17.08. (Sat) 16:00 Arsenal - Aston Villa

Arsenal will look to put their transfer troubles behind them with an opening day Premier League victory against Aston Villa on Saturday.

Arsene Wenger's side have been continually frustrated in the transfer market, missing out on several of their reported targets including Gonzalo Higuain and Clement Grenier.

The Gunners are still said to be chasing the likes of Liverpool's Luis Suarez, but they have made just one signing since last season ended - French forward Yaya Sanogo.

The 20-year-old - who joined on a free transfer from Ligue 2 outfit Auxerre - did impress during the club's pre-season campaign, although he is suffering from a hamstring injury currently.

Headlining the exits at the Emirates Stadium in the close-season was Russian attacker Andrey Arshavin, while Gervinho, Andre Santos, Denilson and Marouane Chamakh have also left the club.

Arsenal - who finished fourth last term and will be involved in the UEFA Champions League for a 16th season in a row - have enjoyed a good lead up to the campaign, winning five of their seven friendlies.

France international striker Olivier Giroud has scored eight goals in pre-season and showed signs of improvement, while Theo Walcott added four.

Walcott - who was the club's top Premier League scorer in 2012-13 with 14 goals - enjoyed more of a regular role as striker following the departure of Robin van Persie and is in good form.

The 24-year-old scored in England's 3-2 friendly win over Scotland on Wednesday but is a doubt for his club's opener after leaving the field with a knee problem in the latter stages.

"I had to come off with a little bit of a swollen knee so fingers crossed I can rest up and I'll be alright for Saturday. This is a big year for Arsenal and myself," Walcott said.

One Arsenal player who is likely to miss is midfielder Mikel Arteta, who suffered a thigh injury in training this week.

Arteta's compatriot, Santi Cazorla, scored one and set up another in Spain's 2-0 friendly win against Ecuador on Wednesday and is sure to be in Wenger's starting XI as long as he returns from South America unscathed.

After being sucked into a relegation fight last season, Paul Lambert's Aston Villa will welcome the beginning of the new campaign.

Villa's best piece of business during the summer saw them keep hold of in-demand Belgian forward Christian Benteke.
The 22-year-old - who scored 19 goals in his debut Premier League season - handed in a transfer request but later revoked it to the delight of the Villa Park faithful.

Lambert has been active in the transfer window, bringing in Jores Okore, Aleksandar Tonev, Antonio Luna, Nicklas Helenius and Leandro Bacuna to bolster the depth of his squad.

Meanwhile, Jean Makoun returned to France while Richard Dunne and Brett Holman left the club on free transfers.
Villa - who finished 15th last term - saw their pre-season start poorly, with four draws and one loss, but they won their last four, including a 3-2 win against Malaga last week.

Arsenal have a good recent record against Villa, winning three of the last four Premier League meetings, but they will hope to avoid a repeat of their 2-1 home defeat to the Midlanders in May 2011.

Thomas Vermaelen, Nacho Monreal (both back) and Abou Diaby (knee) will definitely miss the game, while Bacary Sagna and Aaron Ramsey (both ankle) are also in doubt for Arsenal.

Villa's bill of health is cleaner, although Charles N'Zogbia (Achilles) will not feature.

17.08. (Sat) 13:45 Liverpool - Stoke City

Liverpool face an early progress test when their second season under Brendan Rodgers kicks off against Stoke City on Saturday.

The Merseyside club finished a disappointing seventh last term, but lost just three games in the second half of their Premier League campaign and will hope to extend that form into 2013-14.
Stoke have failed to register a single Premier League goal in five visits to Anfield, but have taken points on three occasions courtesy of 0-0 draws - including in both of the last two seasons.

The challenge they pose to Rodgers' men this time around will be vastly different, however, following the dismissal of former boss Tony Pulis and arrival of Mark Hughes in his stead.

The Welshman has allowed several stalwarts of the Pulis era to leave, with Rory Delap, Matthew Upson and Dean Whitehead all released upon the expiry of their contracts.

And he has put his own stamp on the squad with the summer acquisitions of Juan Agudelo, Marc Muniesa and Erik Pieters.

Liverpool are also likely to field an unfamiliar line-up, having brought in Simon Mignolet, Iago Aspas, Kolo Toure and Luis Alberto during the transfer window, while Jamie Carragher's absence is sure to be felt following his retirement.

The hosts will be without Luis Suarez as the striker serves the remainder of his 10-match ban for biting, and have doubts over the fitness of Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel ahead of the game, although Rodgers expects the central-defensive duo to be available.

However, Daniel Sturridge is likely to command a starting berth having proven his fitness with a brief friendly appearance against Celtic and a behind-closed-doors outing against Newcastle earlier this week.

And Rodgers has no doubts that the forward can deliver following the ankle injury he sustained while on international duty with England in May.

"He's worked tirelessly with the medical group. As a team, they've got him back. He's not 100 per cent fit yet, but for me Daniel Sturridge is a player that even if he's 70 or 80 per cent fit, he'll be right up there as one of the top strikers," the manager said.

By contrast, Stoke have just one injury worry ahead of their opening fixture, with Brek Shea sidelined by a leg injury.

Ovog vikenda kreće najjači šampionat na planeti - engleska Premijer liga

Kreće „Premijer“ liga, pa možemo da kažemo da ovog vikenda počinje nova sezona. Ljubitelji fudbala, a posebno kladioničari, sa nestrpljenjem očekuju uzbuđenja u takmičenju u kojem je vrednost igrača procenjena na tri i po milijarde evra. Mančester Junajted posle mnogo godina počinje bez Sera Aleksa Fergusona, a Žoze Murinjo se posle nekoliko sezona vratio u Čelsi.
Šampion bi trebalo da se traži u trouglu Mančester Junajted - Mančester Siti - Čelsi. „Đavoli” će najviše da budu oslabljeni odlaskom Fergusona. Novi kormilar kluba sa „Old Traforda”, Dejvid Mojes, imao je slabe rezultate u pripremnom periodu, a problem predstavlja i želja Vejna Runija da promeni sredinu. Klub je ostao u gotovo nepromenjenom sastavu. Pol Skols se drugi put penzionisao, a pojačanje bi mogao da bude talentovani Vilfred Zaha, koji je bio najzaslužniji za ulazak Kristal Palasa u elitu.
Novog „kormilara“ imaju i „građani” - Maurisija Pelegrinija. Siti se najbolje pojačao. Od bitnijih igrača otišao je samo Tevez, a kao zamena stigao je bivši Partizanovac, Stevan Jovetić. Od novajlija tu su još Navas, Negredo i Fernandinjo. Za ovu četvoricu izdvojeno je 111 miliona evra.

Insajderi Prognoziraju - Portugal, Liga ZON Sagres - 1. kolo / Predrag Jokanović

Branko Milovanović (Las Palmas) uoči prvog kola u Španiji 2

Bojan Jorgačević (Erđijes) pred prvo kolo najbolje lige Turske

Insajderi Prognoziraju - France, Ligue 1 - 2. kolo / Nenad Džodić (Monpelje)

La Liga Opta Facts - Matchday 1 - 17/18 August

Almeria v Villarreal
Almeria have not lost any of their four home meetings with Villarreal in the Primera Division (3W 1D).
Villarreal achieved their third promotion to the Primera last season - after their first promotion, they suffered their worst ever top-flight campaign to date (1998/99, 36 points).
On the contrary, Almeria achieved their second promotion to the top-flight last season - they gained their best ever points total the year after their promotion (52 points in 2008/09).
Current Villarreal manager Marcelino Garcia Toral has never lost against Almeria in the top-flight (W3 D1).
Villarreal have only won two of their 13 previous opening day games in La Liga (D5 L6), though both victories came away from home (1-2 in Vallecas, 0-3 in the Mestalla).
The Yellows claimed promotion to La Liga in the final gameweek of the Segunda last season despite losing 1-0 at home to Almeria.
Villarreal only conceded more than one goal in two of their final 20 league games last term.
Almeria scored a league-high 19 headed goals last season.
Since the Frenchman made his Segunda debut, only former Almeria striker Charles (13) scored more goals in the second division than Jeremy Perbet (11).
Ustari has lost all three league games he has played against Villarreal.

