Manchester United and Arsenal have every reason to be wary of their opponents on the opening day of the Premier League season Saturday -- Bolton and Everton have caused them problems in the past.

Last season, Everton ended Arsenal's 30-game unbeaten streak when 16-year-old star Wayne Rooney scored in the last minute for a 2-1 win at Goodison Park.

Bolton, meanwhile, has beaten Man Utd at home in the early stages of the season for the past two years.

Everton will face the Gunners without Rooney in the starting lineup. He damaged ankle ligaments in a preseason friendly and is questionable even to make the substitutes' bench.

The man Rooney often replaced last season, Tomasz Radzinski, will start instead. With Kevin Campbell also injured and Duncan Ferguson suspended, Radzinski will be paired with young forward Nick Chadwick.

"Going to Arsenal will be very difficult," said Radzinksi, Everton's top scorer last season.

"But if you start the season slowly it will be difficult to catch up later on. On Aug. 16 we have to show everyone we mean business and will be there for the rest of the season."

Last term, Everton had its best season since 1996, finishing seventh. And the same squad will feature this season.

"Not having any new faces is not necessarily a negative thing," Radzinski said. "Having the same group of players means everyone knows what they have to do."

Arsenal is likely to start a similar side to that which lost on penalties to United in the Community Shield last Sunday. Fredrik Ljungberg is doubtful with a shoulder injury.

Bolton manager Sam Allardyce is hoping for a third straight win at Old Trafford. Striker Kevin Nolan is also looking for a hat trick -- he scored in Bolton's two previous wins over United, a 1-0 win last September and a 2-1 victory in October 2001.

"We are very much set in our ways in terms of how we are going to play against Manchester United at Old Trafford," Allardyce said. "We have proved that in the past.

"The magnitude of the victory there last year there for all to see. We were the only team to win at Old Trafford in the Premiership. In the law of averages, it shouldn't happen for a third time. However we will try our very best for it to happen again."

Despite a relegation struggle last season, Bolton has the recent edge over United. The Reds have won only once in the last six Premier League matchups against Bolton -- with United's last win over the Wanderers at Old Trafford back in 1995.

United manager Alex Ferguson is likely to pick U.S goalkeeper Tim Howard ahead of last season's first-choice, Fabien Barthez. New signings Kleberson, Eric Djemba Djemba and Cristiano Ronaldo are expected to start on the bench in the Red Devils' first league match without midfielder David Beckham.

On Sunday, Liverpool will host new-look Chelsea. Armed with eight new star players bought for 75 million pounds (US$120 million), the Blues visit a Liverpool side still hurting from last season when they met on the final day of the Premier League campaign.

The Blues won 2-1 to edge Gerard Houllier's team for the final Champions League spot, leaving Liverpool with the consolation of the UEFA Cup.

New Liverpool signing Harry Kewell is expected to partner Michael Owen up front, but the Reds will be without key midfielders Steven Gerrard, Dietmar Hamann and Vladimir Smicer.

Chelsea's biggest problem will be deciding which star to start.

"That game at the end of last season was the be-all and end-all, to be honest. If we'd lost, it could all have gone a bit differently," Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard said.

"But we didn't and now we're in a different league to last year with the money situation and the players coming in. We've moved on a million miles over the summer and hopefully it will come good on the pitch."

In other games Saturday, Birmingham vs. Tottenham, Blackburn vs. Wolves, Fulham vs. Middlesbrough, Leicester vs. Southampton and Portsmouth vs. Aston Villa. On Sunday, Charlton vs. Manchester City and Leeds vs. Newcastle.

The second round of division one is played Saturday, with last season's relegated clubs all at home. Sunderland plays Millwall, West Ham hosts Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion against Burnley.

Preview capsules

A brief look at the opening round of Premier League games to be played this Saturday and Sunday (last year's league position in parentheses):

Birmingham (tied 13) vs. Tottenham (10)

Birmingham manager Steve Bruce is without two regulars ahead of the season opener at St. Andrew's. 'Keeper Nico Vaesen is still recovering from a knee problem, which means Northern Ireland's Maik Taylor or Ian Bennett is expected to start in goal. Veteran defender Martin Grainger (knee) is also out. But Robbie Savage, the team's player of the year last season, will likely start with new signing David Dunn in midfield. Another new arrival, Luciano Figueroa, should also start up front with Christophe Dugarry.

The injuries keep piling up for Tottenham. Manager Glenn Hoddle got bad news this week, when he learned that Uruguayan midfielder Gus Poyet would be out for up to six weeks with a broken wrist. Christian Ziege (thigh) is out long-term, while Darren Anderton (Achilles), Dean Richards (Achilles), Ledley King (back), Frederic Kanoute (groin) and Chris Perry (suspended) will all miss out against Birmingham. New Portuguese signing Helder Postiga is expected to partner Robbie Keane up front.

