Cape Town - Each round of the 2013/14 English Premiership season, a panel of Sport24 staff and occasional guest tipsters have a crack at predicting the results - do the exercise yourself, if you like, and see how you compare afterwards.
QUIZ: Sport24's virtually impossible, yet highly addictive English Premiership quiz!
Compiled by Rob Houwing (Newcastle-partial), the others are Garrin Lambley (Everton), Dominic Valentine (Liverpool, and the defending champion), Herman Mostert (Chelsea) and newcomer Earl Haupt (another ‘Pool fan).
Three points are awarded for an entirely correct scoreline, and one for right result.
THE PRIME ATTRACTION
SWANSEA v MANCHESTER UNITED
Saturday, 18:30
The solid Welsh club gave the Red Devils two tough games last season, losing only 2-1 at Old Trafford in Sir Alex Ferguson’s last game there (a late winner came from Rio Ferdinand), and before that earning a fighting 1-1 draw at home, Michu for Swansea and Patrice Evra for the visitors gracing the score-sheet. This being the traditionally unpredictable first day of the campaign, all kinds of results are possible, but three of our five forecasters take the reasonably obvious route and suggest United getting their title defence off with a three-point bang. Herman and Earl, however, predict some sense of frustration for the visitors’ new boss David Moyes in another 1-1 outcome between these two.
Rob: Swansea 0 Manchester United 2
Garrin: 1-2
Dominic: 1-2
Herman: 1-1
Earl: 1-1
Last season: 1-1
THE GRUDGE MATCH
CHELSEA v ASTON VILLA
Wednesday, 20:45
Well, this had to get the “grudge” nod, didn’t it? Villa will enter the fixture with the odd cold shiver in their ranks ... but at least resolute, you would think, in a quest to atone in good measure for an awful Stamford Bridge walloping last season. Unsurprisingly described as “limp” in the BBC Sport match report, the visitors surrendered 8-0, in a match marked by the first time seven different scorers got on the sheet for one team in a Premiership clash (only substitute Ramires earned a double strike on the day). I’m going to take a notably conservative approach for this one, figuring that Villa will offer significantly more backbone this time and only leak once! The others all envisage the Blues netting twice or three times, however.
Rob: Chelsea 1 Aston Villa 0
Garrin: 2-0
Dominic: 2-0
Herman: 2-1
Earl: 3-0
Last season: 8-0
THE DESPERATE DUEL
CRYSTAL PALACE v TOTTENHAM
Sunday, 14:30
It’s cruel to have to brand at least one team in the Premiership as “desperate” for the opening weekend, I know. (Crazier things have happened in early season, of course, than a promoted club like Palace actually leading the standings after two or three weeks.) But the Londoners, who start with a derby toughie against established, Euro-ambitious Spurs, are also being heavily tipped in several pre-season English newspaper forecasts for an immediate drop in 2013/14. They are, after all, the club from the Championship who only ended fifth there last season, and had to force their way into the top flight via the playoffs. Almost all of us see Palace offering pretty stout resistance first-up, but still not being able to bag so much as a heartening point here ...
Rob: Crystal Palace 0 Tottenham 1
Garrin: 1-2
Dominic: 1-2
Herman: 0-1
Earl: 0-2
Last season: Not applicable
THE OTHERS
LIVERPOOL v STOKE
Saturday, 13:45
Rob: Liverpool 2 Stoke 0
Garrin: 1-0
Dominic: 1-0
Herman: 1-0
Earl: 2-0
Last season: 0-0
ARSENAL v ASTON VILLA
Saturday, 16:00
Rob: Arsenal 1 Aston Villa 0
Garrin: 2-0
Dominic: 2-1
Herman: 2-1
Earl: 2-1
Last season: 2-1
NORWICH v EVERTON
Saturday, 16:00
Rob: Norwich 2 Everton 1
Garrin: 1-1
Dominic: 1-1
Herman: 1-1
Earl: 0-1
Last season: 2-1
SUNDERLAND v FULHAM
Saturday, 16:00
Rob: Sunderland 0 Fulham 0
Garrin: 1-1
Dominic: 2-1
Herman: 1-1
Earl: 1-1
Last season: 2-2
WEST BROM v SOUTHAMPTON
Saturday, 16:00
Rob: West Brom 1 Southampton 1
Garrin: 2-1
Dominic: 1-0
Herman: 2-1
Earl: 1-0
Last season: 2-0
WEST HAM v CARDIFF
Saturday, 16:00
Rob: West Ham 1 Cardiff 1
Garrin: 2-1
Dominic: 1-0
Herman: 2-1
Earl: 1-0
Last season: Not applicable
CHELSEA v HULL
Sunday, 17:00
Rob: Chelsea 3 Hull 0
Garrin: 2-0
Dominic: 2-0
Herman: 2-0
Earl: 2-0
Last season: Not applicable
MANCHESTER CITY v NEWCASTLE
Monday, 21:00
Rob: Manchester City 3 Newcastle 1
Garrin: 2-0
Dominic: 2-0
Herman: 2-1
Earl: 2-0
Last season: 4-0
QUIZ: Sport24's virtually impossible, yet highly addictive English Premiership quiz!