Barcelona v Levante
Barcelona have won eight of their last nine meetings with Levante in La Liga, drawing the other.
The Catalan side have won all of their eight previous top-flight meetings with Levante on home soil.
Los Granotas have conceded an average of 3.25 goals per game in these eight trips to the Nou Camp in the Spanish league.
The 5-0 hammering Levante suffered in the Camp Nou last season equalled their worst ever La Liga defeat (also lost 5-0 v Real Madrid in 2004/05).
Cesc Fabregas has scored in three of the last four clashes between Barcelona and Levante in the league, including the victory in the Nou Camp last term.
Fabregas made 185 passes in the opposition half against Levante last season, the most by a single player against one opponent in the top-flight.
Barcelona had the highest average possession in any of the top five European leagues last season (69%), whilst Levante had the lowest (35%).
Levante will be playing in their fourth successive top-flight season; their best ever run of consecutive top tier campaigns.
Lionel Messi was the top scorer in La Liga last season, netting 46 goals - four few than the 50 goal record haul he netted two campaigns ago.
Levante have never won their opening fixture in a La Liga season (D5 L3).

Celta Vigo v Espanyol
Celta Vigo sealed La Liga survival last season after winning 1-0 against Espanyol on the final day.
Four of Celta Vigo's five previous home victories over the Catalan side have ended with the same scoreline: 1-0.
Luis Enrique will make his La Liga managerial debut; his Roma side in 2011/12 had the second highest possession figure in Serie A (60%) after champions Juventus (61%).
Espanyol won just three points having conceded the first goal last season - a La Liga-low.
Celta Vigo have lost last season's star man Iago Aspas to Liverpool; only Lionel Messi contributed directly to a higher portion of his team's goals in La Liga than Aspas last term.
Sergio Garcia has participated in more goals for Espanyol than any other player in La Liga under Javier Aguirre (seven goals, four assists).
With 27 goals last season, new Celta striker Charles was the top scorer in the Segunda last season (Aspas scored 23 goals in Celta's promotion campaign).
The last four times Espanyol have started a top-flight campaign away from home, they have suffered defeat, failing to score in three of those games.
Pizzi attempted more crosses than any other player in La Liga last season (338, including corners).
Rafinha attempted more passes in the opposition half than any other player in the second division last term (1417).

Osasuna v Granada
Osasuna lost both clashes with Granada last season; their last victory over the Andalusian side came back in February 2012 (2-1).
In that victory, Javad Nekounam scored his final league goal for Osasuna; the Iranian is Osasuna's top scoring midfielder over the last 10 seasons (24 goals).
Granada have only won one of their five visits to Pamplona in La Liga (2-1 last season).
Dani Benitez was the scorer of the winning goal in this one Granada victory in Pamplona, netting his first ever top-flight goal in the process.
The Andalusian side have lost their opening game in each of their last two top-flight seasons (1-0 v Betis and Rayo Vallecano).
New Osasuna striker Oriol Riera scored more headed goals than any other player in the Segunda last season (seven).
Granada had the second worst shot conversion rate in La Liga last season (10%), behind Osasuna (8%). Two years ago, Granada had the worst rate (9%).
Osasuna scored just 15 goals at the Reyno last season, their worst ever home goal haul.
New Granada striker Riki scored 13 goals for Deportivo last season; his best ever return in a top-flight campaign.
The Reds scored their last five goals last season after the half-time break.

Rayo Vallecano v Elche
Under Paco Jemez, Rayo Vallecano registered their best ever top-flight points haul last season (53 points).
Elche have won their last two top-flight meetings with Rayo Vallecano (3-0 and 1-0 in 77/78).
In fact, this was Elche's only victory in 39 total visits to Madrid in La Liga (D6).
After Barcelona (69%), Rayo Vallecano had the highest possession figure in La Liga last season (58%).
Edu Albacar was the top scoring defender in the Spanish segunda last season (eight).
Roberto Trashorras averaged more long passes per game than any other player in the top-flight last season (12.4).
Rayo Vallecano have never won a first round game when they have started the campaign away from home in La Liga (D4 L8).
Elche are one of only two teams Rayo Vallecano have faced in La Liga but never scored against (other is Castellon).
Cristian Sapunaru was shown a league-high 18 yellow cards last season.
Of the last 18 goals scored by Rayo in La Liga last season, none of the scorers remain at the club.

Real Madrid v Real Betis
Real Madrid have won four successive league games against Betis in the Bernabeu (scoring 3.7 goals per game).
The Green-and-Whites are the only team to have recorded more than one 0-0 draw against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu over the last 10 seasons.
Betis are one of two teams (with Tenerife) that Cristiano Ronaldo has faced in the league on home soil and never scored against.
Jorge Molina has scored more goals against Real Madrid than any other Primera side, including in each of Betis' last two trips to the Bernabeu.
Mesut Ozil, scorer of a brace in the 3-1 victory over Betis last season, created more big chances than any other player last season (24).
Betis were the first team to ever beat Real Madrid on their own pitch in a La Liga season (1-0 in 1934).
Asier Illarremendi won 59% of the duels he contested in La Liga last season, the best record of the ten midfielders to contest the most duels.
Ruben Castro scored his first top-flight goals against Real Madrid in 2001 when he played for Las Palmas, but has not scored against the Whites since.
The last time there were five Andalusian teams in the top-flight (2008/09), Real Betis were relegated to the Segunda.
The Whites have not opened a season with a home defeat since 1984/85, when they lost 0-3 to Barcelona.

Real Sociedad v Getafe
Real Sociedad have only won one of their six home meetings with Getafe in the top-flight (3-0 in 2005).
The Blues have logged five draws at the Anoeta in La Liga, more than against any other opponent on the road in their top-flight history.
Getafe have found the net at least once in each of their previous nine opening La Liga fixtures.
The last three goals netted by Real Sociedad against Getafe in La Liga have all been headers scored by different players (Paco Sutil, Carlos Martinez, Carlos Vela).
Real Sociedad defenders scored a joint-high 11 goals in La Liga last season, whilst Getafe conceded a league-high 12 to opposition defenders.
Pedro Leon made a league-high six assists from dead ball situations last season.
Carlos Vela was one of only two players (with Iago Aspas) to be his team's top scorer and top assister last season (14 goals and nine assists).
Luis Garcia has never lost against los txuri-urdin in the top-flight (W3 D3).
Carlos Martinez scored the only goal of his La Liga career against Getafe.
Alvaro Vazquez was caught offside more frequently than any other player in La Liga last season (52.6 minutes).

Sevilla v Atletico Madrid
Sevilla are without a win in five league meetings with Atletico Madrid (D3 L2), their last victory against them coming back in 2010 (3-1).
Sevilla did, however, beat Atletico Madrid on the last occasion they played them on the opening day; Julio Baptista scored a debut goal in that game back in 2003.
Atletico have won two successive league games against Sevilla; they last won three in a row against them in La Liga back in 1993.
Both these teams have lost the player that scored the highest percentage of their league goals last season: Alvaro Negredo (43%) and Radamel Falcao (42%).
New Sevilla forward Kevin Gameiro had the second best minutes/goal average in Ligue 1 (eight or more goals) last season (one every 108 minutes) after Zlatan Ibrahimovic (one every 99).
David Villa will make his debut for Atletico against the team he has scored the most La Liga goals against (14).
Thibaut Courtois kept more clean sheets than any other La Liga keeper last season (20).
Ivan Rakitic created more chances per game than any other player in La Liga last season (2.97).
The last time there were five Andalusian teams in La Liga, Sevilla qualified for the Champions League (2008/09).
When they have opened the season on home soil, Sevilla have opened with a victory in seven successive campaigns.

Valencia v Malaga
Valencia have won four successive home league games against Malaga; they have never won four in a row against them.
The Mestalla is the ground that Malaga have played the most often without winning in La Liga (12 times, no victories) together with the Bernabeu since their reformation.
Excluding Sevilla, Valencia are unbeaten in 17 home league games against sides from Andalusia (D3).
Malaga lost on the last occasion they faced Valencia on the opening day of a La Liga campaign.
Valencia scored a league-high 17 headed goals last season.
Willy Caballero conceded five goals on the last occasion Malaga played at the Mestalla, more than in any other game he played last term.
Los Che saw a league-high 11 opposition players sent off last season.
Malaga were the only team not to lose having scored the first goal of a game in the 2012/13 La Liga campaign.
No team won more points with goals scored in the 88th minute or later than Valencia last season (10).
Helder Postiga committed a league-high 100 fouls and was offside a league high 52 times last term.

Valladolid v Athletic Bilbao
Athletic have only lost one of their last eight league games against Valladolid (5W 2D).
However, the Basque side have only won one of their last nine league games in Pucela against Valladolid (D2).
The last four times Valladolid have opened up a top-flight season on home soil, they have lost.
The last time Athletic Bilbao played a full league game without picking up a yellow card was against Valladolid at the old San Mames.
Against no other side has Susaeta scored more league goals than against Real Valladolid (three).
Txingurri Valverde has never drawn in six league games against Valladolid (W2 L4), nor has JIM in the league against Bilbao (W3 L1).
Indeed, Valverde has lost both of his previous two league trips to Pucela, conceding exactly twice in each of these games.
Gorka Iraizoz made more saves per game than any other stopper in La Liga last season (4.37).
Ander Herrera won more fouls than any other player in the top-flight last term (107).
Valladolid scored more own goals than any other side in 2012/13 (four).