Portsmouth (first-division champion) vs. Aston Villa (16)

A summer of optimism turned sour for Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp on Thursday when top-scorer Svetoslav Todorov suffered ligament damage to a knee. Todorov, who scored 26 goals last season as Portsmouth won the first division, could be out for the season. Teddy Sheringham is fit and will start, along with fellow new arrivals Patrik Berger, Sebastien Schemmel and Dejan Stefanovic. Another Pompey rookie, Harald Wapenaar, is expected to start in goal.

With David O'Leary replacing Graham Taylor as manager in May, there's new optimism at Villa Park. O'Leary, who guided Leeds to a semifinal berth in the Champions League, bought two key players: midfielder Gavin McCann (Sunderland) and impressive 'keeper Thomas Sorensen (Sunderland). Gareth Barry, who earned a brief England recall in the summer, will start. England striker Darius Vassell is out with an ankle injury. Midfielder Lee Hendrie sparkled in preseason, while Mustapha Hadji is hoping to show more of the form that made him a fan favorite at Coventry.

Arsenal (2) vs. Everton (7)

The Gunners begin their season with a tough test. Everton ended Arsenal's unbeaten run early last season, with teenage sensation Wayne Rooney scoring the winner at Goodison Park. But with strikers Thierry Henry, Sylvain Wiltord and Dennis Bergkamp, and midfielders Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires all fit, the Gunners will be hard to stop. New German 'keeper Jens Lehmann, who replaced the departed David Seaman, will start in goal. Defender Martin Keown (hamstring) is back, and Freddie Ljungberg (shoulder) could return. The FA is studying defender Sol Campbell's kick at Manchester United's Eric Djemba-Djemba in Sunday's Community Shield, but any punishment won't affect the Everton game.

Rooney is expected to travel to London but probably won't even be a substitute because of a knee-ligament injury. Fellow striker Kevin Campbell is out for a month with a hamstring problem, while Duncan Ferguson is suspended. Canadian international Tomasz Radzinksi, arguably Everton's top player last season, is likely to partner the inexperienced Nick Chadwick up front. Midfielders Scot Gemmill (thigh), Niclas Alexandersson (knee) and Lee Carsley (knee) are also out, giving manager David Moyes more problems. Former Gunner Richard Wright will start in goal.

Blackburn (6) vs. Wolverhampton (third in first division)

Graeme Souness is without young midfielder Steven Reid (ankle) and defender Craig Short (knee). But Lorenzo Amoruso, a central defender who joined from Rangers, and Vratislav Gresko will both start. New signing Brett Emerton was set to miss the game because of a suspension handed out by the Dutch FA, but the decision was overturned on Friday. Andy Cole is back after missing time with an Achilles injury and could partner another former Manchester United striker, Dwight Yorke, up front.

Wolves will play their first top-flight game for almost 20 years, and manager Dave Jones hopes a flurry of summer signings will keep the club there. Nathan Blake (ankle) and Shaun Newton (eye) face late fitness tests, though top scorer Kenny Miller (hernia), experienced midfielder Mark Kennedy (ankle), Joleon Lescott (knee) and George Ndah (knee) are all out. New signings Steffen Iversen, Henri Camara, Oleg Luzhny and Silas are all fit and should be in the starting lineup. They join former Manchester United veterans Denis Irwin and Paul Ince.

Fulham (tied 13) vs. Middlesbrough (tied 11)

Chris Coleman, at 33 the youngest manager in the Premier League, has few injury problems ahead of the Cottagers' opener. Promising midfielder Sean Davis (ligament strain) -- expected to join either Everton or Middlesbrough after Fulham accepted bids -- and Andy Melville (foot) are out. French forward Louis Saha (back) has recovered from a back injury and should be fit. New French signing Jerome Bonnissel is expected to start and so is Dutch 'keeper Edwin van der Sar, who lost his job to Maik Taylor at the end of last season.

Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren has a healthy Juninho, and another Brazilian midfielder, Doriva, completed his loan move from Celta Vigo in the summer. Along with Jonathan Greening, the trio will be expected to create more scoring chances. But the team will be without striker Massimo Maccarone for 10 weeks (ankle), and fellow forward Michael Ricketts (Achilles) will miss the first game. Midfielder George Boateng (ankle) and fullback Franck Queudrue (suspended) are also out. 'Boro conceded the sixth fewest goals in the Premier League last season, but Ugo Ehiogu, who formed an effective partnership with Gareth Southgate in the center of defense, is out for several months with a knee injury.

