It’s back. The 2012/13 Premier League season kicks off to the delight of millions of fantasy managers around the world. We’ve agonised over our squad selection for weeks and weeks, but now is the time to see who we should have picked. There’s seven games on the bill today, six of which kick-off on the hour. Follow the action as it unfolds in our Dugout Discussion chatroom, which can be accessed right here.
All the team news has been released, so it’s moment of truth time for our predicted line-ups…
Arsenal XI: Szczesny, Jenkinson, Vermaelen, Mertesacker, Gibbs, Diaby, Arteta, Cazorla, Walcott, Gervinho, Podolski.
Sunderland XI: Mignolet, Gardner, Richardson, OβShea, Cuellar, Larsson, McClean, Cattermole, Colback, Sessegnon, Campbell.
Alex Song is the glaring omission from Arsene Wenger’s side, with speculation about his future perhaps explaining his absence. Elsewhere there are league debuts for Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski.
Fulham XI: Schwarzer, Riise, Hangeland, Petric, Ruiz, Duff, Hughes, Diarra, Riether, Dembele, Kacaniklic.
Norwich XI: Ruddy, R. Martin, R. Bennett, Turner, Tierney, Johnson, Surman, Pilkington, Howson, Snodgrass, Holt.
Michael Turner and Robert Snodgrass make their debuts for the visitors at Craven Cottage, whilst the absence of Clint Dempsey for the home side puts the pressure on Bryan Ruiz and Mladen Petric to provide the goals up front.
QPR XI: Green, Fabio, Hill, Ferdinand, Onuoha, Hoilett, Park, Diakite, Mackie, Taarabt, Cisse.
Swansea XI: Vorm, Rangel, Williams, Chico, Taylor, Britton, De Guzman, Dyer, Routledge, Michu, Graham.
Ryan Nelsen does not start (we predicted he would), so Clint Hill gets the nod ahead of the Kiwi. As for the Swan’s, Michael Laudrup hands out debuts to a whole host of players, including the much-fancied Michu, who will play behind Danny Graham.
Reading XI: Federici, Gunter, Harte, Gorkss, Pearce, Guthrie, Leigertwood, McAnuff, Robson-Kanu, Le Fondre, Pogrebnyak.
Stoke XI: Begovic, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Huth, Wilson, Kightly, Whelan, Whitehead, Etherington, Crouch, Walters.
Last year’s Championship winners, Reading, kick-off their double gameweek at home to Stoke, who can call upon the services of Robert Huth despite him being ill for most of the week.
West Brom XI: Foster, Reid, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell, Mulumbu, Yacob, Morrison, Gera, Long, Odemwingie.
Liverpool XI: Reina, Johnson, Kelly, Agger, Skrtel, Lucas, Allen, Gerrard, Downing, Borini, Suarez.
Claudio Yacob, Joe Allen and Fabio Borini all make their first league starts for their respective clubs at the Hawthorns today. The visitors naming Martin Kelly ahead of Jose Enrique is the surprise here.
West Ham XI: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Collins, Reid, McCartney, Diame, Noble, Nolan, Vaz Te, Taylor, Cole.
Aston Villa XI: Given, Lowton, Vlaar, Clark, Baker, Holman, Delph, El Ahmadi, NβZogbia, Ireland, Bent.
No major shocks in either line-up at Upton Park, as West Ham are welcomed back into the top division by the visit of Paul Lambert’s Aston Villa.
Then there’s a tasty evening clash at the Sports Direct Arena, with Andre Villas Boas taking charge of his first Premier League game with Tottenham Hotspur. Follow all the action as it unfolds in the Dugout Discussion chatroom, which can be accessed right here.
