Week 1 Preview of the EPL...

Thanks to That's on Point (who inspired this Yank to make this blog in the first place) for the legwork. I've added my thoughts as I felt necessary:

Saturday

Sunderland v. Tottenham -- (Live on Setanta USA/Broadband, 7:45 EDT)
Will Sunderland run through walls for Roy Keane? Can Tottenham finally crack the top 4 and can they play any defense? With no Gareth Bale and not many fit defenders Sunderland could be in for the upset.

Bolton v. Newcastle United -- (Live on Setanta, 10 a.m.)
Who of Newcastle's famous strikers will Allardyce roll out on their front line against his former side? Will Anelka be in top form after the transfer rumors? Can Ivan Campo please get a haircut!

Derby v. Portsmouth -- (Delayed, FSC 2:30 p.m.)
Derby's first step towards relegation in spite of picking up top Yank prospect Benny Feilhaber. Feilhaber won't appear in the lineup as the transfer won't be completed prior to the deadline. Why Feilhaber made the move that Eddie Johnson rejected is beyond me; for Feilhaber's sake I hope he plays well enough this year that the Rams will transfer him back to a premier league side after they go back down (sorry Jay DeMerit). Chalk up another clean sheet for David James.

Everton v. Wigan Athletic -- (Not shown in the US)
With Tim Cahill out and not much depth up front Everton would be in trouble against a more formidable side but Wigan appears to be headed to the bottom of the table. Should result in 3 points for Everton and a clean sheet for Yank keeper Tim Howard.

West Ham Utd v. Manchester City -- (Live on FSC, 10 a.m.)
How will West Ham respond from their tumultuous summer? Their summer transfers of Ljungberg, Bellamy and Parker should be much better suited for league success than Man City's attempt to form a Bulgarian international squad.

Aston Villa v. Liverpool -- (Live on FSC, noon)
Match of the weekend but I will be supporting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when this is shown (I know it's meaningless presason matches but I can't help myself) and will have to catch this on replay. Villa skipper Gareth Barry is targeting a top six finish and this will be a tough test to start out league play. Our first chance to see if Liverpool's summer spending spree were wise moves or not.

Sunday

Arsenal v. Fulham -- (Live on FSC, 7 a.m.)
Judging from the Emirates Cup, Van Persie and the Gunner's are on top form, while Fulham would be better off playing against Scunthorpe United. Anything less than 3 points would be disappointing for the Gunners.

Chelsea v. Birmingham City (Live on Setanta, 8:30 a.m.)
Good thing Chelsea has so much depth as they struggle with their fitness. Chelsea should get 3 points and see what kind of form they are in before their big match against Liverpool next weekend.

Manchester United v. Reading (Live on FSC, 11 a.m.)
Tevez won't be in the line-up yet but still... Man U in a romp.

I know I'm not the only one looking forward to the start of league play but the activity this summer really has piqued my interest.