WWE Summerslam 2013 August 18, 2013

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WWE’s 2013 edition of the SummerSlam pay-per-view is approaching fast, and the excitement from wrestling fans across the world is through the roof.

There is an entertaining undercard full of intrigue, but it will be the main events that force the casual supporters to order the show. With Daniel Bryan challenging for John Cena’s WWE Championship and Brock Lesnar fighting CM Punk, this will be a great PPV.
As the WWE’s second-largest show of the year approaches, we have all the latest information fans will need to get them even more excited for Sunday’s SummerSlam extravaganza.

Oh it’s real. It’s damn real. SummerSlam is here. Less than 12 hours away from the second-biggest pay-per-view of the year for the WWE and there are more questions to be answered than a college entrance exam.

WWE Summerslam 2013

SummerSlam -- one of WWE's 'Big Four' pay-per-view events and the one that the organization would like to think is their second biggest -- takes place on Sunday night. The PPV portion of the card gets underway at 8 p.m. ET. Thanks to the magic of the internets, you can easily watch SummerSlam live on your computer, as well as on your TV or at a bar.

And as you can tell, this writer is as excited as a kid at Hanukkah and Christmas.

Four main event matches and plenty to wet our whistle for the night. The WWE has done a good job of promoting its card, but in my opinion, it still missed the boat on a few things like having all of the promotion’s titles defended. I would hope the battle between the McMahons tonight and the impending title change between John Cena/Daniel Bryan/Randy Orton is more than enough to make up for the gaffe.

Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, Calif.

When: Sunday, August 18 at 7 p.m. ET

Real Madrid vs Real Betis August 18, 2013

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Real Madrid begin their battle for Spanish supremacy with Barcelona by welcoming Real Betis to the Bernabeu.

In most leagues, watching the second-place and seventh-place finishers would be an interesting matchup. Since this is La Liga, you don't give the seventh-place team much of a chance

Real Madrid begin life under Carlo Ancelotti this weekend as they get the 2013-14 La Liga campaign underway at home to Real Betis.

Ancelotti could hand full debuts to summer signings Isco and Asier Illarramendi, while Daniel Carvajal is in contention for a first start after rejoining Madrid at the end of last season.

The Italian coach must also contend with injury doubts surrounding senior players in his first match in charge, with Xabi Alonso, Raphael Varane and Pepe all carrying knocks.

Betis will be without last season's top scorer Ruben Castro on Sunday night, losing the striker to a hamstring injury.

Xavi Torres should make his bow for the visitors in midfield, with Joan Verdu also hoping for a Betis debut in an advanced wide role.

Jose Mourinho is gone from the Bernabéu and has been replaced by Carlo Ancelotti as Real Madrid look to recover from season in which they failed to win a major trophy. That's not something that happens to Los Blancos very often and Ancelotti knows he has to turn things around quickly.

Possible lineups:

Real Madrid: Casillas, Marcelo, Ramos, Pepe, Arbeloa, Özil, Khedira, Modric, Isco, Ronaldo,

Betis: Andersen, Chica, Paulao, Perquis,Nacho, Matilla, Nosa, Cedric, Juanfran, Verdu, Molina
Fans have become accustomed to seeing Barcelona and Madrid cannibalize the rest of Spain, but this is getting ridiculous. Aside from the top two clubs, the Spanish league is seeing a major talent drain, as European teams cherry pick the best talent of every other club.

Match Date/Time: 9 p.m. local, 3 p.m. ET

Venue: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain

Barcelona vs Levante August 18, 2013

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The arrival of new head coach Gerardo Martino creates a bit of uncertainty as to what exactly we'll see from Barca, those major changes are not likely. New signing Neymar is expected to make his league debut alongside Lionel Messi who has recovered from a thigh injury that threatened to keep him out of this week's match.

Cesc Fabregas is also available after recovering from a sprained ankle picked up during the team's Asia tour late in the summer.

There are still plenty of concerns about the defense as Barca have yet to add another central defender despite the glaring need. Martino appears ready to use Gerard Pique and Javer Mascherano as his starting pair, with youngsters Marc Batra and Frank Bagnack as coverage.

Barcelona injuries and suspensions
Out: Carles Puyol (knee), Isaac Cuenca (knee).
Levante injuries and suspensions
Out: None
Both Lionel Messi and Cesc Fabregas overcame fitness test and will be available for the match. Carles Puyol continues to rehab from of offseason knee surgery.
Match Date/Time: 7 p.m. local, 1 p.m. ET
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain

Chelsea vs Hull City August 18, 2013

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José Mourinho will be expecting to win his first Premier League game back in charge of Chelsea. They open their campaign against newly-promoted Hull City on Sunday, and should take three points from a side looking to just survive relegation this season.

However, the Blues come into the game with fitness concerns over important first team players. Frank Lampard, David Luiz, Juan Mata and summer arrival André Schürrle aren't yet at 100%, though are still expected to be involved in some capacity. Midfielder Marco van Ginkel, who arrived from Vitesse last month, is likely to make his Chelsea debut.

Chelsea and Hull City will kick off their 2013-14 English Premier League campaign on Sunday at Stamford Bridge amid plenty of hype.

The Blues are back under the direction of Jose Mourinho and being picked by many to contend for the EPL title. 

Meanwhile, the Tigers are back in the EPL for the first time since the 2009-10 season and just looking to survive what is expected to be a tight relegation battle. 