League One Opta Facts – August 17

Bristol City v Wolves
In a run stretching back to last season, Bristol City are winless in their last five home matches (D2 L3).
Wolves have scored 17 goals in their last five trips to Bristol, averaging at 3.4 goals per game.
Bristol City have gone 10 league games without beating Wolves, losing seven times (D3).
Wolves have not won any of their last four away matches in the league (D1 L3).
The Robins have the best shooting accuracy in the division so far (61%).

Carlisle v Coventry
Carlisle enjoyed victories in both their matches against Coventry in the 2012/13 campaign.
Coventry's 5-4 over Bristol City on Sunday ended a six-match winless run in the league (D2 L4).
The Cumbrian side are unbeaten in their last three league fixtures against the Sky Blues, winning twice (D1).
Carlisle have shipped more goals (nine) than any other side in League One this season, including three from outside the area.
Callum Wilson has netted in consecutive league appearances for the first time in his career and is the division's joint-top scorer with three so far.
Carlisle's last home victory came in March, since then they have lost two and drawn three at Brunton Park.

Crawley v Rotherham
Crawley Town have not lost at home in the league since February; since then, they have won four and drawn four.
Rotherham have not lost a match since April 6th. They ended last season with five consecutive wins and have drawn two so far this term.
This will be the first time the two clubs have met since the 2011/12 season, when Crawley beat the Millers on both occasions (2-1 & 3-0).
Last season, no League One side had a higher percentage of second half goals than Crawley (68%; 40 of 59 goals).

Crewe v Tranmere
Crewe are unbeaten in six home games against Tranmere, winning four of those (D2).
Tranmere have been on target with just 29% of their attempts at goal so far this season, the worst shooting accuracy in the league.
Since 1999/2000, only one of Tranmere's six league victories against Crewe have occurred at the Alexandra Stadium.
Rovers' last victory in the league came on the 24th March. Since then, they have lost six and drawn two of their eight League One matches.

Gillingham v Brentford
Gillingham have gone four league games without victory over the Bees (D2 L2) and have also failed to score in their last two.
Brentford have lost just one of their last eight league games (W3 D4).
The Bees have scored in each of their last eight games against the Gills. However, they've won only two of those (D4 L2).
Gillingham are one of three teams yet to find the back of the net this season in League One despite their nine shots on target.

Peterborough v Oldham
Peterborough have scored five times in each of their last two matches against Oldham.
Oldham have conceded more than one goal in just two of their last eight away matches.
Peterborough are currently enjoying a four-match unbeaten streak against the Latics, winning the last three on the bounce.
The Posh were last defeated at home in February, since then they have won four and drawn three.

Port Vale v Bradford
Both teams have netted in each of Port Vale's last six home league games.
Bradford have lost just one of their last 11 league games, winning six and drawing four in this run.
The Bantams have failed to beat Port Vale in nine attempts, losing six and drawing three.
The Vale have not scored in five of their last eight home league matches against Bradford.
Stretching back to 2012/13, Port Vale are unbeaten in five home matches (W2 D3).

Preston North End v MK Dons
The two sides have met just four times in the league with Preston yet to taste defeat, winning once (D3).
MK Dons have shut out their opponents in both of their league games so far and have not conceded in 329 minutes of league football in total.
Neither side has managed to score more than one goal in each of the four previous matches between them.
Preston have mustered just 11 shots so far this season (excluding blocked). Only Carlisle (10) have had fewer efforts at goal.
Preston's opening day draw with Wolves stretched their unbeaten record at Deepdale to eight matches (W5 D3), with their last defeat coming on February 2nd.

Sheffield United v Colchester United
Sheffield United have not lost to Colchester in six league games (W2 D4).
Colchester have won only one league match at Bramall Lane in their history (D1 L4).
Sheffield United have lost just one of their last nine games at Bramall Lane (W3 D5).
Colchester have kept two clean sheets either side of the end of last season. In total they have gone 372 minutes of league football without conceding.

Shrewsbury v Swindon
Shrewsbury have won two and lost four of their last eight matches in all competitions (D2).
Swindon have managed to score in each of their last seven league matches against Shrewsbury.
The Shrews have lost eight of the last 10 matches against the Robins (W2).
Swindon have not drawn a league game since March, since then they have won three and lost five (excluding play-offs).

Stevenage v Leyton Orient
Stevenage's last league victory came on April Fools' Day, since then they have drawn one and lost the last five.
Stevenage have scored just once in the four league matches in which they've faced the Orient.
Leyton Orient have attempted more shots at goal (33; excluding blocked) than any other side so far this season in League One and are also the division's top scorers with eight.
The two sides have met just four times in the league, with Stevenage winning once and Leyton Orient winning twice (D1).
With their 100% start to the season, the O's have now won four and lost none (D1) of their last five league matches in total.

Walsall v Notts County
Walsall have picked up one victory in their last six league matches against the Magpies (L3 D2).
Both teams have netted in seven of Notts County's last eight league matches.
After winning four consecutive home games against Notts County, Walsall have failed to win in three matches at the Bescot Stadium (D1 L2).
Including a League Cup victory, the Saddlers have won three on the bounce at the start of this season. It is their best run of form since January, when they won four on the trot.

League Two Opta Facts – August 17th

Bury v Accrington
Accrington Stanley have won only once in their last five visits to Gigg Lane (D1 L3).
Bury have scored seven goals in their last three league meetings with Accrington Stanley, who have scored just three in the same period.
Bury have kept clean sheets against Accrington Stanley in two of their last three games when these teams have met in the league at Gigg Lane.
There has not been a draw between these teams in the last eight meetings in the league.
Accrington have only beaten Bury twice in the last 10 games played in league competition (2D 6L).

Cheltenham V Plymouth
The last three league meetings involving these clubs with Cheltenham at home have ended 2-1, with two of those in favour of Cheltenham.
Plymouth have scored in the last seven league meetings with Cheltenham Town.
These teams have met six times in the league at Cheltenham, Plymouth have won only once.
There has not been a draw between these teams in the last seven league meetings.
Plymouth have failed to score in four of their last five away matches in the league (scoring just two goals in that run).

Exeter City v AFC Wimbledon
Exeter City are yet to score anything other than two goals in a game against AFC Wimbledon.
Last season, AFC Wimbledon won eight league games away from home compared to just six victories at Kingsmeadow.
These teams have played each other twice before in the league. Wimbledon are yet to beat Exeter City.
There has only ever been one yellow card shown when these teams have met in the league.
Exeter have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last five home league matches (conceding six goals in that run).

Fleetwood v Burton Albion
Four of Fleetwood's five goals have been scored in the opening 15 minutes of matches this season.
These sides have lined up against each other twice before in the league, with both sides claiming one clean sheet apiece.
There is yet to be a draw between these teams in the league.
Only two cards have been shown in league matches involving these sides, one of them was red.

Newport v Bristol Rovers
Newport have won their last five matches at home (including four Conference wins from last season).
Only Bury (8) have attempted fewer shots than Bristol Rovers (11; excluding blocked shots) so far this season.
Bristol Rovers' last league win was on April 6th against AFC Wimbledon. Since then they have drawn three and lost three.
This is the first time these teams have met since Newport County reformed in 1988.

Portsmouth v Morecambe
Pompey have taken the lead in both of their games so far this season; but are yet to hold for victory.
This the first time Pompey and Morecambe have faced each other.
Portsmouth have conceded six goals in their opening two games. No other team has conceded more.
Only Hartlepool (26) have attempted more shots in their opening two games than both Portsmouth and Morecambe (both 25; excluding blocked shots).
David Connolly has scored two goals from just two shots for Portsmouth this season in League Two.

Rochdale v Chesterfield
Rochdale have not beaten Chesterfield in their last seven league meetings (3D 4L).
Chesterfield have only been victorious in two of the last 13 league games to have been played at Rochdale.
Rochdale have scored one goal in each of their last four league meetings with Chesterfield.
The Spireites have netted at least once in the last 18 games against Rochdale in league competition.
There has only been one game in the last five meetings between these teams in the league where there have been three or more goals scored.

Scunthorpe v Dagenham & Redbridge
Scunthorpe are one of three teams yet to concede a goal in League Two this season (with Southend and Chesterfield).
Dagenham and Redbridge have averaged just 38.61% possession in the opening two weekends; the lowest in the division.
This weekend's game marks the first team these sides have met.
Scunthorpe conceded a league-low 11 fouls in their opening two games of the League Two season.
Dagenham have won just one of their last five away league matches; a run dating back to March (D1 L3).

