With 23,000 fans allowed into Ibrox, Rangers can begin the new Scottish Premiership campaign by again celebrating last season’s stunning title triumph. Steven Gerrard’s side ended Celtic’s dominance north of the border when topping the table by 25 points.
Celtic can put a heart-breaking Champions League exit behind them to start their Scottish Premiership campaign with a win at Hearts. The Jambos easily earned promotion from the Championship and have done well in the Premier Sports Cup but now step up in class.
The ‘big five’ European leagues have released their schedules for the 2021-22 season so we have analysed the fixture difficulty for them all. While every team has to play everyone else at some point, timing can be everything. A tough start can easily undermine a positive pre-season, while a gentle run of opening fixtures can provide the momentum necessary for a successful campaign.
Lionel Messi will look to extend his record of six Ballon d’Or titles when the annual football award returns. The 2020 award ceremony was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic but with football’s return to action, the 2021 edition will see the voting commence.
We’re tracking the latest Cristiano Ronaldo transfer news and rumours to see whether the five-time Ballon d’Or winner could move this summer. Despite turning 36 in February, Ronaldo was the leading scorer in Italy’s top flight last season when bagging 29 Serie A goals for Juventus.
With Euro 2020 now over, attention is shifting to the upcoming domestic football season but the competition’s impact may be felt here as well. Until the first ball of a new campaign is kicked, the attention of fans tends to be fixated on the transfer market, where the Euro 2020 stars will have drawn the attention of the game’s big spenders.
Manchester City start their Premier League title defence at a ground that has not treated them well so far. Pep Guardiola’s side have lost on all three visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium without even scoring a goal.
Newcastle and West Ham go head to head on the first weekend of the season for the second year running. The Magpies came out on top at the London Stadium last September, but the Hammers regrouped superbly and enjoyed a fine campaign that ended with Europa League qualification.
We’ve got four Saturday selections from Sweden and Norway for our latest European football tips and are chasing a 15/1 acca. Don’t forget to check out bwin’s Enhanced Accas page for daily price boosts on multiple bets featuring teams from all over the world.
Wolves begin a new era in the Premier League with Bruno Lage at the helm after Nuno Espirito Santo left the club by mutual consent at the end of last season. Lage, a former assistant manager at Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea before having success as Benfica head coach, will start his tenure with a trip to the King Power Stadium against Leicester.
Everton begin a new era at Goodison Park as Rafael Benitez takes charge of his first match at the Toffees against Southampton on the opening weekend of the Premier League campaign. The former Liverpool boss has been tasked with replacing Carlo Ancelotti, who returned to Real Madrid, as Everton target European football after just missing out last season.
Watford begin life back in the Premier League at Vicarage Road and will be aiming to start with a win in front of their own fans against Aston Villa. Their supporters were absent last season as the Hornets achieved promotion back to the top flight last season and Watford head into the new campaign as one of the favourites in the Premier League relegation odds.
Norwich begin a Premier League season against Liverpool for the second time in three years hoping for a better outcome. The Canaries, who lifted the Championship title once again, travelled to Anfield on the opening day in 2019/20 and went down 4-1 having trailed 4-0 at half-time.
We’re tracking the latest Lionel Messi transfer news, rumours and odds for clues on where the Ballon d’Or winner could play this season. Messi is now a free agent after his contract at Barcelona expired and the club’s financial problems mean it is far from certain that they can find room within their salary cap to agree a new deal.