how well The Canaries deal with the top flight this time around.

Two years ago Norwich City finished bottom of the pile and earned just 21 points while they seemingly accepted their fate far earlier than they should have. The squad is arguably not as good as it was in the 2019/20 season, but they are more experienced and the manager is being asked to consolidate Norwich City's place in the top flight while still dealing with the financial purse strings remaining in the same place as they were.

Home form was disappointing a couple of seasons ago and Norwich City have been given a very tough start to the 2021/22 season as they look to build some momentum following another Championship winning campaign. Injuries and Covid-19 issues could see Daniel Farke's men going into the opening weekend short of numbers, but they can't expect much sympathy from Liverpool.

Last season it was a pile up of defensive injuries that saw Liverpool finish 17 points behind Champions Manchester City as their defence of the Premier League title went off the rails at the turn of the calendar year. At one point it looked like Liverpool may not even finish in the top four, but the likes of Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez are back and that should give Liverpool a solid base on which to get much closer to the top of the Division.

Andrew Robertson will miss the first couple of games, but having the key centre halves back in action should enable Liverpool to play with a much stronger attacking style. There were some concerns that their front three have lost a little of their edge, but Diogo Jota should offer another spark and Liverpool can extend what is a very strong record at Carrow Road.

They have won their last 7 visits to this ground including a 0-1 win two seasons ago, and Liverpool have won 6 of their last 7 away Premier League games. Norwich City should be given a huge boost by the returning crowds, but there is a considerable gap for them to bridge to what is expected to be a title challenger in the Premier League.

Norwich City did not give any team an easy ride at home in their last Premier League campaign and did beat Manchester City here. Narrow losses to Chelsea and Liverpool and a draw with Tottenham Hotspur shows what Norwich City may be capable of in front of their own fans, but they could be short of numbers in this opening fixture and I think Liverpool will take advantage by securing a wide win on the day.

Newcastle United v West Ham United Pick: The first live Sunday Premier League fixture of the 2021/22 season will be played out in front of a full St James' Park and I am not sure that privately Steve Bruce is perhaps feeling a little anxious about the occasion.

There is no doubt that Bruce and Mike Ashley are considered the enemies by the Newcastle United fans and it feels a protest or a surge of momentum against the club is never far away from the stands. Even a 12th place finish in the Premier League last season is unlikely to have appeased the fans who feel Newcastle United are stuck in purgatory under Mike Ashley's stewardship, while players have seemingly revolted against Steve Bruce pretty recently.

Despite that, Newcastle United did end the last season in solid form with 5 wins from their last 8 games which pushed them up the standings. A fast start may give Bruce the breathing room he desires, but a lack of transfer activity looks to have left Newcastle United short of quality behind the first eleven.

Keeping Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson fit and firing will be key for Newcastle United who won just 6 games at St James' Park last season.

Avoiding long-term injuries has to be the same ambition for West Ham United after David Moyes led them to their highest League finish since 1998/99. The 6th place means Europa League Football will be played at the London Stadium this season, but West Ham United have not really given Moyes the depth to the squad he would have wanted and they are still hugely reliant on Michail Antonio with little behind him.

Transfer business is likely to go down to the wire for West Ham United, but they will at least open the season with the vast majority of their key players ready to go. Jesse Lingard has returned to Manchester United, but West Ham United have some decent attacking options and they will certainly feel they can test this Newcastle United defence.

You can get at West Ham United defensively too though and I think that will be encouraging to Newcastle United who beat The Hammers 3-2 here in April. That meant completing the League double over West Ham United and was the latest in what has become a high-scoring fixture.

7 of the last 9 between these clubs have finished with three or more goals shared out. That includes each of the last 5 between the clubs at St James' Park and this feels like an attacking game with both teams looking stronger in the final third than they do in their own defensive third.

