Everton shut out their previous hosts in Premier League top-seven finishers Southampton and are facing a team that have netted just once in their last six Capital One Cup home ties.

The Tykes haven’t been able to get excited much since their masterful run to the 2007/08 FA Cup semi-finals at the expense of Liverpool and Chelsea. Eight successive bottom-eight finishes in the Championship…..

I’d expect a Murray/Federer semi final here and Fed has won five of the last six against the Scot, including the quite brilliant dismissal of Murray at Wimbledon recently.

There’s no rest for the top players in the men’s game at this time of year and hot on the heels of Sunday’s Coupe Rogers final in Montreal we head to America’s mid-west for more top class tennis.forwards.

Although there are sure to still be one or two more additions to the squad, it has already been an extremely encouraging transfer window for Manchester United. Morgan Schneiderlin arrives to shore up the midfield.

Bastian Schweinsteiger brings class and experience and Memphis Depay offers a cutting edge going forwards.

If you were in any doubt that the new football season was imminent, the traditional warning signs were apparent this week: Arsene Wenger saying Arsenal are finally ready to challenge for the title, Jose Mourinho taking cheap pops at other managers.

It’s only right, then, that Arsenal and Chelsea contest the season’s traditional curtain-raiser.

West Ham haven’t conceded in the competition. Birkirkara created little at the Boleyn Ground, which resulted in them mustering one (off-target) shot.

These teams produced one of the most entertaining first-leg collisions, and Betfair customers will be able to watch the rematch. The odds show that Hajduk Split are expected to take their place in the third qualifying round without much hassle, but there are several reasons to doubt this assessment.

We found out on Sunday that there’s no such thing as a first round good thing says Wayne Mardle as six of the eight favourites were turned over, but our man is back to fight another day with these two selections for Monday.

Even though he didn’t win the Premier League, Dave Chiznall was the star of the show. Week after week he excelled, he seems to have all the attributes to be a champion.