Compiled by Rob Houwing (Newcastle-partial), the others are Garrin Lambley (Everton), Dominic Valentine (Liverpool, and the defending champion), Herman Mostert (Chelsea) and newcomer Earl Haupt (another ‘Pool fan).
Three points are awarded for an entirely correct scoreline, and one for right result.
THE PRIME ATTRACTION
SWANSEA v MANCHESTER UNITED
Saturday, 18:30
The solid Welsh club gave the Red Devils two tough games last season, losing only 2-1 at Old Trafford in Sir Alex Ferguson’s last game there (a late winner came from Rio Ferdinand), and before that earning a fighting 1-1 draw at home, Michu for Swansea and Patrice Evra for the visitors gracing the score-sheet. This being the traditionally unpredictable first day of the campaign, all kinds of results are possible, but three of our five forecasters take the reasonably obvious route and suggest United getting their title defence off with a three-point bang. Herman and Earl, however, predict some sense of frustration for the visitors’ new boss David Moyes in another 1-1 outcome between these two.
Rob: Swansea 0 Manchester United 2
Garrin: 1-2
Dominic: 1-2
Herman: 1-1
Earl: 1-1
Last season: 1-1
THE GRUDGE MATCH
CHELSEA v ASTON VILLA
Wednesday, 20:45
Well, this had to get the “grudge” nod, didn’t it? Villa will enter the fixture with the odd cold shiver in their ranks ... but at least resolute, you would think, in a quest to atone in good measure for an awful Stamford Bridge walloping last season. Unsurprisingly described as “limp” in the BBC Sport match report, the visitors surrendered 8-0, in a match marked by the first time seven different scorers got on the sheet for one team in a Premiership clash (only substitute Ramires earned a double strike on the day). I’m going to take a notably conservative approach for this one, figuring that Villa will offer significantly more backbone this time and only leak once! The others all envisage the Blues netting twice or three times, however.
Rob: Chelsea 1 Aston Villa 0
Garrin: 2-0
Dominic: 2-0
Herman: 2-1
Earl: 3-0
Last season: 8-0
THE DESPERATE DUEL
CRYSTAL PALACE v TOTTENHAM
Sunday, 14:30
It’s cruel to have to brand at least one team in the Premiership as “desperate” for the opening weekend, I know. (Crazier things have happened in early season, of course, than a promoted club like Palace actually leading the standings after two or three weeks.) But the Londoners, who start with a derby toughie against established, Euro-ambitious Spurs, are also being heavily tipped in several pre-season English newspaper forecasts for an immediate drop in 2013/14. They are, after all, the club from the Championship who only ended fifth there last season, and had to force their way into the top flight via the playoffs. Almost all of us see Palace offering pretty stout resistance first-up, but still not being able to bag so much as a heartening point here ...
Rob: Crystal Palace 0 Tottenham 1
Garrin: 1-2
Dominic: 1-2
Herman: 0-1
Earl: 0-2
Last season: Not applicable
THE OTHERS
LIVERPOOL v STOKE
Saturday, 13:45
Rob: Liverpool 2 Stoke 0
Garrin: 1-0
Dominic: 1-0
Herman: 1-0
Earl: 2-0
Last season: 0-0
ARSENAL v ASTON VILLA
Saturday, 16:00
Rob: Arsenal 1 Aston Villa 0
Garrin: 2-0
Dominic: 2-1
Herman: 2-1
Earl: 2-1
Last season: 2-1
NORWICH v EVERTON
Saturday, 16:00
Rob: Norwich 2 Everton 1
Garrin: 1-1
Dominic: 1-1
Herman: 1-1
Earl: 0-1
Last season: 2-1
SUNDERLAND v FULHAM
Saturday, 16:00
Rob: Sunderland 0 Fulham 0
Garrin: 1-1
Dominic: 2-1
Herman: 1-1
Earl: 1-1
Last season: 2-2
WEST BROM v SOUTHAMPTON
Saturday, 16:00
Rob: West Brom 1 Southampton 1
Garrin: 2-1
Dominic: 1-0
Herman: 2-1
Earl: 1-0
Last season: 2-0
WEST HAM v CARDIFF
Saturday, 16:00
Rob: West Ham 1 Cardiff 1
Garrin: 2-1
Dominic: 1-0
Herman: 2-1
Earl: 1-0
Last season: Not applicable
CHELSEA v HULL
Sunday, 17:00
Rob: Chelsea 3 Hull 0
Garrin: 2-0
Dominic: 2-0
Herman: 2-0
Earl: 2-0
Last season: Not applicable
MANCHESTER CITY v NEWCASTLE
Monday, 21:00
Rob: Manchester City 3 Newcastle 1
Garrin: 2-0
Dominic: 2-0
Herman: 2-1
Earl: 2-0
Last season: 4-0