STEVEOCN

The Champions open their Premier League title defence at home to Bournemouth on Friday night and I fancy The Reds put in a performance to start the season in style. They beat Bournemouth home and away last season to nil and they have now won five in a row against The Cherries, all in on the Anfield home win.

Aston Villa finished last season with eight straight home wins, and the opening Saturday lunchtime kickoff of the season should be an entertaining encounter at Villa Park. Newcastle have won three of the last four head-to-head. They have only lost one of the last five against Villa, and I fancy we see a score draw with two teams going for an opening weekend win.

Brighton finished 8th last season, and it was their second-best campaign in the Premier League in modern times. Albion have turned the Amex into a tough place to go, and they beat Fulham 2-1 at home in March. Fulham lost four of their last six on the road last season, and I fancy a new-look Brighton will get the three points on the opening weekend. I am siding with The Seagulls.

Premier League football returns to the Stadium of Light, and I fancy this will be an entertaining fixture between Sunderland and West Ham United. The last three times The Black Cats hosted The Hammers, it ended in a draw. I am siding with neither keeping a clean sheet. The play is the score draw on the opening weekend.

The last two times Burnley were in the Premier League they were beaten home and away by Tottenham Hotspur and it’s a new regime for Spurs with Thomas Frank now in charge. Tottenham won the UEFA Europa League last season and have something to build on this season with a new manager at the helm, I fancy they open with a win against newly promoted Burnley.

The defending champion beat Michael van Gerwen twelve months ago to become the world champion at the age of 17. I fancy he returns to the Ally Pally stage very much the man everyone has to beat. The Nuke has reached the final the last two years in London, and I am siding with Luke Littler becoming a two-time world champion.

With the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti as the new Brazilian coach I fancy the Samba Boys will come good in time for this FIFA World Cup. The five times winners lifted the trophy in 1994 when it was last hosted in USA and I can see a much different Brazil under the managerial leadership of the Italian. Raphinha and Vinicius Jr can spearhead the Brazilians to World Cup glory, I am siding with a sixth World Cup for the South Americans.

Nobody has won more World Cup tournaments than Brazil, who have five. The last time the United States hosted the finals, it was the Brazilians who beat Italy in the final. Carlo Ancelotti is the coach leading the South Americans now, and with Vinicius Jr and Raphinha on the wings, I fancy Brazil will peak at this World Cup to reach an eighth final and win it for a sixth time.

The Dutch reached the World Cup Final in 2010, losing out to Spain in extra time at Soccer City in Johannesburg. They were beaten semi-finalists in the last European Championships. With such a talented squad, I fancy the Netherlands will be a stronger unit two years on, and I am siding with Holland going all the way to the final.