Soccer English Premiership fixturesJose Mourinho and Alex Ferguson have been given an immediate opportunity to resume their war of words as the new English Premiership season threatens to kick off in explosive fashion.
New Chelsea manager Mourinho and Manchester United boss Ferguson will go head to head at Stamford Bridge on the opening day of the campaign, August 14th, just six months after their heated Champions League falling-out.
Mourinho, then manager at Porto, insisted Ferguson should apologise for comments made against Vitor Baia after the Scot claimed the veteran goalkeeper had made a meal of a tackle which resulted in the sending-off of Roy Keane in the first leg of their last-16 clash.
Mourinho refused to pull his punches, believing Ferguson was upset as United had been "dominated by an opponent . . . built on maybe 10 per cent of the budget", leaving Ferguson to berate Porto's gamesmanship.
Few will then forget Mourinho's dance of delight down the Old Trafford touchline after Costinha scored a late equaliser in the return to send Porto through to the quarter-final 3-2 on aggregate.
Ferguson will have forgotten neither encounter and will almost certainly be seeking some form of retribution particularly as United also lost at Chelsea last season.
The Premiership's other two new Continental coaches, Liverpool's Rafael Benitez and Jacques Santini at Tottenham, face each other in another intriguing curtain-raiser at White Hart Lane.
Both sides will be keen to improve on poor seasons last time around, with Benitez taking over from the sacked Gerard Houllier after guiding Valencia to a La Liga and UEFA Cup double.
Understandably, the promoted West Brom, Norwich and Crystal Palace are expected to struggle, and the latter duo open up against one another at Carrow Road.
It is hardly the glamour clash they were expecting, although for Division One champions City it is a case of welcome back to the big time after nine years away as they then face Manchester United, Newcastle and Arsenal in their following three fixtures.
Chief executive Neil Doncaster is hoping Norwich can defy their detractors as he said: "There were few people last year who were saying we had much of a chance of promotion, let alone winning the championship. We were able to prove them wrong and hopefully we will surprise a few people this year as well."
Palace boss Iain Dowie, who lifted the club back into the big time via the play-offs, is aware his side will face an uphill struggle for survival from the start.
"We're looking forward to making a good start to the season," said Dowie. "But we know how difficult it is to get points because there are sides who came down last season with better squads than we have, so we're well aware of the magnitude of the task.
"A successful outcome for us will be staying in the Premier League - no question. If you ask [West Brom manager] Gary Megson and [Norwich manager] Nigel Worthington, and a few others, they would take it. I would take it now."
Reigning champions Arsenal, who went through last season undefeated, have the opportunity to extend their streak and set a new record into the bargain.
Nottingham Forest hold the mark for the longest unbeaten sequence in English football - 42 matches between November 1977 and December 1978 - and Arsenal can beat that if they do not lose at Everton, at home to Middlesbrough and Blackburn, and then at Norwich.
Bolton manager Sam Allardyce knows his side face a stiff test early in the season when they take on Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal in successive games. Those three matches come after fixtures against Charlton on the opening day, Fulham and Southampton, and Allardyce joked: "A nice and easy start as usual."
He added: "The opening fixtures will provide us with a good test and allow us to show our Premiership credentials early on.
"Charlton finished in a strong position last season and then we've got two away trips to Fulham and Southampton.
"After that we face three of the biggest clubs in the land in quick succession."
