It’s the day of Arsene Wenger’s new deal with Arsenal, the day which kicked-off this season’s Premier League and of course the day I return with my previews.

I wish I could say I’m back after recharging my batteries during the hot days of the summer, but Arsenal Interactive kept me busy and it was also the reason why I didn’t publish as many articles as I would have liked in the last two months. Although needless to say, Erik and the other members of the team did an amazing job in keeping the whole thing running.

But anyway, we’re now all back and ready to enjoy yet another long season of exciting football. I’ll be honest, pre-season didn’t convince me at all. It was absolutely amazing to see Jack Wilshere, Emmanuel Frimpong and Carlos Vela show nice things and send strong signals on how ready for the first team they are but at the back, oh well, I’m afraid I’m very worried of what could happen tomorrow back there.

It’s not just our goalkeepers mind you, it’s also the fact that we will start the season with Laurent Koscielny who is yet to find the right chemistry to play alongside Thomas Vermaelen and also Johan Djourou who looks like one who needs at least a month or two to fully recover from a long time on the sidelines last season.

But anyway, it’s definitely one of those times where I would love to be proved wrong and after all the talking and all the speculation of the summer, Anfield will indeed provide the answers.

Liverpool

I saw nothing of the Reds this summer so trying to predict where they will finish this season would be foolish on my side. For sure, is that they have Steven Gerrard is on fire as he demonstrated in the Europa League and with the National team. Fernando Torres will not be involved from the first minute as he’s yet to recover from the World Cup final injury but it seems he will be on the bench.

Favourite line-up

There is no way I will go out there with Lukasz Fabianski in goal. If Arsene Wenger thinks our goalkeepers are quality and class and therefore one of them has to start, for me, it has to be Almunia. As for the back four, there aren’t many options to choose from. Kieran Gibbs was impressive in pre-season and so was Emmanuel Eboue against Legia but I would go for the experience of Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna on the wings.

In the middle, it all depends on Cesc’s fitness. If he’s available, Samir should start on the left with Andrey on the right. Alex Song, Denilson and Abou Diaby never featured in pre-season and it would be a gamble to ask them to “warm up” against Liverpool, so Emmanuel Frimpong gets my nod.

And then the forward line. Marouane will of course start and I hope Robin has recovered in time to start from the first minute. If not, Carlos Vela should team-up with the Moroccan although the Mexican travelled a long way for the friendly game against Spain so his fitness level needs to be assessed as well.

Pre-match Interviews

June 2014. Arsene Wenger has extended his contract with the Gunners and as he said will now have the opportunity to complete a project which he started a couple of years ago.

Speaking to the Club’s official website, he looked delighted to extend his stay at the Club and explained how the players have reached a level in which they are ready to deliver.

He explained:

My heart belongs to Arsenal and my desire is to see this team win silverware.

My commitment and drive are as strong and fresh as ever. Signing a new deal means that I can see this talented group of players reach their potential. Trust me, they are ready to deliver. Hopefully, it’s true.

He said:

With my staff and players we are in front of an exciting challenge and we are looking forward to achieving much success.

New Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson, on the other hand, admitted that he needs time to bring his new team to the same level of the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United. With the Reds not participating in this season’s Champions League, the ex-Fulham boss will surely give the Premier League significant importance in his schedule but as he said, it would be ridiculous to expect big things from day one.

Hodgson said:

After seven training sessions with what I regard as the key players it is pretty obvious to all we are a long, long way from being a team like United, Arsenal or Chelsea who have been working under the same coach for at least a year.

I don’t even pretend the team after six or seven training sessions are going to be anything like the team we want to be.

It would be ridiculous to suggest we can be at the top of our game now in terms of how I want the team to play.

The Gunning Hawk Coverage

As always, tune in for team line-ups, streaming links, half time and full time reports, post-match thoughts, video highlights and what the press is writing. And of course, do contribute if you want to by making use of the comment box available at the bottom of the post as it’s always nice to hear your opinion. And as a final note, if you want to go one step further than just leaving a comment and want to have your articles published on our website, take a look here for more information.

Arsenal Interactive

And of course, don’t forget you’re still in time to pick your preferred team for this game. And when the final whistle blows, don’t forget to rate the players, comment on their performances and share your personal ratings with your friends. All this and more, available at http://www.arsenal-interactive.com.