Back to some real football this weekend with the return of the Premiership and the arrival of Wigan at White Hart Lane. It's just a shame we have to wait till Sunday! I'll be at the O2 for the tennis unfortunately, but I'm hopeful of arriving home to a positive result and lots of goals.

It's another one of those games that on paper, you'd fully expect Tottenham to win.

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Here's the squad for the game on Saturday (ITV, 4:15pm):

Goalkeepers: Ben Foster, Robert Green & Joe Hart

Defenders: Wayne Bridge, Wes Brown, Gary Cahill, Glen Johnson, Joeleon Lescott, John Terry, Matt Upson & Steven Warnock

Midfielders: Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Tom Huddlestone, Jermaine Jenas, Frank Lampard, James Milner, Shaun-Wright Philips & Ashley Young

Forwards: Darren Bent, Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe & Wayne Rooney

Missing: Ashley Cole (fractured leg, will apparently miss a few weeks), Carlton Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard (who - despite being supposedly injured - started on the bench at Anfield before being used as a sub v Birmingham this evening), Emile Heskey, David James and Aaron Lennon.

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It's early November and we're still another seventh months until the tournament starts but I must admit that the injuries to Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard are beginning to worry me. According to Radio 5, Gerrard hasn't trained for two weeks and Ferdinand's overall fitness this season may have contributed to some of his indifferent performances when he has appeared for Manchester United.

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Remember, remember, the 6th of November,

Post-Busby, Munich and all,

There's no reason why, including 3 on the trot,

The Alex Fergie era, should ever be forgot.

A bird in hand...

It is slightly disconcerting to think that this man has been on this job for just about 55 days less than the time I've been on this earth.

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So, are we going to bounce back from our lacklustre display against the old enemy or will the players put in another shocker against Steve Bruce's men?

The defeat against Stoke doesn't worry me. We played well, it was just unfortunate. Even more unfortunate it came before a big game but I think we would have lost at Arsenal in those circumstances 99 times out of 100.

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So this is probably the earliest I've ever done a match report (3 whole days in advance) and so I can't link you to the BBC statistics report. You'll just have to go find it yourself, it'll be on this page probably by Saturday. Like I said a little earlier, I'm going over to England and won't have internet until I get back (I'm staying at my grandmother's house and she doesn't allow any technology made after 1972 in), so don't expect any new posts from me until Tuesday at the earliest (there there love, don't pine, you can always go through my archives or go read some of my posts on England World Cup Blog if you miss me too much).

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Yes Kevin dear, you are number 1.

Hello again, it seems as though I've been posting a lot lately, to match the Trotter's busy schedule. Chelsea will be paying us a visit this Saturday, a mere 72 hours after we saw them last. And trust me, I haven't missed them. Here's a link to the BBC's preview of the match.

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Enough Liverpool bashing has been done to keep me sated for a month now. There are only so many Voronin jokes and beach ball jokes you can make before it gets a bit stale. Fortunately for us Arsenal fans, fresh meat has arrived in the form of the scum. North London derbies are always a special occasion (if you're an Arsenal fan all the more so, barring the one obvious time).

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There are certains events in life that when it comes down to it, it makes you sit up and say "What's bigger than this?" For example an India vs Pakistan encounter, or the Aussie vs South Africa one. You know it coming when someone says it just a match and nothing more. Personally the latter has been a bigger one for me, but now I have given up on cricket and prefer to sit out of the NSW vs T&T kind of matches, which is exactly the opposite of what I am talking about.

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After a hectic weekend in European competition which didn't go particularly well for some of the Premiership teams, we're back to the bread and butter (or should that be the champagne and caviar) stuff. No doubt about this weekend's biggest game: Liverpool v Manchester United on Sunday.

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So yes I realise I've been a horrible horrible blogger recently. And I apologise profusely for letting you down. I play for a rugby club in my spare time, which does not leave much time for the lengthy research and writing that this blog requires, but don't dismay! My rugby season will probably be over after this weekend (I can almost hear your sighs of relief, it's touching), so I'll be posting much more regularly.

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As I do with most home games against any teams outside the top few teams in the Premier League, I'd expect victory for Spurs against Stoke. Tony Pulis has done wonders firstly to get his club into the league and secondly, turning them into a formidable top flight side.

While Stoke are renowned for their home form, they have also been a lot more solid on the road this season than they were last.

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While they have some very average players (including a few of our cast offs), almost anything can happen in tomorrow's game against Portsmouth. Although Harry might get some love from his old fans, I'd expect Spurs to be on the receiving end of a seriously hostile reception.

The Portsmouth fans could really carry their players through 90mins and with their win at Wolves, the return of Avram Grant and the arrival of Ali Al Faraj, the players and the club as a whole are bound to be in a much more positive frame of mind than they were a few weeks ago.

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So will the FIFA Under-20 World Cup 2009 round off to the sound of the samba beat? Or to the din of the African drum? Matters in Egypt come to a head this Friday evening, when two of the... Click to continue reading...

It doesn't look as though Peter Crouch's lack of games for Tottenham is affecting his World Cup chances an awful lot. Capello is starting the big man against Belarus tonight alongside Gabriel Agbonlahor in the absence of Wayne Rooney.

I've always expected Crouch to be in Capello's World Cup squad because he gives the Italian options.

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Hello again, it's a brief one this evening but we'll have another couple of posts before the weekend with more news from the final round of qualifiers and a Premiership preview.