Southend v Northampton
Northampton have beaten Southend only once in the last six league meetings at Roots Hall (D3 L2).
Southend United have only won one game in the last six against Northampton Town in the league (D3 L2).
The Shrimpers have scored nine goals in the last three league fixtures against Northampton Town.
The Essex side have scored at least once in their last 13 games against Northampton Town in the league.
Northampton conceded 33 fouls in their opening two games of this season; the most in League Two.

Torquay v Oxford United
Oxford United have only lost once in the last eight league meetings with Torquay United (W3 D4 L1).
Torquay have fallen behind in both of their matches this season but avoided defeat on each occasion (D2).
Three of the last four league meetings have ended in a draw between these teams.
Two of the last four league games involving these teams have ended goalless.
Torquay United have not beaten Oxford in the league in four matches at home (D2 L2).
When Torquay have been at home against Oxford in the league, there has only been one occasion in the last seven where there has been less than three goals scored in a game.

Wycombe v Mansfield
Wycombe have never failed to score against Mansfield Town at home in the league.
There has been only one instance where Mansfield Town have beaten Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park in the league from seven games (D4 L2).
There has been only one draw in the last seven league games involving Wycombe and Mansfield.
There has not been a goalless draw in the last eight league games between these teams.
No player has attempted more shots in League Two this season than Wycombe's Dean Morgan (seven; excluding blocked). Morgan is yet to score.

York v Hartlepool
The last two league games where York and Hartlepool have faced off have ended goalless.
Hartlepool have not beaten York away from home in their last seven league meetings (D4 L3).
York City have kept clean sheets in four of the last six league games against Hartlepool at home.
The Minstermen have only netted twice in the last six league games against Hartlepool.

Bundesliga Opta Facts - Matchday 2 - 17/18 August

VfB Stuttgart - Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Leverkusen have not lost any of their last six games against Stuttgart (W4 D2). Stuttgart's last victory over Leverkusen came in April 2010 (2-1).
Leverkusen have scored in each of their last 11 matches against Stuttgart, finding the net 27 times - an average of 2.5 goals a game. The last time they failed to score against Stuttgart was in 2007 (0-1 at Stuttgart).
Leverkusen have won 28 of their 68 Bundesliga meetings with Stuttgart (D18 L22). Against no other side have they won as many Bundesliga games.
Leverkusen have won their last six Bundesliga games for the first time since 2006. Their club record is seven consecutive victories - between September and November 2001. Their last defeat came against Bayern Munich (1-2).
Stuttgart's defeat at Mainz was their second consecutive opening game defeat. Last season, they failed to win any of their opening five matches.
Leverkusen's victory against Freiburg was their first opening day victory since 2010 (2-0 at Dortmund).
Leverkusen last won consecutive games at the start of the Bundesliga season in 2003, when they won their first three.
Stuttgart coach Bruno Labbadia was Leverkusen coach in the 2008/09 season while Daniel Schwaab signed for Stuttgart this summer after four years at Leverkusen.
Vedad Ibisevic has scored four of Stuttgart's five competitive goals this season.
Stefan Kießling is still waiting for his 100th Bundesliga goal for Bayer Leverkusen (currently on 99). Only Ulf Kirsten scored more goals (182) in the top flight for Leverkusen.
Kießling has scored in his last seven Bundesliga games - more than any other player in the club's history. The striker has scored 12 goals in his last eight BL games against Stuttgart (at least one in each of these games).

Werder Bremen - FC Augsburg
Both sides struggled last season with Bremen finishing 14th and Augsburg finishing 15th.
Augsburg are the only current Bundesliga side who have never lost a Bundesliga game against Bremen (W2 D2). Augsburg won both meetings last season (3-1 at home, 1-0 at Bremen).
Augsburg did not win any of their opening six Bundesliga matches last season. Their only victory in the first half of 2012/13 came after seven games - 3-1 against Bremen.
Bremen have not won any of their last 14 Bundesliga games against Bavarian sides (D6 L8). This run includes the entire 2011/12 and 2012/13 campaigns.
Bremen's opening game victory against Braunschweig ended a run of 13 Bundesliga games without a win (D6 L7) - the longest in their history. It was also their first Bundesliga game under Robin Dutt.
Bremen have not won any of their last seven Bundesliga home games (D3 L4). Failing to beat Augsburg would create a new club record.
Augsburg have lost their last four consecutive Bundesliga away games - a club record.
Augsburg have failed to score in their last three Bundesliga away games.
Augsburg's 4-0 defeat at home to Dortmund last week was the biggest home Bundesliga defeat in the club's history. Incidentally, 4-0 is their biggest ever Bundesliga defeat - also to Dortmund in October 2011.
Bremen's win against Braunschweig was their first victory since CEO Thomas Eichin took control on February 15th 2013.
Robin Dutt's two Bundesliga games as a coach against Augsburg both resulted in a 4-1 victory for his side (both as Leverkusen coach).

Borussia Dortmund - Eintracht Braunschweig
The last Bundesliga meeting between Dortmund and Braunschweig came on May 11th 1985 and resulted in a 4-2 victory for Dortmund (with Dortmund's current director of sports Michael Zorc on the pitch).
Braunschweig have, however, won their last two competitive matches against Dortmund (German Cup, first round, 2005/06: 2-1 at home; German Cup, second round, 1989/90: 3-2 at Dortmund).
Dortmund have won all their three competitive matches this year. The last season that they secured three victories from their opening three competitive matches eventually resulted in a Championship win - 2001/02; six victories from their opening six competitive matches.
Braunschweig's last Bundesliga away game came on June 1st 1985 and resulted in a 2-1 victory at KFC Uerdingen.
Dortmund have failed to win any of their last two home games in the top flight (D1 L1). They only lost three home games after having gone in front in 2012/13 (like only Greuther Furth).
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the first player in Dortmund's Bundesliga history who scored three goals in his debut. He became the sixth player in Bundesliga history to achieve this feat.
Robert Lewandowski is waiting to play 100th Bundesliga game. He has scored 55 goals in his 99 BL appearances (15 assists), only Mario Gomez has been more successful during this period (65 goals).
Torsten Lieberknecht and Jürgen Klopp were teammates at Mainz between 1995 - 2001. Lieberknecht's last five games for Mainz came under coach Jürgen Klopp.
Torsten Lieberknecht has been coach at Braunschweig for more than five years (May 2008). That's longer than any other current Bundesliga coach has spent with their current side. Jürgen Klopp is second in that ranking, having been Dortmund coach since July 2008.

Eintracht Frankfurt - Bayern Munich
Bayern's 1-0 victory at Frankfurt last season sealed the earliest Championship victory in Bundesliga history. Never before had a club win the Bundesliga as early as matchday 28.
Frankfurt have won only one of their last 11 competitive games against Bayern Munich (D2 L8) - this was a 2-1 home victory in the Bundesliga on matchday 27 in 2009/10.
Bayern haven't lost any of their last 19 BL away games (D2 W17). However, they have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last three games on the road in the top flight. They conceded as many as three in their last away game (4-3 at Monchengladbach on matchday 34).
Bayern haven't lost any of their last 26 games in the top flight (W22 D4). Their club record is 27 consecutive BL games without defeat (between May 1988 & March 1989; under coach Jupp Heynckes). The Bundesliga record is 36 games unbeaten, set by Hamburg between 1982 & 1983.
Frankfurt are bottom of the BL table for the first time since 2005/06 (matchday 8) after their 1-6 defeat at Hertha Berlin last week.
Bayern haven't lost a Bundesliga match against a side that was placed at the bottom of the BL table on a matchday since 2007/08 (0-2 at Cottbus).
Frankfurt are waiting for their 400th Bundesliga home victory (currently 399).
Javi Martinez hasn't lost any of his 28 Bundesliga games (W25 D3) - a Bundesliga record.
Mario Mandzukic has started in each of Pep Guardiola's three competitive matches and he scored a goal against Monchengladbach last week. His potential rival Mario Götze netted brace in a friendly match at Gyor (Hungary) last week (4-1).
Arjen Robben has been involved in 15 goals in his last 11 competitive matches (nine goals, six assists).

