Matchday 1 Preview

Fri Apr 01 2016, 19:19 Message reputation : 100% (9 votes)

	arsenal vs Soccerettes
arsenal have done very well in the draft in my opinion. They've got some experienced players and have managed to sign some of the biggest characters on the forum. After the loss of Jds I'd expect the core of the team to be abacus, chuckdog, Tanzim and Yawn. A solid lineup but there are questions to be asked of some of them. Tanzim for one has for a long time been a highly regarded player but his longevity is not always there - hopefully this is the season where we can see him more consistently. Another question mark hangs over Mani/chuckdog, once one of the stars of UK haxball he has been blighted by ping problems and been out of the game for a long time. He has been smack talking for 2 years but how will he cope when the pressure is back on him? arsenal thrashed Soccerettes in the Preseason cup but it will not be so easy in the league. I'm more than happy with the players Socs have signed in the draft. Having played with him more regularly I'm convinced Q deserves to be in the next UK squad. Rough around the edges for sure but given proper coaching he could be one of the best in the UK (Sucks for him to have my coaching then). Shootstar also has massive potential being mistakenly identified as risingstar after our fs's is as big a compliment you can get. And with Zola we have a keeper who with barely any practice strolled into CL knockout stages keeping clean sheets in Ro16 and 1/4 final. On paper we are not quite as strong as other teams but I think we're much more suited to being underdogs and can hopefully start off by upsetting arsenal. I think there will be a few nerves for both teams in this game. Soccerettes no longer have the serial bottler in their team so this time they may be able to hold their nerve and get a 1-1 draw.
	Can't Score vs Sheepshaggers
There is some pressure on Can't Score this season. They have been picked as favourites by quite a few people and looking at their team it's easy to see why. The team that impressed last season has been supplemented with 3 top class players who could each walk into any other side in this league. aeRo, Element and salamini have bags of experience playing at the top level across European leagues. Beninho and giggs can only benefit from playing alongside people of this calibre and this season could see the pair of the taking the next step in their development. mlf was looking back near his best at the end of last season and now has an embarrassment of riches where any lineup he picks look very strong. They will be confident of beating any team but they face a tough challenge to start... Preseason could not have gone any better for Sheepshaggers after winning the 4v4 Big Easy cup. As widely mentioned already their star player is Mad but the deciding factor for this team will be how they can cope without him. Winning the league is all about consistency and with mad unlikely to be here for all matches they will have to win games against tough opposition without him. Early signs show they look capable of it but against title contenders in this first match they will hope he is available. There has been lots (and lots and lots...) of trash talk between giggs and The Doctor on the forums so this could be a chance for them to finally go head to head - if Doctor shows this time Very hard to predict the lineups for this one. Sheeps may have a slightly stronger first choice 3 but Can't Score have the better squad overall. I'll say Can't Score will just edge it 2-1.
	Deja Entendudes vs Pelicans
There has been some problems at Deja following the draft with one of their stars from last season Swift reportedly refusing to turn up to training. Therefore Zizou and Speaks could be looking to trade someone who could be a star player for another team. This loss shouldn't be too much of a concern for Deja who have assembled a fine team in the draft. 1st pick Stefan will be leading the line and undoubtedly a top scorer contender. With Diesel and Hef also well established players this is a very well rounded team that will be tough to beat. Their first opponents Pelicans are the team that he led them to second place last season but they won't be doing them any favours here and will look for a strong victory to start the season. I said in the Season Review that I'd love to see Pelicans get some real attacking quality to scare teams and they have done just that with the return of Knucklez. He was a part of corn's much admired HKF team in FM and if he can return to the form he showed back then he will be one to watch for this season. Defensively also they look a much stronger outfit: Iceman returns after a hugely impressive showing in the Team UK tournament; Hannes has been signed who is one if the best defenders I've had the fortune of playing with and maybe most importantly corn seems to have overcome his ping difficulties. I'd be shocked if they finished last again this season and they look capable of a mid-table finish to me. They know from last season how costly for morale a poor start can be so will be determined to start strongly against Deja. I'm looking forward to this game. Two friendly teams with some fresh faces and it could be a cracker. It would have been a shock last season but I think Pelicans can win 3-2 here.
	FOXHOUND vs L8 Unseen
FOXHOUND are an unknown quantity for me as I haven't seen them play yet. My biggest worry is that Twigg won't play himself often enough; as I think without him they will struggle. They have a solid, if unspectacular, lineup with Holtby proving to be a strong keeper. Jds has been signed from arsenal to bolster the ranks and fortunately this time he is not captain so will be getting playtime. Jiminy could be one to watch - I really enjoyed playing with him in the past and it will be good to see him back. They start off against a fellow new team in L8 Unseen so this is a chance for them against opponents who have not had much time to gel also. It baffled me to see L8 Unseen predicted to finish as low as last place in the predictions. From what I have seen so far this is a strong team who could even be dark horses to win the league. In Herna they have one of the league's best players but he isn't always happy when teammates don't suit his style (cough me) and I expect him to be ensuring his teammates play a high pressuring style. snackbox could be another interesting player - one of the original members of haxball's most successful team Nerdlucks and a member of German national team when it was near its peak shows he has the pedigree, however that was a long time ago and haxball has evolved since then so can he quickly catch up? Nub looks solid from my pub rooms but I just hope he can survive any ping problems. Swieczka has been the biggest surprise for me, an active player in my pubs he always seems to impress and after beating me in 1v1 he must be the greatest player on haxball. With 2 new teams this would be a great game to stream if chosen by the admins and I predict a 3-1 win for L8 Unseen.
	Guard Dogs vs HK Stalingrad
Guard Dogs are back with a lineup I'm not too familiar with so I hope to learn more about these players soon. Jai will be the lynchpin for this team - arguably the strongest gk in PremierHax they will be relying on him to keep clean sheets. CM Punk had a great Team UK tournament with Ren declaring he was one of the few players to emerge from it with his reputation increased. He seems to miss a lot of games though so they will need him to be more reliable if this team can challenge near the top. It couldn't get much harder in their first game against HK Stalingrad but playing against tough opponents could give them that little bit more motivation to get themselves noticed. I expected Ren to draft some Team UK players and prospects to gel them together but he has instead opted for overseas talent in his quest to win the league. There is lots of top quality players in this team but for me the best is still the one they kept from last season. Oggi looks sensational in goal where his DM skills from 4v4 have transferred comfortably. gado, Monstah, R2-D2 and Seba all have tons of experience and give Ren a massive selection dilemma. Don't forget Foyaz either whose first response after our recent 1v1 was 'Do you have any tips?'. That's a great attitude to have and I'm sure he can learn lots from his top class teammates. HKS had great momentum at the end of last season and I think it will continue here. Tough game for both but I'll guess a 1-0 win for HKS. If you would like to do any future previews (especially Wednesdays which I can't do) please send us a message or post here: https://premierhax.forumotion.co.uk/t625-preview-review-team Thanks for reading.