Sunday

After dramatically winning the title last season, the Citizens will be desperate to get their campaign off to the perfect start but won’t have it all their own way against a Saints side that simply love upsetting the odds.

Despite not really strengthening his squad over the summer, Roberto Mancini has plenty of talent at his disposal and following their win against Chelsea in last Sunday’s Community Shield, knows his players are still more than capable of competing with the best.

After originally setting his team out defend, the Italian coach employed much more attacking tactics last season and, in full flow, his team truly are a sight to behold.

With the likes of Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli up front, Mancini certainly has a number of options to play with but it is midfielder Yaya Toure (5/2 to score anytime) who is the real heartbeat of the team.

The team visibly struggled when the former Barcelona man went off to the African Cup of Nations earlier this year and his almost unique combination of power and finesse is what truly drives City forward.

The Ivorian will be looking to once again dominate on Sunday and don’t be surprised if he pops up with an important goal.

Despite their two successive promotions, Southampton are still one of the favourites to be relegated from the top flight. Boss Nigel Adkins has brought some good players to the club over the summer and of all the newly promoted teams, they maybe the best equipped to deal with the rigours of the Premier League.

Possibly the most influential of these will be midfielder Steven Davis (9/2 to score anytime), who arrived from Rangers and could add some extra guile to the engine room.

In a season where they’re likely to find themselves overrun by their opposition, the Northern Irishman’s ability to keep the ball and use it wisely could prove vital.

This could well be in evidence on Sunday, where he’ll be tasked with keeping the aforementioned Toure quiet and after four seasons in the SPL the 27-year-old will be looking to make an immediate impact on his return to the Premier League.

However, despite all Southampton’s hard work, it looks like it could be a very difficult afternoon for Nigel Adkins’ men.

City beat another newly promoted team in Swansea 4-0 in their opening fixture of last season and don’t be surprised if they record a similar scoreline on Sunday (City 17/2 to win 4-0).

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La Liga

Both teams will be desperate for the points, with newly promoted Granada still to seal their top flight status while Sevilla know they will need to win if they’re to have any chance of making a late run for the European places.

The home side have been in shocking form of late, having lost four of their last five matches in the league. However, they may have garnered some confidence from their last match when despite losing 5-3 at Barcelona, they caused the Blaugrana a number of problems and at one stage looked as if they had done enough to earn a vital point at the Nou Camp.

Their inability to avoid conceding once again showed them up and following the news that talismanic defender Pape Diakhate has been ruled out for the season, the ‘El Grana’ rear-guard is likely to come under even more scrutiny.

However, they have the talent and experience to keep a clean sheet and in veteran Noe Pamarot, they have a player who knows what it’s like to defend at the top level. The former Spurs man will undoubtedly need to put in a strong performance on Monday and his contribution could see his side sneak a vital win (Granada 13/2 to win 1-0).

Sevilla have once again flattered to deceive this season and, having won just one of their last four outings, hardly deserve to have any success. However, due to the nature of the league this year, a win on Monday would see them move into the top half of the table and leave them just two wins from the Champions League spots.

Despite their continued struggles, there is no doubt that with the talent at their disposal, they should be much higher in the league (Sevilla 6/1 to win 1-0).

One such star who seems to typify this is the recently re-signed winger Jose Antonio Reyes. The former Arsenal man returned to the club in January and many expected he would finally start to prove his worth after years of struggling to justify his reputation. Although there’s no doubt he has impressed during his latest stint at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, he is yet to find the net for Michel’s side. He will be looking to break his duck in this local derby.

Reyes’ ability could see his side home in what could be a tight match. Every season a team makes a late run for the European places and it could be Sevilla’s turn this time around so look out for them to take the points in a single goal victory (Sevilla 17/2 to win 2-1).

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Nigel Worthington’s side got their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign off to a flying start with a 1-0 victory in Slovenia and will be looking to make it two out of two when they face the Azzurri.

Northern Ireland have been placed in a tough group and will have to get the better of Italy, Serbia, Estonia, Slovenia and the Faroe Islands if they are to reach their first major competition since the 1982 World Cup.

Their last qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup ended in failure as they finished fourth of six, seven points behind eventual group winners Slovakia.

While it is unlikely Northern Ireland (8/1 to qualify for Euro 2012) will do any better in their bid to reach Ukraine and Poland in two years’ time they will hope for some more famous nights at Windsor Park along the way.

In the past Northern Ireland have caused some big upsets at their famous old ground, beating Spain and England recently.

Despite Italy’s recent fall from grace a victory over the four-time world champions would represent a massive achievement for Worthington’s men.

Italy currently top Group C having won their first two matches against Estonia and the Faroe Islands.

However, it will arguably be their biggest test when they face Northern Ireland at Windsor Park on Friday night.

Hughes believes he and his compatriots have every chance of causing an upset against Italy, although the Fulham defender says they can’t underestimate the Azzurri despite their recent performances.

“At home over the last few years we’ve had some really good results,” Hughes told Fulham’s official website.

“The England and Spain games will be talked about for years and we beat a lot of good teams that were ranked higher than us at home.

“Our home form is strong and we should go into the game with plenty of confidence, but it would be extremely dangerous to go into the match thinking Italy aren’t what they used to be because the team is full of quality players.”

Northern Ireland (16/1 Group C outright) follow Friday’s game against Italy (4/9) with a trip to Toftir to face Faroe Islands (5000/1) four days later.

Worthington will have to do with Pat McCourt for both matches as the Celtic winger is currently sidelined with a shoulder injury.

Rangers’ Andrew Little has been called up instead of Adam Barton after he withdrew while Niall McGinn is back after missing the game with Slovenia.

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Jose Mourinho’s victory dance over the Nou Camp pitch on Wednesday night signalled the end of Barcelona’s hopes of Champions League glory and with that the pleasure that would have been taken from lifting aloft the trophy at the home of arch-rivals Real Madrid.

The Catalan giants now only have one title left to play for and all they have to do is win their remaining four games as they currently hold a one point advantage over Real Madrid who are just waiting for a Barcelona slip to leapfrog them to the top of La Liga.

Barcelona will attempt to put the disappointment of Wednesday night behind them when they travel to Villareal on Saturday night. Of the four games Barcelona have left this fixture is one of the trickiest and they will have to be emotionally over their Champions League exit.

Villareal themselves need to produce a sprint to the finishing line if they are to sneak into the top four in a late bid for a Champions League place next season. They are currently 6th in the league just four points behind Real Mallorca who occupy 4th place so they are in with a slim chance.

The Yellow Submarine managed to hold Barca to a 1-1 draw at the Nou Camp when the two sides met in January, but they will have to turn in the perfect performance if they are to beat Barcelona at El Madrigal this weekend.

Villareal have only suffered two defeats at home this season, but Barcelona should make it three. Barcelona will punish Villareal with the likes of Messi and Xavi on the counter so back Leo Messi to score first at 3.75 and Barcelona to win 3-1 at 14.00 with PartyBets.com.

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3. La Liga Predictions: Expect More From Magical Messi

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