The last time the two clubs played at Stamford Bridge on the first day of the season, Chelsea were 2-1 winners in August 2009.
Hull City only have one injury problem, with midfielder Stephen Quinn unavailable with a hamstring injury. Manager Steve Bruce will likely hand competitive debuts to Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone this weekend, while Sunderland loanee striker Danny Graham, goalkeeper Allan McGregor and defender Maynor Figueroa could also make their first appearances for the Tigers.

Chelsea injuries and suspensions

Out: None In doubt: Frank Lampard (achilles), David Luiz (hamstring), Juan Mata (knock), André Schürrle (match fitness)

Hull City injuries and suspensions

Out: Stephen Quinn (hamstring), In doubt: None

Match Date\Time: Sunday, 4 p.m. local, 11 a.m. ET

Venue: Stamford Bridge, London, England

Crystal Palace vs Tottenham August 18, 2013

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Pre-season favourites for relegation, Crystal Palace will hope to defy the odds and pick up points against Tottenham Hotspur this weekend. The hosts won 3-0 the last time these sides met, though the chances of a repeat performance look slim for a Palace squad lacking in depth.

Crystal Palace manager Ian Holloway will not be able to hand a debut to summer signing Jerome Thomas when the Eagles welcome Tottenham to Selhurst Park on Sunday.
The 30-year-old winger suffered an ankle injury in a friendly against Lazio last weekend and is set to be sidelined for at least two weeks.

However, a host of other new signings could be in line for their competitive debuts with the likes of Marouane Chamakh and Elliott Grandin likely to be involved.
Captain Paddy McCarthy is back in training but will not be ready while Glenn Murray and Yannick Bolasie are also absent.

Meanwhile, unsettled Tottenham forward Gareth Bale has been ruled out of Sunday's game because of a foot injury.

Defender Jan Vertonghen is doubtful due to an ankle injury he suffered in pre-season while midfielder Lewis Holtby misses out with a knee injury.

Striker Emmanuel Adebayor will not feature as he only returned from compassionate leave on Wednesday while midfielder Scott Parker is expected to be left out of the squad as he is in talks with other clubs about a move away from White Hart Lane.

Manager Ian Holloway has bemoaned his thin squad, and has a trio of players unavailable for Sunday. Striker Glenn Murray -- who scored an impressive 30 league goals last season -- is out with a long-term knee problem, while wingers Jerome Thomas and Yannick Bolasie have ankle and hamstring injuries respectively.

Tottenham too have injury concerns, with Jan Vertonghen and Lewis Holtby both expected to miss out with ankle and knee problems. Gareth Bale has apparently been ruled out due to a foot injury, and not in connection with the ongoing transfer speculation linking him to Real Madrid.

Spurs manager André Villas-Boas could hand debuts to club-record signing Roberto Soldado, Paulinho and Nacer Chadli, though this game may come too early for new defensive midfielder Étienne Capoue to be integrated into the first team.

Crystal Palace injuries and suspensions

Out: Glenn Murray (knee), Jerome Thomas (ankle), Yannick Bolasie (hamstring) In doubt: None

Tottenham Hotspur injuries and suspensions

Out: Gareth Bale (foot), In doubt: Jan Vertonghen (ankle), Lewis Holtby (knee)

Match Date\Time: Sunday, 1:30 p.m. local, 8:30 p.m. ET

Venue: Selhurst Park, London, England

Ajax vs Feyenoord August 18, 2013

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After three consecutive title wins, Ajax’s worst enemy in the Eredivisie could be themselves. Frank de Boer has an unchanged squad, packed with quality and only improved by the loaning of Bojan Krkic from Barcelona. However, Ajax will hope that the likes of Toby Alderweireld, Christian Eriksen, Siem de Jong and Ricardo van Rhijn, who have all been tipped for summer moves, can stay focused.

Ajax started the season in style by beating AZ Alkmaar 3-2 in the Dutch Super Cup. After a first half they dominated, but could not create any clear chances, Ajax fell two goals behind. They woke up though and bounced back with two goals in the last 20 minutes, before De Jong’s header secured the club’s eighth Super Cup.

After a comfortable Eredivisie opener against Roda (a 3-0 win), Ajax then lost 3-2 in Alkmaar, but had been leading 2-1 when Van Rhijn was shown a red card. The talented right-back is not the only regular performer that Ajax will miss against Feyenoord, as captain De Jong has been sidelined for six weeks due to a collapsed lung. Positive news for De Boer has come from the flanks, with Viktor Fischer improving his performances on the left, while on the right Krkic has enjoyed a good impact, in a role in which last season the Ajax coach deployed no less than six players.

When Ronald Koeman joined Feyenoord in the summer of 2011, the Rotterdam side were a declining club whose maximum aim was a spot in the Europa League. Koeman led Feyenoord to third place in 2012 and then to second in 2013. And that is the reason why the coach commented in July “this season will be the most difficult since I have been here”. To do better means bringing back the title, which Feyenoord have not won since 1999.

The club have worked to keep the team which raced for the title last term together. Technical director Martin van Geel has secured contract extensions for key players, including Jordy Clasie and Stefan de Vrij, and rising talents Tonny Vilhena and Jean-Paul Boetius. Feyenoord have also definitively bought striker Graziano Pelle, who had been in Rotterdam on loan from Parma.

Ajax vs Feyenoord August 18, 2013

When: Sunday 18th August, 2013, at 11:30 UK Time
Where: Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands