Ipswich Town vs Fulham FC 9th August 5:15pm

Ipswich have become a solid Championship team under the
management of the astute Mick McCarthy but they face a Fulham team who were relegated from the Premier League last season and their manager Felix Magath will demand a
swift return. A lack of goals from January onwards was the main reason why Ipswich were unable to maintain their drive towards a
play-off position as they failed to score more than two goals in any of those games, while the defence leaked three goals apiece against Wigan, Leicester and QPR. Yet the
Tractor Boys have built a reputation as a steady home team with only Wigan leaving Portman Road with maximum points from February onwards. Ipswich used the summer to improve their away form too, with four of five friendlies away from home ending in a victory. McCarthy will be boosted by the return of David McGoldrick from a long-term injury but he will only be named on the bench with new signing Balint Bajner and Daryl Murphy probably leading the attack. Winger Alex Henshall is a useful free signing from Manchester City. Meanwhile Paul Anderson and Tommy Smith should both recover from injury but there will be late decisions regarding Jonathan Parr (groin) and Stephen Hunt (calf). New signing Cameron Stewart has suffered a fractured jaw and will be sidelined for up to six weeks.

Fulham will be hoping to use this opening game as a springboard towards a promotion winning campaign. Ashkan Dejagah, Damien Duff, Steve Sidwell, Kieran Richardson and Brede Hangeland are among several high- profile outgoings with new faces continuing to arrive. Fulham have seen a positive pre-season campaign, with four victories out of four, whilst conceding no goals. The purchase of Leeds marksman Ross McCormack for £7 million is the most ambitious signing to date while the experienced Nikolay Bodurov is expected to play at the heart of defence. Thomas Eisfeld is a midfield signing who could catch the eye while new German right back Tim Hoogland has settled into a squad.

As ever Ipswich will be a difficult team to beat and the outcome of this match will depend much on the ability of the Fulham squad to gel in the Championship. There may be
few chances and not many goals. A goalless draw.

Verdict: Under 2.5 goals

Millwall vs Leeds FC 9th August 3pm

Millwall begin their Championship fixtures with a game against Leeds who they beat 2-0 in the corresponding fixture last season. Manager Ian Holloway will be aiming to avoid a repeat of the last campaign when his team flirted with the relegation zone. They drew six of their final ten matches at the New Den but eight unbeaten games at the
end of the season coupled with a final day home victory ensured their survival. They won two of their three club friendlies in the summer, whilst drawing the third.

Holloway has been keen to boost the firepower of the Lions during the summer as his team scored more than two goals in a match on only one occasion, and Ricardo Fuller has
been signed to add some experience to the forward line. Martyn Woolford netted eight goals last season and is likely to start on Saturday whereas Carlos Edwards remains at the club following a successful loan spell from March onwards.

Jermaine Easter has performed well in attack during pre-season but midfielders Nicky Bailey (calf), Ed Upson and Richard Chaplow (both hamstring) will miss the opening fixture. Leeds will arrive in south-east London under the expectant
watch of new president Massimo Cellino and he will be demanding an improvement on the mid-table finish of last season. The Yorkshire team won their final two games but overall, inconsistency blighted their campaign and for the forthcoming campaign, they must cope without Ross McCormack who was leading divisional scorer last season. Despite his move to Fulham, Leeds won four of their five friendlies during the summer, drawing the fifth.
Manager Dave Hockaday will look elsewhere for firepower but several imports from Serie A in Italy have recently arrived to bolster the squad. Souleymane Doukara is expected to start in attack alongside Tommaso Bianchi while Marco Silvestri may make his league debut in goal.
After an injury plagued campaign during 2013-14, Noel Hunt returned to action in the final pre-season friendly and may appear on the bench. Hockaday has confirmed that new signings Nicky Ajose and Zan Benedicic are in contention for a spot in the matchday squad. Matches between these two teams are usually fiery encounters and Ian Holloway will be keen to impress upon his team the importance of this first match.

Leeds may take time to blend with several Italian recruits
unaccustomed to the intensity of Championship football and they may struggle to secure a result. Home win by a one goal margin I guess.

Verdict: Millwall to win

Blackburn Rovers vs Cardiff City 8th August 7:45pm

After a busy summer of sport, the new Football League season is already upon us, with Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff City getting the 2014-15 campaign underway at
Ewood Park on Friday night. Both teams have pre-season expectations of promotion,with Blackburn having finished just two points off the
playoffs last season and Cardiff coming down from the Premier League.

The hosts have been troubled by a sickness bug over the last few days, but that is expected to have cleared by the time they line up against the Bluebirds, giving Gary Bowyer a fully-fit squad to choose from. The Rovers boss will be keen to carry some momentum over from the end of last season, when he saw his side go 12 matches without defeat to make a late surge for the top six. They have also remained unbeaten throughout pre-season,although they go into Friday's match having drawn their last four outings. Summer signings Chris Brown and Alex Baptiste could both make their debuts at Ewood Park, with the former having made good progress in his recovery from a knee injury.

While Blackburn ended last season on a high, Cardiff manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must pick his team up having been relegated from the top flight. Three points in the season opener would be a perfect way to do that, as well as helping to confirm their status as one of the early favourites for the title. However, the visitors do have limited resources at the back, with Juan Cala still suspended, Ben Turner out through injury and Steven Caulker having left the club. That means that Matt Connolly is likely to partner Mark Hudson in the centre of defence, although the latter has also been struggling with injury of late. Solskjaer must also make do with fewer options further up the field as Jordon Mutch has joined Queens Park Rangers and Gary Medel is on the verge of a move to Inter Milan. Another key player, Craig Noone , is out with a groin injury,but new signing Tom Adeyemi could go straight into the squad having completed his move on Thursday. Other players who could be in line for a debut include Nicky Maynard, Adam Le Fondre, John Brayford and Kagisho Dikgacoi as a new-look Cardiff aim to get off to a winning
start.

Verdict: Cardiff City to win

Molde FK vs Roseburg BK 27th July 5pm

This match is from the Norwegian top league between the league leaders Molde FK and Roseburg BK. The latter is much more popular and experienced than the home team. Molde has thoroughly improved with their style of play this season no wonder they are heavy favourites to win this game comfortably.

Molde FK has been outstanding so far even in their European commitments. They are fresh from a win in their European Cup qualifications and their hat trick hero in the game Thomas Høiland still ready to replicate that effort once more in their home ground.

Roseburg has always been less of a threat to Molde especially as visitors and it's not going to be easy for them here as they hope to reduce the gap between both sides. Fellow league contenders Stromgodset are 3 points ahead of Roseburg occupying the second position in the league.

Roseburg will bid to keep up the pressure with a win away from home. It's going to be a very defensive game and the visitors will rely on their dangerous counters to steal a win here. Nothwithstanding, the strength of both sides I expect Molde to pick maximum points after 90 minutes of intense action.

Verdict: Molde FK to win

Nordsjaelland vs Vestjaelland 18th July 5:30 pm GMT

Asides from the norm due to the end of the FIFA World Cup we switch focus to the upcoming season here we have the first game of the Danish Superligen between the 2011/2012 Champions and Vestjaelland. Both teams has actually been busy with preseason friendlies with the host focusing mostly in the domestic teams in the league.

Nordsjaelland is and always a top team in the Superligen and has struggled of recent after offloading most of their Champion winning squad after their heroics in the 2011/2012 season and this is a fresh start to hope to make amends for letting some points slip them by last season. They have a very young team who are less physical and that can be a disadvantage for them.

Vestjaelland will be looking forward to pick up maximum points away from home. They played Bolton Wanderers and put up a strong fight in their preseason friendlies and are in great form to kick off a fresh season and at least hope to challenge for the trophy this time.

As mentioned earlier, Nordsjaelland has quite a young squad and that might rule out an easy win for them here against a tough, physical and experienced visiting side. It's not going to be easy for the home side to get all maximum points here even at home but it is expected to be a game of experience here.

Verdict : Vestjaelland to win