Premier League Treble

The Wear-Tyne derby is likely to be as explosive as ever with both teams having grabbed credible draws against top sides on the opening weekend. Sunderland’s point at Anfield was particularly impressive and a possy of new arrivals over the summer will give the hosts a spring in their step at the Stadium of Light. An ill-tempered 0-0 at home to troubled Arsenal will have done somewhat less to lift spirits that have been tested again at Newcastle this summer. I’m backing the Mackems to inflict some real pain on the Toon Army as the first part of a Premier League treble.

Steve Bruce’s side are 6/5 to win with Bet365 and that looks like good value against a team on the verge of crisis. The sales of Carroll, Nolan and Enrique have left a gaping hole in the spine of a team that looked to be in full recovery mode this time last year. Newcastle won the derby at St James’ Park 5-1 last October but this looks like the perfect moment for revenge. Asamoah Gyan should be fit for the Blackcats while exciting youngster Connor Wickham would love to make an impact if he’s unleashed.

Part two of our accumulator backs Alex McLeish to find his first victory as an Aston Villa manager against Blackburn (3/4). The controversial appointment got a more favourable reception from the travelling fans at Craven Cottage than most had expected. Villa, inspired by their new goalkeeper Shay Given, came away with a highly satisfactory away point. In contrast, Rovers began 2011-12 with a disappointing 2-1 home defeat to Wolves, suggesting another campaign of struggle awaits. This is the sort of match where Darren Bent tends to prosper.

In our final match I’m tipping a draw (9/4) between two sides expected to be in the relegation mire, Swansea City and Wigan Athletic. One of the primary characteristics of struggling sides is that they fail to win enough matches - there are too many draws against the other teams down the bottom.  This is a fixture that both sets of fans will target for three points but they are liable to cancel each other out.

I probably would have favoured Swansea to win the first ever Premier League match in Wales had they not suffered such a crushing second half against Manchester City. After holding their own for the better part of an hour, Brendan Rodgers’ side unravelled; it’s hard to believe this won’t have had some affect on confidence.

Wigan know what this league is all about. Roberto Martinez returns to his former club, and he will be well aware of the opportunity presented by starting with two matches against promoted sides. A draw at home to Norwich wasn’t really good enough, and it makes the trip to the Liberty Stadium even more vital. The Latics showed real grit on their travels at the end of last season; wins at Blackpool and Stoke, on the final day, kept them up. I can’t see them doing that well here - they do miss N’Zogbia - but a share of the spoils is likely.

Back wins for Sunderland and Villa, and a draw between Swansea and Wigan at combined odds of 11/1 with Bet365.