The Women's World Cup has been extended to 16 teams for the 2011 tournament, which is being hosted by reigning world and European champions Germany. Uefa was given just four other guaranteed places in the finals, so eight qualifying groups have provided eight winners who now play-off in four matches.

England, who avoided the Scandinavian powers of Denmark, Norway and Sweden as well as France and Italy, will start firm favourites against a country that has never played in the Women's World Cup finals before and is 17 places below them in the world rankings.

The core of the England team remains from five years ago: Rachel Brown in goal, captain Faye White and Casey Stoney in central defence with Alex Scott and Rachel Unitt at full-back; Katie Chapman and Fara Williams in midfield with Kelly Smith the playmaker; Eniola Aluko up front with Karen Carney and Rachel Yankey down the flanks.

Rachel Yankey will be pleased to be involved with England again

Yankey missed out on the Euros last year and I know how disappointed she was - she appeared as a guest on the BBC for the final against Germany - so it is good she is back in form and involved again, even though her place in the team may be at the expense of our regular studio pundit Sue Smith.

The one player that has really emerged on the international stage since 2005 is midfielder Jill Scott, who had an excellent tournament in Finland 12 months ago, while five of the England squad - Alex Scott, Carney, Chapman, Kelly Smith and Aluko - now play in the United States.

England have evolved into a very strong international side over the last five years - they are now ranked ninth in the world - and the experience and maturity they have suggests 2011 will be this squad's big chance for international glory. Brown, Kelly Smith, White and Yankey are now all in their early thirties.

Powell has played down the favourites' tag by saying: "The games you are expected to win are invariably the toughest." But England are expected to reach the finals, which kick off in Berlin's Olympiastadion - the venue of the 2006 men's World Cup final between Italy and France - on Sunday, 26 June, 2011.

An unexpected 2-2 draw between England and Switzerland in the Cyprus Cup friendly tournament in March suggests this two-legged affair may be no walkover, while Switzerland won a qualifying group that featured the Republic of Ireland and Russia. But England were under-strength in Cyprus that day and they have no injury concerns ahead of this contest.

Whatever happens, you can follow every kick on the BBC. I hope you will join us.

Gabby Logan presents live coverage of the first leg from Shrewsbury on BBC Three and the BBC Sport website from 1900 BST on Sunday.

Jake Humphrey presents live coverage of the second leg from Wohlen on the Red Button and the BBC Sport website from 1755 BST on Thursday, 16 September, with live coverage of the second half from 1900 BST on BBC Three.

Martin Keown and Jo Potter are in the studio, while our regular commentary team of Guy Mowbray and Lucy Ward will be in both Shrewsbury and Wohlen.

That is the situation this coming weekend in the Barclays Premier League when Aston Villa v West Ham will be the only match in the top division to be played at the traditional kick-off time. Manchester United play Wigan earlier in the day at 1245pm and no fewer than eight games switch to the Sunday.

Due to this, there will be Final Score/Score programmes on both Saturday - when virtually all the Coca Cola Football League teams are in action, by the way - and Sunday. Final Score is on BBC One from 1600 on Saturday and on BBC Two from 1650 on Sunday, Score runs on BBCi via the red button and the website on both afternoons and BBC World will transmit its version of Final Score at 1730 BST on both days.

In terms of TV production, the two afternoons could not be more different to plan.

On Saturday we will have pictures from just one match coming into the studio from 3pm onwards but a busy afternoon of football will be displayed by the vidiprinter showing latest scores from 70-odd matches and half-time scores and results from something like the same number again. Please see the BBC Sport website for the 20 featured matches with Score reporters.

Meanwhile on Sunday we will have pictures from eight Premier League matches coming into the studio during the afternoon but a fairly inactive vidiprinter with just 11 league matches being played in England and Scotland. It promises to be an interesting weekend - for all sorts of reasons - all-round.

Gary Pallister joins Garth Crooks and Gavin Peacock on the sofa on Saturday and Coventry manager Iain Dowie is a special guest alongside Garth and Gavin on Sunday's show.

I hope you have caught and enjoyed the new Midweek Score shows which were launched via the red button this week.

Update 5/10 13:31pm - Read Paul Armstrong's blog on how Match of the Day are dealing with this weekend's fixtures here.

How Germany can deal with the threat of Marta, Cristiane and Daniela is as fascinating as how Brazil's attacking trio will play against a defence that has now gone almost nine hours of World Cup finals football without conceding a goal.

Marta has been grabbing all the headlines in China, particularly after her stunning performance and brilliant goal in Thursday's 4-0 semi-final win over the USA - a firm favourite to win the goal of the tournament - but Brazil are far from a one-woman team and both Cristiane, in particular, and Daniela have impressed in China.

Marta was crowned Fifa Women's World Player of 2006 and it's fair to say she is as different as can be - in both physique and technique - from her predecessor German captain Birgit Prinz, who won the award three years in a row from 2003-2005.

With seven goals scored already Marta is in pole position to claim the Golden Shoe award for top goalscorer - another award that Prinz has previously won. Interestingly, Cristiane is placed second in the goalscoring list with five goals.

It promises to be a fascinating match. I am not sure that the world champions' crown will change hands on Sunday but what is interesting to note is the arrival of a team like Brazil in a women's football tournament on a world stage.