SC Freiburg - FSV Mainz
Mainz haven't lost any of their last five Bundesliga matches against Freiburg (D3 W2). However, their last competitive meeting resulted in a victory for Freiburg (the German Cup 2012/13, quarterfinals; 3-2 in extra time).
Freiburg have never scored more than one goal in a Bundesliga match against Mainz. They have scored exactly one goal in each of their five home games against Mainz in the top flight.
Mainz won 3-2 against Stuttgart last week, putting an end to a run of nine Bundesliga games without victory.
Freiburg have lost only two of their last nine Bundesliga home games (W5 D2). They kept a clean sheet in six of these nine home games.
Mainz haven't won any of their last seven BL games on the road, however they have lost only two of them (D5). Their last away victory in the top flight came at Furth (3-0) in January 2013. No other side has currently been waiting for an away victory as long as Mainz.
Mainz have scored at least twice in each of their last four Bundesliga games. However, they have also conceded at least two goals in these four matches.
No side attempted fewer shots than Freiburg (8) or Mainz (9) on MD1 of the Bundesliga this season.
Nicolai Müller scored a brace last week against Stuttgart. He has been directly involved in six of his teams' last nine goals (five goals, one assist).
Mike Hanke scored a goal in Freiburg's 1-3 defeat at Leverkusen last week. He has now scored for five different clubs in the Bundesliga, only four players have scored for more different sides in the top flight (record set by Michael Spies, who scored for seven different sides).
Oliver Baumann is waiting for his 100th Bundesliga appearance (currently 99). His first clean sheet in a Bundesliga home game came against Mainz (1-0 in November 2010).

Borussia Monchengladbach - Hannover 96
Monchengladbach have won four of their five last Bundesliga matches against Hannover (L1), as well as four of their last five home games against them (L1).
Only one of 46 Bundesliga meetings between these two sides have resulted in a goalless draw (August 1970). 42 goals were scored in the last 10 meetings between the sides - an average of 4.2 goals per game, while Monchengladbach have scored in each of these games.
Hannover set a Bundesliga record by conceding three own goals in a single game in December 2009 against Monchengladbach (3-5 defeat). No other side have ever conceded three own goals in a Bundesliga game.
Hannover are the only side to ever win the German Cup as a second division team: Their 4-3 victory in the 1992 final came on penalties against Monchengladbach.
Monchengladbach haven't won any of their last six ‘primetime' games in the Bundesliga (i.e. the game on Saturday evening; D3 L3). Their last victory in a primetime game came in February 2012 against Schalke (3-0).
Hannover haven't lost any of the last 40 Bundesliga games in which they have lead at half time (W33 D7) and only one of their last 70 (W56 D13 and a 2-3 defeat at Bochum after a 2-0 lead against Bochum on December 19th, 2009).
Hannover had 20 shots against Wolfsburg (2-0) last week, more than in any of their 34 games last season.
Alvaro Dominguez conceded two penalties last week against Bayern Munich (1-3) with handballs. He had already conceded a penalty in this manner on matchday 33 at Mainz last season (4-2) - which means he has now given away three penalties by handball in his last two Bundesliga appearances.
Juan Arango hasn't scored a Bundesliga goal in 2013. His last goal came on December 9th, 2012 at Monchengladbach's 2-0 victory at Mainz.
Jan Schlaudraff started his professional career at Monchengladbach (2002 - 2004, 10 Bundesliga appearances). Against no other side has he scored more Bundesliga goals than against Monchengladbach (5).

Hamburger SV - TSG Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim have gained only one point from their five games at Hamburg (0-0 in December 2009), having scored only one goal in these five matches (1-2 in November 2010). Against no other side have Hoffenheim scored fewer goals per game on the road (on average) than against Hamburg.
Hoffenheim's 5-1 victory over Hamburg on April 25th 2010 was their biggest win in their Bundesliga history (alongside a 5-1 win against Hertha Berlin in September 2009).
Thorsten Fink's first victory as Hamburg coach came on November 20th 2011 in a 2-0 home win over Hoffenheim.
10 different head coaches have been appointed by Hamburg and Hoffenheim combined during the last three and a half years.
Hamburg have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 10 Bundesliga games. Their last clean sheet came against Stuttgart on March 10th 2013 (1-0). A longer such run last came in April - November 2011 (16 consecutive Bundesliga games without clean sheet).
Hamburg have won only two of their last eight home games in the top flight (D2 L4). They have failed to score in four of these eight home games.
Hoffenheim had more clear cut chances than any other side on MD1 (8), they also missed more clear cut chances than any other side (7).
Only Hamburg scored two headers in their opening game of the season - more than any other BL side on MD1. Only Hamburg and Bayern scored two goals after a set piece situations.
Artjoms Rudnevs has scored more goals against Hoffenheim than against any other side in the Bundesliga (three goals vs. Hoffenheim last season).

1. FC Nurnberg - Hertha BSC
Nurnberg have won their last four Bundesliga meetings against Hertha Berlin (8-1 goals) and each of their last five home games against this side (11-3 goals).
Berlin's last victory at Nurnberg came more than 10 years ago (3-0).
Hertha BSC won 6-1 against Frankfurt last week. This was the biggest victory by a newly promoted team on the opening matchday in Bundesliga history.
Berlin are on top of the Bundesliga table for the first time since matchday 25 in 2008/09.
The last newly promoted side to top the table after MD1 was Arminia Bielefeld in 2002/03 - a season that resulted in Bielefeld's relegation.
None of Berlin's 30 Bundesliga seasons have started with two victories in their opening two games, which means that they could set a club record with a victory against Nurnberg.
Berlin haven't lost any of their last 11 league games (Bundesliga 1 & Bundesliga 2 combined: W8 D3) and have lost only one of their last 33 (W23 D9).
Each of Nurnberg's last 14 Bundesliga goals have come in the second half. Their last goal to arrive in the first half was scored more than five months ago. This statistic has seen Nurnberg losing each of their last seven Bundesliga games at half-time.
Nurnberg have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last nine Bundesliga games (an average of 1.9 goals conceded per game).
Nurnberg scored a league-high 11 Bundesliga goals from outside the box last season. Hertha BSC scored a league-high 15 goals from outside the box last season in Bundesliga.2.
Daniel Ginczek has scored in each of his last four competitive games (five goals) and in 10 of his last 12 matches (13 goals).
Sami Allagui has been involved in three goals in each of Berlin's two competitive matches this season (three goals, three assists overall).

VfL Wolfsburg - Schalke 04
Wolfsburg have lost their last three games against Schalke (1-4, 0-3 and 0-4).
Schalke have won only two of their 16 Bundesliga away games at Wolfsburg (D8 L6). They did however win on their last visit to Wolfsburg (4-1).
Wolfsburg haven't lost any of their last five home games in the top flight. However four of these five matches ended in a draw (plus a 3-1 victory over Monchengladbach in April).
Schalke have won four of their last six games on the road in the top flight (L2).
Wolfsburg collected only 17 points at home last season, only Greuther Furth won fewer (4 points), it was Wolfsburg's lowest ever total of home points in a Bundesliga season.
Wolfsburg were outnumbered by Hannover last week due to having two players sent off; however they still won 57% of their duels in the game. Only Frankfurt (51.6%) and Bayern (52.2%) had a higher duel success rate than Wolfsburg last season.
Jens Keller is a former Wolfsburg player. He spent two and a half years at the club and was part of the side which was promoted to the Bundesliga in 1996/97. Keller appeared in 31 Bundesliga games in the following season (scoring one goal).
Joel Matip conceded a penalty due to a handball on matchday one, later in the game he lost a duel against Hamburg's Sobiech resulting in another goal for Hamburg (result 3-3).
Wolfsburg's Maximilian Arnold will miss this game due to a straight red card on matchday one. His teammate Timm Klose will also miss the game due to picking up two yellows last week against Hannover. Both players had never before been sent off in a Bundesliga game.

Barclays Premier League Opta Facts – Aug 17-19

Arsenal v Aston Villa
Arsenal have lost only one of their last nine Barclays Premier League meetings with Aston Villa (W5 D3).
Aston Villa won one more point (21) away from home than they did at home (20) in the 2012-13 Barclays Premier League.
Villa have won just two of their last 19 trips to London to face Arsenal, but both of these have come since the Gunners moved to the Emirates Stadium.
Indeed only Chelsea (three) have won more away Premier League games at the Emirates than Aston Villa (two).
Villa have won just one point from their last seven Premier League away trips to London.
Arsenal have not lost any of their last 12 opening Premier League games (W8 D4), though they have drawn their last three.
Villa have played their opening fixture away from Villa Park 12 times in the Premier League era and have only won once (1-0 at Newcastle in 1999), drawing seven and losing four.
Arsenal finished last season with a 10-game unbeaten run (W8 D2) and lost just one of their last 16 fixtures to secure a top-four berth yet again.
Darren Bent has scored six goals in his last eight Premier League games against Arsenal and has scored three in three at the Emirates.
The Emirates Stadium saw more goals than any other stadium in the Premier League last season (70).