Leicester (second in first division) vs. Southampton (8)

The Foxes, who return to the Premier League after a one-year stint in the first division, also had a busy offseason. New signings Ben Thatcher, Lilian Nalis, Keith Gillespie, Les Ferdinand, Ricardo Scimeca and Craig Hignett are all fit, while veteran defender Steve Howey (groin) is definitely out. Frank Sinclair (thigh strain) is questionable. Callum Davidson, Billy McKinlay and Matthew Jones are all long-term casualties.

The Saints completed their biggest summer signing Thursday, landing former England international Kevin Phillips. He's expected to partner James Beattie -- who scored 24 league goals last season -- up front. Fellow strikers Brett Ormerod and Marian Pahars are ready if needed, though. Finnish international 'keeper Antti Niemi (knee) -- one of the top goalies last season -- is out long-term with a knee injury. Gritty midfielder Chris Marsden is out for a month after also having knee surgery.

Manchester United (1) vs. Bolton (17)

United begin defense of its Premier League title with five new faces. American 'keeper Tim Howard, midfielders Kleberson, Eric-Djemba-Djemba and Cristiano Ronaldo, and young striker David Bellion all joined Old Trafford in the offseason. Besides Howard, though, none is expected to start. Howard was the hero in last Sunday's Community Shield and sparkled in his other preseason starts. Manager Alex Ferguson could have problems in defense. Wes Brown is a long-term casualty, while Gary Neville (hamstring) is extremely doubtful. Phil Neville and Mikael Silvestre have minor injuries but could start. Top-scorer Ruud van Nistelrooy, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand should all feature in the first 11.

Bolton has beaten United at Old Trafford the last two seasons, and manager Sam Allardyce is hoping to make it three in a row. He could have French forward Youri Djorkaeff, who fractured a cheekbone in a preseason game. Djorkaeff returned to training and Allardyce said a decision on his status would be made later. Simon Charlton (knee) has an outside chance of making the bench. Nigerian captain Jay-Jay Okocha, one of the most gifted players in the league, will start.

SUNDAY:

Charlton (tied 11) vs. Manchester City (9)

Charlton manager Alan Curbishley signed talented Italian Paolo di Canio this week, but hasn't decided whether he'll play. Simon Royce will start in goal in place of the suspended Dean Kiely, while key defender Richard Rufus is still recovering from knee surgery. Left-back Paul Konchesky and midfielder Scott Parker -- who both played with England last season -- will start.

Manchester City manager Kevin Keegan made several summer signings to improve the squad. Former Arsenal hero David Seaman will start in goal, while other new players Michael Tarnat (Bayern Munich) and Trevor Sinclair (West Ham) should feature. But Paul Bosvelt (Feyenoord) will miss the game because of a two-game suspension handed out by the Dutch Football Association.

Leeds (15) vs. Newcastle (3)

Leeds finished a disappointing 15th last season, and new manager Peter Reid would do well to steer the Yorkshire club to safety again. Stars Rio Ferdinand, Lee Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate left last year, while Olivier Dacourt and Harry Kewell departed in the summer. Forward Alan Smith -- linked with Aston Villa -- and fellow striker Mark Viduka, another player rumored to be on his way out at Elland Road, should start the season opener. England No. 2 Paul Robinson, and not former England No. 2 Nigel Martyn, is expected to start in goal. But defender Michael Duberry (fractured cheekbone) and Norwegian midfielder Eirik Bakke (tendinitis) are definitely out. Lucas Radebe, Dominic Matteo and Seth Johnson are questionable after having offseason knee surgery.

Bowyer and Woodgate return to Elland Road and both are expected to start. Manager Bobby Robson has few injury problems, with Alan Shearer, Craig Bellamy, Nolberto Solano, Laurent Robert, Gary Speed and 'keeper Shay Given expected to start.

Liverpool (5) vs. Chelsea (4)

Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier is missing three key midfielders. Steven Gerrard is suspended, Dietmar Hamann is out until November with a calf injury and Vladimir Smicer continues to recover from a knee injury. New signing Steve Finnan will likely be a substitute after recovering from a hernia operation, while Harry Kewell is set to make his Anfield debut after moving from Leeds.

Chelsea, which beat Liverpool on the final day last season to clinch a spot in the Champions League, has selection problems. But that's because the club has bought eight major players since Russian Roman Abramovich took over. Manager Claudio Ranieri has Joe Cole, Juan Sebastian Veron, Damien Duff, Frank Lampard, Jesper Gronkjaer, Boudewijn Zenden -- among others -- available in midfield. Marcel Desailly, William Gallas, John Terry and Wayne Bridge are all vying for spots in defense.

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