With striker Jermain Defore previously announcing that he believes Tottenham Hotspur can outperform their North London rivals Arsenal in this season’s competition, the Spurs players clearly believe they are capable of mixing it up with the big boys. However, with Harry Redknapp showing a distinct lack of tactical nous in Spurs’ away tie at Young Boys (a relatively easy side to play away against in Europe, despite their artificial pitch), he will be aware that their upcoming tie at the San Siro against Inter Milan will require him to make the step up to the Champions League level both quickly and successfully.

Should Harry fail to make this step up, his squad could well find themselves wishing that they had failed to qualify for this year’s competition if they find themselves embarrassed on their European tour.  However, if Harry makes the step up by realising that 4-4-2 away from Europe doesn’t work, as well as learning to balance his squad so that he can be successful in both the Premier League and the Champions League, Spurs fans could well find themselves enjoying this season more than any other since the creation of the Premier League.

With most Football betting sites noting that the financial reward for taking part in the Champions League always massive, and the prestige of competing with Europe’s elite huge, Spurs fans will be hoping that this season is not the only one during which they get to enjoy the magic of the Champions League.

Reports earlier in the season had suggested that Woodgate would be be included in Spurs’ 25-man Premier League squad, but this now looks less likely than Sol Campbell returning to the club. Although it is clear that the player has undoubted talent, his few performances for Spurs showing why they decided to take a chance on him, the player has been plagued by injuries throughout his career.

However, with Woodgate having now searched the globe to find a doctor who can help to fix his groin problem, Redknapp has suggested that the player is going to have one final operation to attempt to cure his injury and if it fails, it would almost certainly put an end to his once promising career.

With Spurs already having signed William Gallas as defensive cover and the squad enjoying a successful start to the season, Woodgate’s misfortune seems unlikely to impact on Spurs’ chances of improving on their fourth-place finish last season. The Betfair Football betting suggests they should do well again. However, with Tottenham already having to manage Ledley King’s long-term injury, the signature of Gallas, a man who missed large chunks of last season with injury, may not be enough for Spurs.

Fans of rival teams may not wish Spurs well, but supporters of all sides would be disappointed to see Woodgate’s career end in such a tragic manner.

Meanwhile, the Sunderland Betting suggests they are in for another tough season.

They will have to do well to avoid a relegation scrap and they seem to lack firepower so they could face problems.

Having gone through five different managers last season, and many more than that since their headline-grabbing takeover in 2007, QPR players had once joked that they didn’t bother to learn their new manager’s name, in order to avoid confusing it with the next man who came in.

However, with Warnock having both the experience and the required nous to work with difficult owners, Rangers fans may be forgiven for believing that he can get the club to the promised land of the Premier League. The Betfair football predictions suggest that could be the case.

Although he has not always won fans with his abrupt style, Warnock has certainly shown himself to be capable of overcoming the odds as well as getting the best out of his sides, a fact exemplified by his masterminded victory over Premier League giants Arsenal while in charge of Sheffield United.

The factor that may be bringing the most confidence to Rangers fans is the honesty of Warnock when assessing his squad’s current ability to challenge for a place in the Premiership. Having identified that his squad currently requires a couple more strikers to move from being a top ten side to contenders for the title, Warnock has also sought to act on his feeling by attempting to bring experienced striker Jason Roberts on loan to the club.

With Warnock aware that the price for failing to deliver success may well be a swift dismissal, he will know that he will need to continue his side’s form while carrying on improving his squad.

Meanwhile, the Portsmouth betting suggests the side could be relegated two seasons running.

The club has yet to fully recover from the turmoil it suffered last term.

Some questionable defending from the League Two side allowed Newcastle to advance through to the competition’s third round, putting themselves clearly in the running in the Carling Cup betting. However, Stanley pushed their Premier League opponents all the way in their second round match and could have easily got more from the game.

Ryan Taylor gave Newcastle the lead after an absolute bullet of a shot from 30 plus yards, the ball flying past Ian Dunbavin and into the top corner. However, Ray Putterill grabbed an equaliser for his side just before half-time with a delicious curling effort past Tim Krul in the Newcastle goal.

The Magpies showed their quality in the second half with goals from captain for the night Shola Ameobi and Peter Lovenkrands.

Sean Hessey grabbed another goal for his side with a cracking finish in the last minute of injury time but it proved to be too little too late for a brave Stanley side.

Coleman, who has been in charge of the club for 11 years, had every reason to be proud of his charges but he was left slightly downbeat after the game.

“I think if we played at our highest levels then we could have come out victorious. I was happy with the fact we made a lot of chances, their keeper had to make three or four world-class saves but we’ve got to defend better than that,” said the Stanley boss.

Newcastle boss Chris Hughton will just be relieved to have got past this potential banana skin of a tie and safely into the draw for the next round. Even though Premier League survival is paramount for the Magpies this season, they will be hoping success breeds success in the cup competitions. Both the Carling Cup and the FA Cup betting suggests they could make an impact a bid for silverware this season.

The deal will see Boateng join Milan on a permanent deal next summer if the midfielder proves himself at the San Siro. Genoa would make a healthy profit from the deal despite never pulling on the club’s shirt.
Boateng was determined to leave Portsmouth ever since the club was relegated at the end of last season. He was one of the clubs stand out performers despite a turbulent season for the South Coast club, scoring five times in 27 appearances in Portsmouth colours.

His performances for Ghana in South Africa this summer caught the eye of a number of Europe’s big sides. The former Spurs midfielder was one of a number of players that Portsmouth were keen cash in on this summer as they try exit administration. The deal has reportedly made Pompey £5million.

The move to i Rossoneri is a big one for Boateng, while the World Cup showed his quality as a player, his temperament in the past has been questioned by Online Betting pundits. He never really got a chance at his last big club Spurs, the pressure to succeed at Milan will be like nothing he has ever experienced and Boateng will be under pressure to perform. The attacking midfielder will be suited to the style of play in Italy though and will be in a team with enough quality for him to gel with.

Frequently left on the bench during the 2009-10 season as Sir Alex Ferguson preferred to go with the prolific Wayne Rooney as a lone striker, many speculated that Berbatov could be on his way out of Old Trafford this summer with Bayern Munich and AC Milan mooted as possible destinations.

Sir Alex has stuck by his man, however, and the early season signs suggest that Berbatov is ready to prove his worth after an impressive start to the season. His goal in the Community Shield – a delightful lobbed finish after some great interplay with Luis Nani – was met with a warm reception from his United teammates and may well be looked back on at the end of the season as the moment when his Manchester United career properly began.

He followed up that strike with another in an impressive performance against Newcastle United on Monday night, scoring once but contributing with his all round performance and coming close to adding further to his tally. Most notably, his swagger has returned and he lit up Old Trafford with some breathtaking skills.

That United take some of the burden of Rooney is paramount if they are wrestle back the Barclays Premier League trophy from Chelsea this season. As talented as the young striker is, at times it felt like United’s entire quest for trophies lay solely on his shoulders and as Rooney’s body broke down towards the end of the campaign, so did United’s challenge.

When asked to step up the mark in his absence, Berbatov’s performances were average and disjointed and crucial points were lost which ultimately cost United dear.

Sir Alex has also added the hugely promising and highly energetic Mexican striker Javier Hernandez to his squad and already, he is looking to be a shrewd purchase, having already opened his United account with a goal in the Community Shield.

It is the role of Dimitar Berbatov though that most intrigues the watching critics and it remains to be seen whether the Bulgarian will indeed step up to the mark in 2010-11.

Written by Danny Watson, a sports journalist who blogs about football shirts.