Our unbeaten run went out of the window at the weekend, but we're not reading too much into it: if Rio Ferdinand is having a 'blip' we'd rather he had it now than next June and imagine how disappointing it would have been if we'd been unbeaten until the first game of the tournament proper.

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The Black Satellites dance their way to the U-20 World Cup semi-finals in Egypt (Getty)Just four teams remain in the 2009 Under-20s World Cup as the competition reaches it's semi-final stage in... Click to continue reading...

Firstly, apologies that we've missed a couple of weeks on the Premiership front due to obligations elsewhere but as England have their last qualifying games for the 2010 World Cup coming up and it would be missing the point of the entire blog for to ignore them, we're back for a two part preview of the qualifiers that are taking place all over the world over the next week or so.

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Toughie. I wouldn't fancy Kevin Davies big frame in my face for ninety minutes and I doubt Michael Dawson will either. This is the sort of game we'd get turned over in pre Harry. Even with him last season they bashed us up at the Reebok but he's had time to make the side a bit more resilient since then.

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Another day, another London derby. This time it is QPR coming to the Bridge for what is an eagerly awaited clash, particularly for the Hoops.
I'm looking forward to the game particularly because it represents the best chance Chelsea's younger players have of making an impression that we've seen for a long time.

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Another day, another London derby. This time it is QPR coming to the Bridge for what is an eagerly awaited clash, particularly for the Hoops.
I'm looking forward to the game particularly because it represents the best chance Chelsea's younger players have of making an impression that we've seen for a long time.

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Ah yes, it's that time again, Carling Cup third round. Click here to see the BBC's usual compendium of statistics of varying degrees of usefulness. Bolton will face West Ham at the Reebok, in what is arguably one of the most high profile ties for this round. It could also be seen as the Fallen From Grace Clubs tie.

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It'll have to be a quick one I'm afraid: Spurs v Man United was a great game, with a goal after 47 seconds and a United comeback. Unfortunately Man City v Arsenal will be remembered for Emmanuel Adebayor's pathetic behaviour; Togo still have a slim chance of qualifying for South Africa (they have to win in Cameroon on 9th October and hope Morocco win in Gabon) so if you're a fan of running almost the whole length of the pitch to take the mick out of the fans of your former club and stamping on the head of one of your ex-team mates then you might still be in for a treat.

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So I actually did get time to do a preview, you lucky ducks! I've used the handy BBC Premiership Predictor, a wonderful piece of web design where you can enter your expected results and see how it affects the table. Perfect for wasting time if you're at work/school and don't actually want to do something (I am a champion procrastinator, in fact I should be doing math homework as I type this).

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Unlike the Utd game I'm not going into this one full of optimism. Nothing to do with last week's result though, just the fact I think going to Stamford Bridge is a much tougher proposition. I'll be delighted to come away with a point. A defeat won't be the end of the world.

Chelsea are playing like a well oiled machine at the moment.

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So I don't have any news to report I just wanted to share this link with you. It is from the blog Manny Road, which is one of the best Bolton blogs out there, a little humor piece of suggested songs for the Bolton Wanderers playlist. So go on and have a laugh at our crapness (it's the least you can do).

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Ted Harwood is a regular guest contributor to Arsenal Station. He lives in Chicago, IL, and has been an Arsenal supporter for the better part of a decade. He also writes about movies, music, and other cultural artifacts on his blog, Running Downhill.

Arsenal kick off their 2009-10 UEFA Champions League group stage matches on Wednesday evening with a trip to Standard Liège.

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So basically I have to get on a plane in about an hour and have somehow procrastinated til now to do my preview so it was be a bit rushed/short. I realize now that that time I took to do my nails last night, could've been spent doing this. Oh well, it all comes together in retrospect doesn't it?

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Tottenham are probably better equipped to beat Manchester United tomorrow than they have been at any point in the last ten years. I have no doubt Spurs are more than capable of beating Utd at White Hart Lane on Saturday and I think they just might.

Personnel aside, the difference between the current Tottenham squad and those of years gone by is belief.

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Brazil qualified at the weekend thanks to a 3-1 win in Argentina, who
are now fourth in the South American group, five points behind Chile and Paraguay and only two points in front of Colombia and Ecuador. If Ecuador win in Bolivia this evening or Colombia win in Uruguay and Argentina fail to pick up a point in Paraguay early on Thursday morning then either or
possibly both of them latter could leapfrog Diego's boys.

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Slovenia are no mugs internationally speaking: since independence from the old Yugoslavia in 1991, they reached both Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup and they are currently ranked 57th in the world and 31st in Europe (which puts them ahead of Wales!) and they lie third in World Cup qualifying group three, two points behind Northern Ireland with three games left to play.

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These International breaks drive me mad. Settling down in front of the racing and Soccer Saturday just isn't the same without some Premiership action, specifically without Spurs.

I really have very little interest where International football is concerned. Don't get me wrong, I support England in their matches but I just don't have the same passion for them as I did when I was younger.

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Inside Left avoids using tired old clichés about how Scotland need to win on Saturday by inventing some completely new clichés. And in a quiet football weekend, we also look at games in the ALBA Challenge Cup and the Highland League. Click to continue reading...

We conclude our Just-Football.com 2009/2010 Spanish La Liga season preview now with a look at Click to continue reading...

La Liga is back!Spain's La Liga. Best league in the world? If you are judging it on the amount of frenzied anticipation built up amongst football fans around the world, probably. In terms of creating... Click to continue reading...