Most are expecting West Ham United to finish much lower than their 6th place last season with the current squad they have, but in August they should be able to concentrate on their Premier League form. Playing the Europa League Group games will add to the stresses for the players, but for now they are only playing one fixture per week and I think West Ham United have a fixture list they will feel they can negotiate effectively.

Winning here won't be easy though and the feeling is that both teams will find a way to hit the net in the latest high-scoring game played between Newcastle United and West Ham United at St James' Park.

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City Pick: The opening fixture of a new season is always an exciting time for fans, but even more so this season after seventeen months where they have largely been absent due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It should be no different for Tottenham Hotspur fans who have not really enjoyed their new Stadium as they would have wanted, but this is a fixture that is being overshadowed by the Harry Kane story. The England international and Spurs legend has asked to leave the club believing he would be allowed to do so this summer, but Daniel Levy has dug in and Kane is clearly unhappy.

To add to the drama, Harry Kane's desire is to join Champions Manchester City who happen to be the opponent for Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

A new manager makes things a little more blurry for Tottenham Hotspur fans, but Nuno Espirito Santo is well accustomed to managing in the Premier League and has made it clear that Harry Kane will be available for selection. Some transfer business has given the manager a few more options, but Tottenham Hotspur look like a team in transition and it has to be a concern that Leicester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United were all able to win here last season.

One team that couldn't were Manchester City who have lost all 3 visits to this new Stadium and who could perhaps be vulnerable in the first month of the season. Pep Guardiola has admitted that the summer international tournaments have had an impact on his preparation and he will also be without Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden.

Those two are hugely influential, while Manchester City had an inconsistent start to the last campaign. They did win 1-3 at a Wolves team managed by Nuno Espirito Santo on the opening weekend of last season, but both De Bruyne and Foden were on the scoresheet that day and Tottenham Hotspur may have the familiarity with one another to make life difficult for the Champions.

In the main it feels like it will be a difficult transitional season for Tottenham Hotspur, but having the fans back and facing Manchester City at this stage may give them nothing to lose. Most will expect Spurs to roll over and lose, but I think they have enjoyed facing Manchester City here and the visitors are without some key names for this trip to North East London.

Some of the other top teams in the Premier League won here last season, but Nuno Espirito Santo has regularly made his Wolves team stubborn against the elite in his time in the Black Country. He will likely set Tottenham Hotspur up to be dangerous on the counter attack and the home underdog could be backed with the start which can only return a loser if Spurs are beaten convincingly.

Manchester City might be considered good enough to do that in a month or two, but right now they could be a little short of fitness to earn anything easily. It may lead to a surprising opening result that will give the other title challengers something to motivate them further than the additions made at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford already.

MY PICKS: Arsenal - 0.25 Asian Handicap

Manchester United-Leeds United Under 2.5 Goals

Burnley + 0.25 Asian Handicap

Chelsea - 1.5 Asian Handicap

Southampton + 0.5 Asian Handicap

Leicester City & Over 1.5 Total Goals

Watford + 0.25 Asian Handicap

Liverpool - 1.5 Asian Handicap

Newcastle United-West Ham United Over 2.5 Goals

Tottenham Hotspur + 1 Asian Handicap

Fantasy Football GameWeek 1 2021/22

The return of the Premier League means the return of the Fantasy Premier League game which is becoming more and more popular in each passing season.

At this stage I think it can be difficult to really create a squad that you are going to be happy with throughout the season but you have to learn from previous experiences.

For example, I am not keen on bringing in too many new signings who may be eased into the starting line ups, while I am not going to invest big money on players that are massive rotation risks. After the international summer of football, the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea are going to have some big names returning from short holidays and that should see the squads utilised in the first month of the season.

Neither team has the most appealing of opening fixtures either, but they are two of the leading contenders to win the title and so at some point you will want to bring in players from those teams. It might be a situation where you can wait for things to settle a little bit before you do, while risky to go without from either of those squads.

Liverpool and Manchester United look to be offering the best premium options ahead of Week 1, while the likes of Aston Villa, Leeds United and West Ham United have mid-priced options that could spark.