Chelsea v Hull City
Chelsea are unbeaten in their four previous Barclays Premier League games against Hull City (W2 D2).
The Tigers have won just one point from their last five Barclays Premier League away games in London.
Hull last won a competitive fixture against Chelsea in October 1988 (3-0 at home)
Hull have not won any of their previous 19 competitive games away at Chelsea, losing 14 (D5).
Chelsea have won 44 points on the opening day fixtures in the Premier League era; more than any other side.
The Blues have won 12 and lost none of their last 14 opening day league games (D2), scoring 36 goals and conceding just 14 in this run.
Fernando Torres has scored three goals in two Premier League games against Hull City, though all three came courtesy of a hat-trick for Liverpool back in September 2009.
The last time Hull City won away from home on the opening day was back in 2002, when they won 3-1 at Exeter in the fourth tier.
Should Frank Lampard play in this game, he will overtake Paul Scholes as the player to have played in his team's opening game of the season most often in the Premier League era (players currently tied on 17).
Chelsea scored the most headed goals (16) in the Premier League last season.

Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur
Palace have found the net in all but one of their previous eight Premier League fixtures against Spurs.
Tottenham have only won two of their last 12 opening Barclays Premier League games (D4 L6).
Spurs lost their last Premier League game against Crystal Palace; 0-3 in January 2005 at Selhurst Park.
The Eagles have lost only one of their last six Premier League games against Spurs.
Both Palace and their opponents have scored in all four of the Eagle's previous opening day fixtures in the Premier League.
Against no other side have Palace scored more Premier League goals than they have managed against Spurs (10).
This will be the 16th time Tottenham have played away from home in their opening Premier League game, a competition-record.
The Eagles won 16 penalties in the Championship last season, including the one in the playoff final that took them to the Premier League. This was more than any other side.
The last time Crystal Palace opened up a Premier League campaign on home soil, they were beaten 1-6 by Liverpool.
Palace striker Glenn Murray scored more goals than any other player in the Championship in 2012-13 (30) but sustained a serious knee injury in the playoffs.

Liverpool v Stoke City
Liverpool have secured only two points and scored just one goal in their last four Barclays Premier League meetings with Stoke City (D2 L2).
The Potters have lost only two of their 10 Barclays Premier League meetings with Liverpool (W3 D5).
However, Stoke have never scored a Premier League goal at Anfield, despite playing there five times.
Three of the previous five Premier League games between these two sides at Anfield have ended 0-0.
Liverpool are without a win in the last four on the opening day of the season, drawing two home games 1-1 and losing twice away.
Stoke, meanwhile, have only won one of their five previous opening Premier League fixtures (D2 L2).
Liverpool managed more shots than any other side last season (528) but also managed more shots off target than any other team (296).
Stoke scored just 34 goals in 2012/13, a haul superior only to relegated QPR (30).
The Potters also mustered a league-low of just 114 shots on target last season.
Liverpool won four and lost none of their five league games without Luis Suarez playing in 2012/13.

Manchester City v Newcastle United
Manchester City had the best defensive record in 2012/13, conceding just 34 goals and keeping 18 clean sheets.
Newcastle have never won a Barclays Premier League game at the Etihad Stadium (D2 L7).
Manchester City have won 11 and lost none (D2) of their last 13 Premier League games against Newcastle, including a current run of seven successive victories.
Newcastle have scored just eight goals in their last 13 Premier League games against Man City, conceding 30.
Yaya Toure has netted three in his last three league games against the Magpies.
Newcastle have only won two of their 10 previous away games on the opening day of a Premier League season (D4 L4).
Jesus Navas created more chances from open play than any other player in La Liga in 2012/13 (71).
City were the only team to score in every home game last season.
The Magpies scored only one goal from a corner in the entire 2012/13 Premier League season, a league-low.
Alan Pardew's side won nine points with goals scored in second-half injury time last term, the most in the PL.

Norwich City v Everton
Norwich have lost only one of their six Barclays Premier League home games versus Everton.
The Toffees have lost seven of their last 10 opening Barclays Premier League games, winning the other three.
City scored two goals in the last six minutes to win this fixture last season.
Everton have gone eight Premier League away games without a win.
Norwich have not won their opening league game in any of the last 10 seasons (D5 L5) and have not won their opening game in the top-flight since the first ever Premier League season (1992/93), when they won 4-2 at Arsenal.
Three of the last four meetings between these two sides have ended in a draw.
Marouane Fellaini netted five headed goals in the Premier League last season, a figure only Swansea's Michu could better (6).
32% of Norwich City's goals in 2012/13 were headers; a league-high proportion.
Leighton Baines created 116 goal scoring chances last season; 12 more than any other player in the Premier League.
Baines is currently the only player in Premier League history to have taken 10 (or more) penalties and maintained a 100% success rate.

Sunderland v Fulham
Fulham are unbeaten in their last four Barclays Premier League away trips to Sunderland (W1 D3).
Sunderland have won only one of their last eight Barclays Premier League home games.
Both teams scored a penalty in this fixture last season (Gardner and Berbatov).
Fulham have kept a clean sheet in each of their last four Premier League games on the opening day of the season.
The Whites have only won one of their seven previous top-flight away games on the opening day (D2 L4), winning 1-0 at Portsmouth back in 2009/10.
Sunderland are unbeaten in their last four games on the opening day of the season, though they have drawn their last three.
Indeed the Black Cats have only scored eight goals in 12 previous Premier League opening fixtures combined.
Sunderland scored just two headed goals in 2012/13 - a league-low.
Dimitar Berbatov scored the first goal of the game more often than any other player in 2012/13 (nine times).
Fulham gained just five points from losing positions in the whole of last season, a league-low.

Swansea City v Manchester United
Swansea ended a run of six successive opening day defeats with a 5-0 win at Queens Park Rangers last season.
Man Utd have taken 10 points from their four Barclays Premier League encounters against Swansea.
Man Utd's last three Barclays Premier League away games have ended as draws, despite them scoring eight goals in that spell.
Michu has scored in both of his two previous appearances against Manchester United. The Spaniard is one of only four players to have played against the Red Devils more than once in the Premier League and still average a goal a game or better (Paul Mason, Mario Balotelli, Romelu Lukaku).
Michu also netted a league-high six headed goals last season.
Manchester United have lost just two of their last 17 opening league fixtures, though one of those was last year at Everton.
Only Chelsea (44) have won more points from their opening games than Man Utd (43) in the Premier League era.
Man Utd hit the woodwork 24 times last season, more than any other side.
Manchester United came from behind to claim 29 points in the Premier League last season. Only Newcastle in 2001-02 (34) have claimed more.
The Red Devils had 20 different goal scorers in 2012-13, a record spread in a single Premier League season.

West Bromwich Albion v Southampton
West Brom have only won two of their last 15 opening league games (D5 L8).
The Saints lost a league-high 29 points from winning positions last term.
Wantaway striker Peter Odemwingie scored a brace in this fixture last season as the Baggies won 2-0.
The Throstles have lost only one of their last eight league with the Saints.
Southampton have conceded only two goals in total in their last five Barclays Premier League away games.
The Saints have won just one of their previous 14 games on the opening day of the Premier League season.
Of all teams to have played 10 or more Barclays Premier League seasons, Southampton have the worst opening day record (an average of just 0.64 points per game).
Southampton's Morgan Schneiderlin made more tackles (146) and interceptions (139) than any other Premier League player in 2012-13.
Mauricio Pochettino's side failed to win any of their last six league games last season (D4 L2), avoiding relegation by just five points.
The Baggies also won just one of their last nine league games last term, drawing three and losing five.

West Ham United v Cardiff City
West Ham lost 1-0 at home to Cardiff on the opening day of the Championship season two years ago.
Only Watford (39) claimed more Championship away points than Cardiff (36) in 2012-13.
West Ham have won four of their last five games against Cardiff to nil.
Cardiff have won four and lost none of their last five opening fixtures.
The Hammers shipped a joint-league-high 12 goals in the opening 15 minutes of their games last season.
The Hammers have only drawn one of their last 18 opening games (W9 L8).
West Ham were the only team not to win consecutive Barclays Premier League games last season.
No player picked up more red cards in La Liga (5) than Cardiff's new signing Gary Medel in the period he was at Sevilla (Jan 2011 - June 2013).
West Ham's Matt Jarvis created the most goal scoring chances without actually assisting a single Premier League goal last season (46).
The Hammers goalkeeper Jussi Jääskeläinen made a league-high 166 saves last term.

