Saturday morning and it’s time for our pre-match preamble through the morning press to pick apart their teamsheet predictions in a quest to answer the unanswerable.

Gameweek one and I’m serving up an extended version – offering you last minute opinion on the issues that really count in our world. Will Frank start? What about Fabregas? Is N’Zogbia still worth considering? Who is this Mummy character?

Thought you’d stopped the tinkering? Mmmm maybe not…

Will Wenger look to Fabregas and Van Persie?

Two star players – two potential match winners. Yes they’ve missed the pre-season but can Arsene Wenger really take on a trip to Anfield without naming his skipper and Van Persie in his lineup?

The Sun – There’s no sign of Fabregas, despite his 45 minutes in midweek but bizarrely Van Persie does get the nod here. He leads the attack with no start for Chamakh. A shock prediction.
The Guardian – Fabregas is in the Gunners midfield with Nasri and Diaby behind him and Walcott and Arshavin flanking Chamakh.
The Daily Telegraph – No sign of either of them here. The Telegraph have gone a little leftfield with their Arsenal selection. Jack Wilshere earns a start, as does Eboue in a central midfield role alongside Diaby. No start for Arshavin here then.
The Times – Again, neither of them make the lineup and again there’s another start for Wilshere as a result. Diaby and Walcott both start.

I say – I’m going with Fabregas to make the Anfield game. His 45 minutes with Spain is a crucial factor. Wenger would have been party to this and the intention must have been to give his skipper a sharpener before the weekend. I’ve stuck with my Arsenal lineup then with no place for Walcott and Wilshere in the eleven – Rosicky has started the last three pre-season games and I see his experience winning out when it comes to Wenger’s initial teamsheet.

Will Lampard shake off that last minute ankle knock?

Our best laid plans went into turmoil with yesterday’s pre-match mutterings from Ancelotti. Lampard is struggling with an ankle injury sustained in England’s meaningless match-up with Hungary. Suddenly it was back to the initial squad drawing board. Are we being hasty though? Surely Frank will pull through and make the eleven against West Brom?

The Sun – Reassuringly the Sun are positive. Lampard is in their predicted lineup alongside Mikel and Malouda. Solid looking stuff.
The Guardian – Same again. The Guardian have Frank settled into the same midfield three.
The Daily Telegraph – Three out of three. The Telegraph go with Lampard and, again, the same midfield trio.
The Times – The full house. All four morning papers go with Lampard in their Chelsea lineup.

I say – Lampard is still in my predicted lineup and I think he will start, however, there is clearly some risk here. The price of Lampard not taking the field is pretty substantial given that he’s an obvious Captain choice, plus the funds that he would make available in your squad are considerable and could easily be invested with return elsewhere. Malouda made the Picks and looks the safe option for the West Brom game but is that enough to change a whole strategy for your initial lineup? Gameweek one and already we have a tough dilemma.

Will Paulo Ferreira make the teamsheet?

With Alex now declared fit by Carlo Ancelotti, does Ferreria really offer us a cheap route to a day one clean sheet amongst the Chelsea ranks?

The Sun – No. The redtop has Alex slotting straight into the side alongside John Terry with Branislav Ivanovic given back the right-back berth he made his own last term. Get on Alex then if you believe the Sun’s opinion.
The Guardian – They disagree, they’ve gone with my back four with Ferreira remaining at right-back, Ivanovic partnering Terry and Alex kept in reserve on the bench.
The Daily Telegraph – The same here. The Telegraph also have Ferreira at right-back with no sign of Alex in their predicted lineup.
The Times – But The Times square it up. They’ve gone for Alex in there alongside Terry with Ivanovic switching to full-back.

I say: I’m still sticking my prediction that Ancelotti will go with the same back four that took to the field in the Community Shield. Ferreira presents little long-term value then perhaps but for the gameweek, he could be worth a gamble at just 4.5 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL).

Will Wigan and Charles N’Zogbia kiss and make up in time for the Blackpool game?

The selection of Wigan’s FPL bonus magnet looked cut and dry. He looked settled in for another eye-catching season at the DW. Then he reportedly threw in a transfer request four days before the start of the season and suddenly our fancied mid-price midfielder plans were in flux. Will he patch it up and make the eleven for the duck shoot against Blackpool?

The Sun – Obviously not. N’Zogbia is nowhere to be seen in the tabloid’s team selection with Victor Moses and Jordi Gomes earning starts. Then again there’s also no place for Mauro Boselli – a very strange selection here then.
The Guardian – Yes. All is well with N’Zogbia and Wigan as far as the Guardian is concerned. The new member of the French national squad takes his place in Martinez’ lineup, flanking Boselli with Rodallega taking up the right-wing.
The Daily Telegraph – No. N’Zogbia is frozen out of this one with McArthur starting in a combative midfield alongside Thomas and Diame, presumably with Watson and Rodallega providing support for Boselli up front.
The Times – We’re squared up again. The Times go with N’Zogbia with Watson, Thomas and Diame making up the midfield three behind him.

I say – I’m sticking with N’Zogbia in my predicted Wigan lineup. His future may not be at Wigan but should he fail to make the teamsheet, it would hardly portray a positive image to would-be suitors. Unless a move has already been decided, N’Zogbia will start against Blackpool for me.

Mummy I made the teamsheet. Will Al-Muhammadi make an apperance for Sunderland?

Sunderland’s new capture has the potential to be an out-of-position star in Fantasy terms this season. If he can claim the right midfield berth for Steve Bruce’s side he my get the chance to live up to his billing as the Egyptian David Beckham. Will he get a sniff and offer early rewards against Birmingham this weekend though?

The Sun – No. The tabloid instead goes for Frazier Campbell on the right-wing and Waghorn up front with Darren Bent. A strange option considering Campbell’s pre-season scoring form. Surely not.
The Guardian – No. They’ve gone with Christian Riveros in the midfield – even though that seems unlikely given that he was on international duty with Paraguay in midweek and has hardly featured in pre-season. Bent starts in their lineup.
The Daily Telegraph – No and there’s no Darren Bent either. The Telegraph go with a Welbeck/Waghorn partnership with Campbell again given the right wing role.
The Times – No. They too have gone for Riveros in midfield with Zenden also earning a start. Darren Bent is fit and starts according to the Times with Campbell alongside him.

I say – So it’s clear the weight of opinion is against me here. Al-Muhammadi is clearly a risk in Fantasy terms and much depends on the fitness and role assigned to Riveros. I don’t see him being selected for this opener with Birmingham and Al-Muhammadi has featured fairly prominently in pre-season. Enough for me to go with the Egyptian for this game, although I’m starting to question his long-term potential given the competition for starts in Sunderland’s midfield area.