Of the newly promoted teams you do have to like how Brentford approach things, while both Norwich City and Watford are experienced in the Premier League and should have learnt from their 2019/20 seasons.

Norwich City have an awful set of fixtures to open the season, but Brentford could be a decent team to get behind with the likes of Ivan Toney priced very competitively.

Getting behind someone with the potential to streak like Toney early in the season could see a massive price rise as we saw for players early last season and that can be very important for those looking to finish very high up the standings.

Home form should also be stronger this time around compared with the Covid hit 2020/21 season that was played behind closed doors. It will be interesting to see how some teams that impressed last season cope with what has been a demanding fan base (West Ham United come to mind), while others should be much stronger (Liverpool are unlikely to lose 6 in a row at Anfield with their fans backing them as they did without them last season).

Over the last couple of seasons I have made a poor start to the Fantasy game and I am looking for much better this time around. Taking fewer 'punts' has to be the plan, although I am likely going to be working on my team right up until the deadline on Friday evening.

Weekend Football Picks and Fantasy Football 2020 (September 12-14)

I always felt the six weeks between the end of the 2019/20 Premier League season and the start of the 2020/21 would fly by, but even then the new season has snuck up on me in the same way the NFL season has done.

With the European competitions being completed in August, it did mean the Premier League offered Manchester City and Manchester United the chance to have an extra week to prepare for the season and that means those two teams along with Burnley and Aston Villa are not going to be in action this weekend.

Even then, there are eight Premier League matches to come this week and, importantly, the Fantasy Football Game is back with GW1 ready to go.

I have a few thoughts about the opening week of the season which you can read below once I put down my thoughts as to how the weekend Premier League games will go.

Fulham v Arsenal Pick: After a very short off-season the Premier League is back in action on Saturday as Arsenal make a relatively short trip across London to take on newly-promoted Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Both of these clubs enjoyed plenty of success at Wembley Stadium last month as Fulham earned their spot in the top flight through the Play Off Final just days after Arsenal won the FA Cup. The Gunners have also won the Community Shield in the national Stadium a couple of weeks ago and the Mikel Arteta era is beginning to take shape with some interesting signings made.

A couple of youngsters may take over in key defensive positions, but keeping Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looks to have been the crucial piece of business done this off-season. Signing Willian will give the squad some experience too and Arsenal have produced some big results under their Spanish manager.

However there are some questions about a team that only won 4 of 19 away Premier League games last season. The Gunners have to be much stronger than that if they are going to bridge the 10 point gap that existed at the end of last season between Arsenal and the Champions League spots and the improvement has to be shown right at the beginning of the 2020/21 campaign.

I do think Arsenal have the attacking players to make hay at Craven Cottage where they have enjoyed visiting in recent times. There are a number of members of the squad who would have been involved in the 1-5 win on this ground a little under two years ago and I do think Fulham have a squad that looks short of the quality needed to survive, at least at this point.

Scott Parker will believe he has the time to still bring in the players that can make the difference for Fulham, but I do think they will find it difficult to contain a team like Arsenal who have pace and quality in the final third.

You do have to wonder how players will cope with what has been a very short time between seasons, but both of these groups should come into the fixture with confidence. I think that could produce a decent game of football even without the fans and I believe that Arsenal will edge a high-scoring fixture.

Fulham were decent here in the Championship, but the step up in class is likely going to be telling for much of the season barring some real quality being signed before the end of the transfer window. Any signings to be made might be accelerated forward if Fulham struggle on Saturday and I do think Arsenal win a fixture featuring at least two goals.

Crystal Palace v Southampton Pick: These two teams are both trendy picks for the new Premier League season- the form shown since the resumption of play means plenty are tipping up Crystal Palace for relegation and Southampton for a top half finish and perhaps even a push for Europe.

Roy Hodgson is a very strong manager and he will extract all he can from the Crystal Palace squad, but much is going to depend on whether he can find a consistent path to goal from somewhere. That is never easy, but Crystal Palace have signed players to try and produce in the final third, although the key for the club is holding onto Wilfried Zaha if possible.