Championship Opta Facts – August 16th - 17th

Doncaster v Blackburn
These teams have 18 previous league encounters, but Doncaster Rovers have only managed to win one of them (D6 L11).
Blackburn Rovers have only failed to score once in 18 attempts against Doncaster in league competition.
Blackburn have conceded 32 fouls in their two league games so far this season; more than any other Championship team.
Doncaster have lost seven successive home matches at Championship level - a run that began on 17th March 2012.
Blackburn are yet to win a game in 2013-14; having drawn their opening league game against Derby, lost their League Cup tie versus Carlisle on penalties and lost their second league game 0-1 at home to Nottingham Forest.

Leeds v Sheffield Wednesday
Leeds United have scored at least two goals in each of their last five league home games versus Sheffield Wednesday.
Sheffield Wednesday have won only two of the last 10 league games against Leeds United (D1 L7).
Leeds have made a solid start to the season, having won two and drawn one of their three competitive matches, conceding just two goals in total.
Sheffield Wednesday have lost all three of their competitive matches in 2013-14 so far; their worst start since 1989/90.
All three of the Owls' games so far this season have ended in 1-2 defeats, with the six goals that they have conceded all arriving in the first half.

Barnsley v Charlton
Barnsley have lost, and failed to score in, both of their Championship fixtures so far this season.
Charlton have lost their first two league games of the season for the first time since 2006-07.
The Addicks haven't lost their first three league matches of a season since 1990-91.
Barnsley have scored just one goal in total in the last three meetings with Charlton in the league.
There were two red cards shown to the Yorkshire side in this very fixture last season; they went on to lose 6-0.
Including last season, Barnsley have won just one of their last nine Championship matches (W1 D5 L3).

Birmingham v Brighton
Birmingham City have beaten Brighton just once in their last seven home league clashes with the Seagulls (D5 L1).
Brighton have lost their opening three competitive games of the season, with both league defeats ending 1-2.
Four of the last five league meetings between these teams have ended in a draw.
Birmingham have been given eight yellow cards in their two Championship games so far this season; more than any other side.
The Blues have won just one of their last five Championship home matches (W1 D2 L2). They lost their opening home game of the season, 0-1 to Watford.

Bournemouth v Wigan
Bournemouth are unbeaten in their last seven home league games against Wigan (W4 D3).
Wigan won their opening game of the league season 4-0 at Barnsley - their biggest league away win since August 2008.
Four of the last five league meetings have ended in a draw when these sides have been pitted against one another.
The Latics have not won back to back away games in league competition since August 2012.
Bournemouth have won six successive games at home in all competitions.
Lewis Grabban has scored three goals in his two Championship appearances for Bournemouth so far this season.

Burnley v Yeovil
Burnley are now unbeaten at Turf Moor in five consecutive matches (W2 D3).
All three of Yeovil's competitive matches so far in 2013-14 have ended 1-0 (W2 L1).
This will be the first time these sides have faced each other in a competitive match.
Danny Ings has scored in all three of his competitive appearances for Burnley so far in 2013-14.
The top scorer in League One last season; Yeovil's Paddy Madden (24 goals), is yet to score in his three appearances for the club in 2013-14.

Derby v Leicester
Derby County have lost five of the last six league games against Leicester City.
Leicester City have kept four clean sheets in the last six league fixtures against Derby County.
Derby are unbeaten in their three competitive matches so far in 2013-14 (W2 D1) - the first time that they have managed to do this since 2005-06.
Chris Martin scored twice in Derby's last match (v Brighton); equalling the tally that he'd netted in his previous 15 games for the club.
Leicester City are unbeaten in their first three competitive games of the season (W2 D1); their best start since 2009-10.

Middlesbrough v Blackpool
Middlesbrough have won just once in the last six games against Blackpool in league competition (D1 L4).
Blackpool have scored 10 goals in total in their last four league visits to the Riverside Stadium.
There were 11 goals scored over the course of the two league fixtures involving these teams last season.
Middlesbrough have lost eight of their last 14 home matches in all competitions (W4 D2 L8).
Blackpool have won both of their last games this season - the last time that they won three league games in a row was back in August 2012.
Blackpool's Tom Ince is suspended for this match. Ince has scored or assisted 29 of their 66 league goals since the start of 2012-13.

Millwall v Huddersfield
The Lions have failed to score in five successive games in the Championship.
James Vaughan has scored eight goals in his last six appearances for Huddersfield in all competitions.
Millwall have beaten Huddersfield in their last three home league meetings.
Huddersfield have scored just four goals in their last six visits to the Den in league competition.
Millwall have won just one point in their seven Championship games since April 20th 2013 (L6 D1).

Nottingham Forest v Bolton
Nottingham Forest have not beaten Bolton in their last seven meetings in league competition (D5 L2).
Bolton have scored at least once in their last 12 visits to Nottingham Forest in league competition.
Four of the last five league matches between these teams have ended in a draw.
Forest have won all three of their competitive games so far in 2012-13 - the first time they have managed this since 2006-07.
Bolton have drawn four successive league games since April 27th 2013, with three of these matches ending 1-1.
Bolton's Darren Pratley has scored in successive league appearances for the first time since May 2011 (including play-offs).

QPR v Ipswich
QPR have the opportunity to win back to back home matches for the first time since May 2012.
Ipswich Town have lost three and drawn one of their last four away games in all competitions.
QPR have beaten Ipswich Town just twice in their last 11 league meetings (D3 L6), however, those wins both came in the two most recent clashes between the sides.
The Tractor Boys have lost only once in their last five visits to Loftus Road against QPR (W3 D1).
Should QPR win this match, they'll have equalled the number of home wins which they secured last season in the Premier League (2).

Reading v Watford
The Royals have come out on top against Watford only once in their last six league meetings (D3 L2).
Watford have netted at least one goal in each of their last six league matches against Reading.
Since Gianfranco Zola took charge of Watford on the eve of the 2012-13 season, the Hornets have scored 20 more goals than any other current side in the Championship (95 - inc. playoff matches).
Troy Deeney has scored four goals from four shots in the Championship this season and became the first Watford player to score a competitive hat-trick in over 10 years last weekend.
Reading have conceded the first goal in both of their league games this season, but have come back to secure four points in these matches.

Scottish Premiership Opta Facts – Aug 16 -17

Partick Thistle v Hearts
Hearts have only ever lost once to Partick Thistle in the SPL (W3 D2).
Partick Thistle have kept just one clean sheet against Hearts in the SPL; they have met six times prior to this game.
The home side have scored just three goals in their last five league meetings against Hearts.
The Jags have managed to score in every SPL game at Firhill Stadium against Hearts.
On home soil, Thistle have lost just one of their last seven top tier games, drawing four and winning two.
The Jambos have won just one of their last 16 top tier games on the road, losing nine and drawing six.

Aberdeen v Celtic
Aberdeen have beaten Celtic just once in 31 SPL matches (D3 L27).
Celtic have kept a clean sheet in six of the last nine SPL meetings against Aberdeen.
Aberdeen have gone 19 games at Pittodrie against Celtic without a clean sheet in the SPL.
The Dons are currently on a seven-game league unbeaten streak (W3 D4), their best run since last October.
The Bhoys have enjoyed just one win in their last seven away SPL games, losing three and drawing three.
Despite playing just one game so far, Celtic lead the way in the top division in terms of hitting the woodwork (3).

Hibernian v Dundee United
Hibernian have claimed victory just once in their last nine SPL matches against Dundee United (D3 L5).
Dundee United have scored 12 goals in their last five visits to Easter Road in league competition.
Hibs have failed to keep a clean sheet in the last 13 home SPL matches against Dundee United.
The Terrors have failed to find the back of the net in five of their last six league fixtures and in each of the last three.
Hibs' last three games have all ended in a 1-0 score line, while they have only shipped four goals in total in their last five top tier fixtures.
On the road, United have lost just one of their last seven league games, although four of those have ended in a draw (W2).

Inverness v Motherwell
Inverness Caledonian Thistle have beaten Motherwell just three times in their last 17 SPL meetings (2D 12L).
Motherwell have scored 15 goals in their last four SPL meetings with Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Motherwell have conceded at least one goal on each of their last seven visits to Inverness.
The last 13 SPL games (at Inverness) involving these teams have had a winner.
At the Caledonian Stadium, Inverness have suffered just two defeats in their last 12 league games, winning six and drawing four.
On the road, the Steelmen have lost just two of their last seven top tier games, winning four and drawing one.

St Johnstone v Ross County
St Johnstone have not kept a clean sheet against Ross County in the SPL.
There is yet to be a result other than a draw at McDiarmid Park between these teams in the SPL.
The Saints have kept a clean sheet in six of their last eight SPL games.
County have won just two of their last 10 league games, shipping six goals in total in their two games this season already.
On home soil, the Saints are unbeaten in 12 games, winning seven and drawing five.
County's Mark Brown has made 16 saves already this season, more than any other 'keeper.

