2011/12 Barclays Premier League Kick Off in
2 Hours 44 minutes
---------- Post added 13-08-2011 at 07:25 PM ----------
BLACKBURN V WOLVES
These sides met on the final day of last season with both still unsure of their Barclays Premier League status.
Rovers won 3-2 at Molineux but the result was enough to keep both sides up.
Now they meet again with both keen to ensure they do not suffer another survival struggle.
Blackburn won this fixture 3-0 last season and have not lost to Wolves in eight meetings since April 2000.
FULHAM V ASTON VILLA
Both sides are under new management although Martin Jol has already enjoyed six competitive matches with Fulham in the Europa League.
Alex McLeish will need to get off to a good start with Villa after moving from local rivals Birmingham City.
Both meetings last season finished all-square with Villa doing the double over their rivals in 2009/10.
LIVERPOOL V SUNDERLAND
Liverpool have spent big over the summer in a bid to maintain the momentum under Kenny Dalglish.
One of their biggest signings was Sunderland midfielder Jordan Henderson who could make his Reds debut against his old club.
Steve Bruce has used the money to bring in 10 new players and will hope to at least equal last season's 2-2 draw at Anfield.
QPR V BOLTON
Queens Park Rangers begin life back in the Barclays Premier League aiming to maintain the momentum which saw them run away with the Championship last season.
Bolton finished the campaign with five successive defeats and will need to arrest that slide. Their hopes have not been helped by pre-season broken legs for Lee Chung-yong and Tyrone Mears.
Bolton have won four of the last five meetings between the sides since November 1998.
WIGAN V NORWICH
Newly-promoted Norwich play their first Barclays Premier League fixture since 2005 against a Wigan side which survived only on the final day of last season.
These teams have only met five times in total and never in the Premier League. The Latics won 1-0 in the FA Cup in January 1987 but the Canaries won both legs of the League Cup tie in 1998.
They met in Division 1 in 2003/04 with Wigan drawing 1-1 at home and losing 2-0 away.
NEWCASTLE V ARSENAL
Last season's corresponding fixture produced a pulsating 4-4 draw as Newcastle remarkably recovered from four down to snatch a point through Cheick Tiote's late leveller.
The Magpies won 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium but the Gunners enjoyed a 4-0 success at St James' Park in the Carling Cup.
Both clubs have endured a difficult summer of transfer speculation and will be glad when the big kick-off arrives.