Zaha has been linked with a move away and while the transfer window is open there is going to be a fear that he will finally get his wish.

That uncertainty won't help the Crystal Palace squad which had lost 7 straight Premier League games before a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur. Now they have to take on a Southampton team who had the 4th best record in the Premier League after the three month suspension of the season came to an end.

Southampton have not really strengthened the squad as much as they would have liked, but there is quality available to Ralph Hasenhuttl. The Austrian manager has gotten plenty out of his players in the squad and a rejuvenated Danny Ings provides the end product to the strong football played by The Saints.

This is a team that have loved playing away from home with 9 wins from 19 games on their travels in the League and Southampton have won 3 in a row on this ground. The injuries at the back will make Crystal Palace vulnerable to the upset here and there are plenty backing Southampton to secure the three points here.

It is early in the season though and I do think Crystal Palace are a team that need to be respected thanks to a manager who will make it hard to break his team down. However, I do believe Southampton could have a very good season and I will get behind them on the Asian Handicap which will return the stake in the event of a draw.

Liverpool v Leeds United Pick: It wasn't much fun being a Manchester United fan in a season in which Liverpool and Leeds United had as much success as they did and both clubs will believe they can follow on the 2019/20 campaign with a successful 2020/21.

Liverpool can go into the season as English Champions for the first time in thirty years and they will host Leeds United who have had sixteen years outside of the top flight.

While the hosts will be looking to repeat, the expectation around Leeds United means the fans are hoping to do more than merely survive at this level. With Marcelo Bielsa in charge there is a feeling that Leeds United could even push for a top half finish, but much is going to depend on Rodrigo and whether he has the goals to push Leeds United forward.

This is a very big test for Leeds United against a very good Liverpool team who were not playing as poorly as the results would suggest back in June and July. There was a slight drop off in intensity, but Liverpool were still creating chances and their front three should be rested and ready to compete in this opening weekend fixture.

The absence of Jordan Henderson hurt the side more than expected though and he looks like he could be missing for this fixture. That will offer Leeds United encouragement as will playing in front of an empty Anfield, but even then there is a big step up of class for the visitors to deal with.

We know Bielsa will have Leeds United very well prepared, and that does make them dangerous, but I think Liverpool will be ready to show that the end of last season was just a blip and not an extended issue for the squad to deal with. It should be a good football match with both looking to get forward and cause problems for the opponent, but Liverpool should have a little too much quality when all is said and done.

West Ham United v Newcastle United Pick: Two clubs with fan bases who can sometimes have unrealistic expectations meet on the opening weekend of the 2020/21 Premier League season- both David Moyes and Steve Bruce will likely snap your hand off if you gave West Ham United and Newcastle United a 17th place finish at the end of this campaign, but fans expect the clubs to be operating much higher up the League table.

Mike Ashley was almost finally out of the club, but Newcastle United remain in his control and that means another difficult season is likely in front of the club. Steve Bruce did a fine job for the club last season, but his football is not always appreciated and Bruce has yet to truly win over the fans.

David Moyes is another manager whose football is not always appreciated, but his West Ham United team did end last season in fine form and that will be encouraging to him.

However, things are clearly not going smoothly at the London Stadium judging by captain Mark Noble making his feelings known about the sale of Grady Diangana. Bids have been made to improve the squad, but at the moment West Ham United are going into the new season with what they have.

That is a slight concern for the fans, but West Ham United do have some quality players in the squad who have perhaps underachieved. If Moyes can get those performing to the level they can reach, then West Ham United should feel good about their chances when it comes to avoiding the drop to the Championship.

Newcastle United have had a decent window and bringing in the likes of Ryan Fraser and Callum Wilson are decent signings on the budget on which they are operating. Last season Steve Bruce showed he can make his team more than the sum of their parts and there is some pace and quality in the final third which could cause problems for opponents.

However, the defence is vulnerable and even more so without Martin Dubravka keeping goal and I think that is where the home team might have the narrow edge. West Ham United should have won at St James' Park back in July having twice led on the day, and I think being at home will give them more of an opportunity even without the fans in attendance.

It is the first game of the season though and opening weekend results can be a little eye-catching. The home team should be good enough to earn the points here, but the Asian Handicap may be the best approach to this fixture.

West Brom v Leicester City Pick: The first 'Super Sunday' Premier League fixture of the season comes from The Hawthorns as newly-promoted West Brom host Leicester City.

Slaven Bilic's men almost backed their way back into the Premier League from the Championship having failed to win any of their last 4 games to give the likes of Brentford and Fulham an opportunity. That does mean the team perhaps does not come into the new season with the same kind of momentum as some other promoted clubs do, while West Brom still need to address the main problem of looking like a squad that does not have enough goals in them.

Being at home should give West Brom a chance to get off to a good start, but we are still without fans and this Leicester City do have quality despite their poor end to the 2019/20 campaign.

The 3 losses in their last 5 Premier League games means Leicester City missed out on a return to the Champions League, but Brendan Rodgers will have been reminding his squad that they achieved their goal of returning to European Football. The absence of James Maddison did hurt Leicester City down the stretch, but the England international may not be available this weekend either and that is a concern.

Leicester City have not won any of their last 8 away games in all competitions but they were playing better than the results would suggest. There looks to be a continuity with the squad that should see them have another decent campaign even though Ben Chilwell has been moved on, and I think Leicester City do have more goals in their squad than West Brom.

Neither team ended the last season in the manner they would have wanted, but a new campaign comes with new hopes and dreams and I think Leicester City will edge to the three points at The Hawthorns.

Tottenham Hotspur v Everton Pick: Both Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti are shaping their respective Tottenham Hotspur and Everton squads up to their liking and that does mean there is a greater sense of expectation around them.

After missing out on the Champions League, Tottenham Hotspur have to be looking to push their way back in alongside the elite of European Football, while Everton will be hoping to be the 'best of the rest' and challenge for silverware and a return to any European competition.

There is an excitement around both squads with some of the new faces arriving to freshen things up and I do think we could see a decent game on Sunday afternoon. The short turnaround between seasons is going to be a challenge for every club to deal with, but it may also mean some of the players can get off and running quicker than they may do in usual seasons.

When these teams met after the resumption of the Premier League it was a very poor game of football that ended 1-0 in favour of Tottenham Hotspur. However, the home team look in a healthier place now and Everton have brought in some quality that could make them much more competitive even against the better teams in the Premier League.

The midfield reinforcements should offer a lot more protection for Everton this season and I do think James Rodriguez will add some quality to the forward line along with Richarlison. However new signings can take time to bed in and that is where Tottenham Hotspur have a little more continuity in their squad that can see them edge to the points here.

It should be a much better game than the one we saw here in early July, but Tottenham Hotspur managed to do enough to earn the three points on that occasion and I think they can do the same here. With a fully fit squad to choose from, Jose Mourinho can lead his team to a good start to the season and the fixtures over the coming weeks are certainly in Tottenham Hotspur's favour too.

Sheffield United v Wolves Pick: It was a game of limited chances when Sheffield United hosted Wolves in early July and I do think we could see something similar when they meet on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season.

Chris Wilder and Nuno Espirito Santo have to be given a lot of credit for the organisation of their respective teams and they won't have moved too far away from their principles.

I do think the loss of Dean Henderson will hurt Sheffield United as Aaron Ramsdale is simply not the same level of goalkeeper and that may make The Blades a little more vulnerable. However, Wolves are coming in off a long season and the squad is missing key players having sold Matt Doherty and lost Jonny to a long-term injury.

