The big sporting event this week is the return of the Premier League and we can’t wait to see the cream of the crop back in action, and also to see how our Fantasy League predictions fare out.
This week will see who Cork will face in the All-Ireland hurling final after their fantastic display against Dublin, Bolt mania is set to continue in Moscow and the Solheim Cup gets underway.
The Confederations Cup, some pre-season games – the Dublin Decider immediately springs to mind – and endless transfer speculation has kept the beautiful game ticking over, but it’s the return of the new campaign that really whets the appetite. They say hope springs eternal, and there will be many clubs going into the season full of hope and optimism. From staying in the league, to consolidating last year’s position, to new managers hoping to stamp their authority on their respective clubs, there are many questions that will be answered over the coming months.
Can David Moyes seamlessly make the transition at Old Trafford? What big names will be coming to and going from Old Trafford? Will ‘The Special One’ repeat his old trick at Chelsea? Can Manuel Pellegrini gel his squad of superstars and improve recent poor European displays? Can Liverpool make further progress under Brendan Rodgers, with or without a certain Uruguayan? Will the Irish contingent at Hull impress Trap?
We can’t wait to see the action get underway, with Liverpool at home to Stoke in the early kick-off this Saturday, with an intriguing clash between Manchester City and Newcastle in the Monday Night Football, and our first chance to see Jamie Carragher join Gary Neville on the show.
Closer to home, Limerick and Clare will battle it out on Sunday for the right to join the Rebels on September 8 and a big crowd is expected at HQ for two sides that many would not have predicted to reach this stage of the season, let alone the showpiece decider.
The all-Munster clash will do well to reach the heights of the first semi-final, but Davy Fitzgerald will have the youthful Banner outfit fired up against whatever tactical game plan John Allen has in store. The Treaty men will be buoyed by the Munster success, but after gaining momentum through the qualifiers, the Banner men will be difficult to stop in what promises to be another enthralling game on Jones’ Road.
The IAAF World Athletics Championships continues in Moscow, with Usain Bolt again the star of the show. In the pouring rain he won the 100m final and will be competing in the 200m as well as the relay event. The 400m, 800m and 1500m will also be up for grabs, while the women’s races promise to be competitive affairs, with the Championships drawing to a close on Sunday.
In golf, the 13th edition of the Solheim Cup gets underway on Thursday with team looking fora ninth victory in the competition. Europe go into the event in Colorado Golf Club in Denver, but have never managed to win on US soil. Now would be as good a time as any.
If you want to catch up with all the news even faster, you’ll want a serious broadband connection with speeds of up to 70mb, so check out the good lads at Magnet, who will be filling your fatpipe so that you never have to worry about being connected.