St Mirren v Kilmarnock
St Mirren have lost once in 10 home games against Kilmarnock in the SPL (W5 D4).
Kilmarnock have not kept a clean sheet in their last eight SPL games against St Mirren.
St Mirren have scored eight goals in the last three against Kilmarnock at home in the SPL.
Killie have enjoyed just one win in their last nine games, drawing two and losing six.
The Buddies have shipped 14 goals in total in their last seven games, an average of two per game.
St Mirren have posted the worst shooting accuracy figure in the top division so far; 28.57%.

Ligue 1 Opta Facts - Matchday 2 - August 16-18th

Sochaux - Lyon
Sochaux have only won three of their last 21 Ligue 1 games against Lyon (D4, L14). They have conceded at least one goal in each of their last seven encounters.
None of the last 62 Ligue 1 games between Sochaux and Lyon have ended with a 0-0 draw. The last one was on 15th May 1971 at Lyon.
Lyon are unbeaten in their last three away Ligue 1 games (two wins against Montpellier and Nancy and a draw against Nice).
Lyon have won 46 games against Sochaux in Ligue 1 (D14, L31), their favourite victim.
Clément Grenier has scored in four of his last five games for Lyon. He has been involved in 11 of Lyon's last 26 goals in Ligue 1 (42%) with seven goals and four assists.
Simon Pouplin made seven saves in the opening game of the season, more than any other goalkeeper.
Gaël Danic has failed to score in his 12 games played against Sochaux.
Alexandre Lacazette scored his first Ligue 1 goal against Sochaux (30th October 2010). He scored a brace last week in the 4-0 victory against Nice.

Marseille - Evian TG
Marseille are unbeaten in their last eight home games in Ligue 1 (W6, D2). Their last home defeat was on 3rd February 2013 (3-1 vs Nancy).
Marseille have only lost one of their last 13 Ligue 1 games (W8, D4).
Evian TG have lost their last four away games in Ligue 1.
In their last five official encounters, neither side has managed an away win (four home victories and one draw).
Evian TG had eight shots on target in their first game of the season, more than any other team.
Only Valenciennes (19) had more shots in their first game than Marseille (16).
André-Pierre Gignac has scored 50% of Marseille's last 12 goals in Ligue 1 (6). No player has scored the opening goal of a game more times than him since 2012/13 (9).
Dimitri Payet has been involved in 27 Ligue 1 goals since 2012/13 (14 goals, 13 assists), more than any other French player in the top four European leagues and Ligue 1.

Bastia - Valenciennes
Bastia have lost only one of their last 12 Ligue 1 home games against Valenciennes (W9, D2).
16 goals have been scored in the last three competitive games between Bastia and Valenciennes (5.3 goals per game).
Valenciennes have only won two of their last 19 visits to Corsica (L13, D4).
Bastia have lost only one of their last seven home games in Ligue 1 (W4, D2). They have only conceded four goals during that period.
Bastia have never lost their first two games of a season since 1986.
Meanwhile, the last time Valenciennes won their two first games of a season was in 1979/80.
Bastia made 523 successful passes in their first game, more than any other team.
Despite that, Bastia were the only team without a single shot on target in their opening game.

Nice - Rennes
The 4-0 defeat in Lyon during the opening game was the first time that Nice lost a game by four goals or more in Ligue 1 since 1933/34 (4-0 V Marseille).
Nice have only lost two of their last 22 Ligue 1 games against Rennes (W13, D7).
Nice are unbeaten in their last eight Ligue 1 home games against a club from Brittany (W5, D3).
Rennes have lost six of their last seven away games in Ligue 1. They have conceded 15 goals during that period.
Rennes have only won one of their last eight away games in Ligue 1 (L6, D1).
Vincent Pajot's goal against Reims was his first goal in the top-flight (48 games played). It took him 38 shots before finding the net.
Dario Cvitanich has scored three goals in his two Ligue 1 games against Rennes.
None of Rennes' last 55 games have ended with a 0-0 draw, longest current streak in Ligue 1.

Reims - Lille
Reims are unbeaten in their last six home Ligue 1 games against Lille (W4, D2),
Reims have only won one of their last seven Ligue 1 games (D3, L3).
Lille have only lost two of their last 11 away games in Ligue 1 (W5, D4).
Lille have scored 2 goals or more in seven of their last nine away Ligue 1 games. However they have conceded at least one in 12 of their last 13 away games in the top-flight.
Lille have only lost two of their last 17 games in Ligue 1 (W10, D5).
Lille have only lost their first away game of a season once in the last eight seasons (W3, D4).
Salomon Kalou has been involved in three of the last four Lille's goals against Reims in Ligue 1 (two goals, one assist).
Five of Lille's last nine away goals in Ligue 1 have come from a set piece (four corners and one free-kick).
Grzegorz Krychowiak has scored four of the last seven Reims' goals at home in Ligue 1.

St Etienne - Guingamp
St Etienne have only won once in their four ligue 1 games against Guingamp and are winless in the last three (D1, L2).
15 goals have been scored in the four league games between these two teams (avg. 3.75 goals per game).
Guingamp are unbeaten in their last seven competitive encounters against St Etienne (W4, D3).
Guingamp have only won one of their last 13 away games in Ligue 1 (D3, L9), scoring only four goals in this run.
St Etienne have only lost one of their last 14 league games against a promoted team (W9, D4).
St Etienne are unbeaten at home in Ligue 1 in 2013 (W6 D3).
Brandao has scored in each of his three competitive games for St Etienne this season (four goals).
Mustapha Yatabaré has scored eight goals in his last seven competitive games with Guingamp (Ligue 1 + Ligue 2).

Toulouse - Bordeaux
Toulouse have only lost four of their last 20 home encounters in Ligue 1 against Bordeaux (W8 D8).
Toulouse have won their first home league game in the last seven seasons.
Bordeaux are winless in their last seven away games in Ligue 1 (D3 L4).
Bordeaux have failed to score in four of their last five league games away from home.
Bordaux are winless in their last three away league games in Toulouse (D1 L2).
Wissam Ben Yedder has been involved in seven of Toulouse's last nine home goals in Ligue 1 (five goals, two assists).
12 of Wissam Ben Yedder's 15 league goals last season were scored in the Stadium Municipal.
Cheick Diabate has scored two goals from his last two appearances for Bordeaux in Toulouse in Ligue 1.

Monaco - Montpellier
Monaco are unbeaten in their last 22 league encounters against Montpellier (W15 D7).
Montpellier have only won four of their 38 Ligue 1 games against Monaco (D12 L22).
Monaco average 2.05 points against Montpellier in the top-flight, more than against any other team (min. 15 games played).
Montpellier have failed to find the net in their last five league games against Monaco.
Monaco have won none of their last three home games in Ligue 1 (D2 L1).
Montpellier won only four of their 19 away games in Ligue 1 last season, their lowest tally in the top-flight since 2003/04 (two away wins).
Montpellier have lost their last six away league games.
Emmanuel Rivière has scored four goals in six games against Montpellier in Ligue 1, his favourite target in the top-flight.
Falcao has already scored a hat-trick in a competitive game played in the Stade Louis II - for Atletico Madrid against Chelsea in the 2012 European Supercup (4-1).

Lorient - Nantes
Lorient are unbeaten in their last four games against Nantes in the top-flight (W3 D1).
Lorient have lost only two of their eight league games against Nantes (W3 D3).
Lorient have only lost three of their 24 leagues games played against a promoted team (W14 D7).
Nantes have lost their last six away games in Ligue 1, scoring only two goals in the process (12 conceded).
Lorient have lost five of their last six league games, winning the other one.
Nantes have won none of their last nine league games against a team from Brittany (D3 L6).
Kevin Monnet-Paquet has scored nine of his 12 goals for Lorient in L1 at home.
Christian Gourcuff is unbeaten against Nantes as Lorient's manager (W3 D3).

Paris SG - Ajaccio
Ajaccio were the only club to keep a clean sheet in both games against PSG last season.
Ajaccio have won none of their last 12 away games in Ligue 1 (D8, L4).
The last Ligue 1 game lost by PSG at home was on 17th November 2012. The title holders have collected 32 of 36 possible points since then.
PSG have lost only one of their last seven Ligue 1 game against Ajaccio (2-4 on 6th May 2006) (W3, D3).
PSG are unbeaten in their last 12 Ligue 1 games (W9 D3) - the best current streak.
PSG have scored at least one goal in their last 12 Ligue 1 games - the best current streak.
Ajaccio have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight Ligue 1 games - the worst current streak.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been involved in 55.7% (39 out of 70) of PSG's goals in Ligue 1 since 2012/13 (30 goals, 9 assists).