Both clubs are not going to be lacking for effort, but creating chances against the other is going to be a difficult challenge. I do think both Sheffield United and Wolves could be dangerous from set piece situations and that might be the best way to break open this fixture, but chances may be difficult to come by in open play and that could mean goals are at a premium.

We saw a couple of tight and competitive fixtures when these two teams met in the League last season and I do think we will see more of the same. There was a more open feel to the fixture at Molineux, but I imagine this one to follow the patter of the fixture played at Bramall Lane in early July and that is both teams looking to be well organised and hard to break down.

The layers have shortened the price of one, or both, of these teams failing to score on Monday, but it may still be the best way to approach the fixture. Some may want the small interest in a 1-1 correct score to cover the selection as that looks the most likely score if both teams do find the net.

Brighton v Chelsea Pick: The final game of the opening weekend of the Premier League comes from the Amex Stadium where Brighton and Chelsea actually played a friendly in front of a limited crowd in the last couple of weeks.

This time there will be no fans inside the Stadium and I do think the new look Chelsea team might have too much attacking threat for their hosts to cope with.

That is no disrespect to Brighton, but Graham Potter's style does mean they are a little more open and they simply do not score the same amount of goals as those teams at the top. Since the resumption of the Premier League Brighton have lost home games to Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City and they conceded at least three times in each of those defeats.

Now they have to face another team that finished inside the top four of the Premier League table and the only real doubt around Chelsea is how quickly some of the talented players they have purchased will settle in. I don't doubt Ben Chilwell, but the likes of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz are coming in from outside of England and it can be an eye-opening experience for youngsters that have not dealt with this League before.

Even then I do think Werner and Havertz will have a big impact on this Chelsea squad, while the return of Christian Pulisic is a huge boost for Frank Lampard. The American looked to playing at a very high level before an injury in the FA Cup Final, but he is not expected to miss time and looks to be a key threat for Chelsea who will provide the chances for Werner.

A deeper looking squad should have too much attacking intent for Brighton who will try and get forward. They might even have some success against this Chelsea backline which will look similar to the one that started games last season, but I would think Frank Lampard's men will find their way into the final third effectively and can eventually break down Brighton.

The fixture here did end 1-1 last season, and Brighton played well on the day. However, I think this Chelsea team is much improved and I believe they win fairly comfortably ahead of a big League game against Liverpool to come next weekend.

MY PICKS: Arsenal & Over 1.5 Goals

Southampton 0 Asian Handicap

Liverpool - 1.5 Asian Handicap

West Ham United - 0.25 Asian Handicap

Leicester City - 0.25 Asian Handicap

Tottenham Hotspur

Sheffield United-Wolves Both Teams to Score- NO

Chelsea & Over 1.5 Goals

Fantasy Football GameWeek 1

Unbelievably we are just hours away from the Official Fantasy Football game to be live once again with GameWeek 1 of the competition starting on Saturday.

The season is scheduled to be a very tight one which means it is going to be difficult to manage our Fantasy squads as much as it is going to be for the managers in reality. Through to the end of January it feels like the top clubs will be playing twice a week barring the international breaks in October and November and that is likely going to mean heavy rotation especially as the vote came back to restore the maximum of three substitutions per game rather than the five subs that were allowed following the resumption of the Premier League in June.

While I am planning on keeping my main chips in hand until the second half of the season when they can have the biggest impact, I do think there is a chance that my first Wild Card of the season will be used sooner rather than later.

That is mainly down to the fact that the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City are not in action on the first weekend and they have some very good looking assets that would usually have been part of the squad.

At this stage I don't think it would surprise anyone to learn that I am still making vast changes to my squad, but I will say there are four names that I would think are almost certainly going to be selected in Week 1.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Timo Werner are those names and I do think it would take a real change in my approach to see any of those dropped with the deadline just hours away.

Teams I do think are worth getting behind early in the season are Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Southampton and I would love to get through the early weeks without taking a hit to my total.

Chelsea are another team that look to be benefiting from their early fixture list, but like many I think I will be looking at various options right up until the 11am deadline.