According to our studio guest Karen Walker (England's all-time record goalscorer), power in the women's game is by far the hardest thing to deal with and usually proves to be the deciding factor. It is the main reason why Germany, USA and the Scandinavian nations have dominated the sport for so long. The style and flair of Marta and her side at this tournament could well open up a new route for the emerging nations in women's football.

Sue Smith, who is also with us in the studio this Sunday for the final, talks of how England concentrated on how compressed the German midfield can be in the middle of the park - leaving space down both flanks. The one thing Brazil can take advantage of is space down the flanks. The USA started the tournament as firm favourites and ended it with a 4-0 semi-final defeat at the hands of Brazil with Marta showboating down the touchline. The power of the Americans was no match for Brazil's attack.

Interestingly, most of the Brazilian team play club football in Europe. Marta stars for Swedish champions Umea, who Arsenal defeated in the final of the UEFA Cup last season, while Cristiane plays in Germany for Wolfsburg. As is the case in England, there is no professional league in Brazil.

I went to South America on holiday this summer and was struck by how many women were honing their football skills on the famous Copacabana beach every day I spent in Rio de Janeiro. Football was being played and enjoyed by both sexes in equal number on that famous stretch of sand - I can only imagine what the party would be like should the South Americans triumph this Sunday.

I wrote last week of the effect qualifying from the World Cup group stage could mean for women's football in this country and Hope Powell's side got there in style on Monday with a comfortable 6-1 victory over Argentina to set up a quarter-final clash against the pre-tournament favourites USA in Tianjin tomorrow (kick off 1300 BST - live on BBC One).

Kelly Smith, who is fast emerging as one of the stars of the tournament, spent eight years in America first learning her trade and then playing on the professional circuit with Philadelphia Charge - and will be desperate to help put England through to the last four.

Kelly is also currently tied with two other world greats, Birgit Prinz of Germany and Marta of Brazil for the Golden Shoe top goalscorer award with four goals.

While England have impressed - particularly in the hard-fought goalless draw against Germany - USA have struggled to find their true form. They could easily have lost in their opening match against Korea DPR and topped Group B courtesy of a narrow 1-0 win over 100-1 outsiders Nigeria.

But Greg Ryan's side are capable of much more than their performances have so far suggested. Abby Wambach - with three goals already - and veteran Kristine Lilly can get goals and it is a growing concern for England fans that the three goals they have conceded so far in this tournament have all come from free-kicks.

Stastically USA look awesome. They have an unbeaten record of 50 matches (over 90 minutes) which dates back to 2004, have never failed to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup and are currently ranked as the best team in the world.

But England have developed so much since Euro 2005. They qualified for the World Cup unbeaten - finishing above France, who are ranked sixth in the world - and have held Germany and Japan (ranked second and tenth - England are ranked 12th) in China.

Of course, the knock-out matches now offer the possibility of extra-time and penalties. I have witnessed only one England women's penalty shoot-out since I started covering the sport and they lost - against China in the 2005 Algarve Cup. I would prefer not to ponder another England penalty shoot-out exit at the quarter-final stage of a major tournament...

Fara Williams is the regular England penalty taker and she is suspended for the match after collecting a second booking on Monday. Katie Chapman will replace her with possibly one more change to the side that faced Argentina up front.

Just a note to say that you can watch all remaining matches live on the BBC. Our coverage of England v USA follows Football Focus on BBC One at 1245 on Saturday. Germany v Korea DPR will be shown at 1000 on Saturday on BBCi with Norway v China and Brazil v Australia on BBCi at 1000 and 1300 on Sunday. And, of course, you can also watch the matches on the BBC website.

Both semi-finals, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, kick off at 1300 and will be shown live on BBC Two. Should England progress, they will play Brazil or Australia in Wuhan on Thursday.

Friday's courageous goalless draw against world champions Germany means that a two-goal win over Argentina - who are bottom of Group A and out of the competition - in Chengdu on Monday will earn Hope Powell's side a place in the last eight, and the likelihood of a meeting with the tournament favourites, USA, in Tianjin next Saturday.

Argentina were brushed aside by an emphatic German performance in the opening match which produced 11 goals with no reply, but they were unlucky to lose against Japan with an injury time winner from Yuki Nagasato, so it's hard to predict how they will perform against England.

What is for sure is that Argentina have now played two goalkeepers in this tournament and both have made crucial mistakes. Should England create anywhere near the 19 chances they did against Japan, then surely they should be OK.

In that scenario, England, Germany and Japan would each have five points with a win against Argentina and two draws. Germany would win the group on account of that 11-0 opening win and a superior goal difference leaving England and Japan level. With goal difference identical, qualification would then be decided by goals scored. So in that regard, a 2-1 win and a 0-0 draw for Japan would put England through, but a 1-0 win and a 1-1 draw in Hangzhou would put England out.

Should England beat Argentina 1-0 and Japan draw 0-0 with Germany - identical results to the two matches played in Shanghai on Friday, then the fairplay system would decide the second qualifying spot and England currently trail Japan by three bookings to one in that area. Let's hope that doesn't happen.

The important factor for England is that their destiny is now in their own hands, and with Argentina already out of the tournament, their opponents will be playing only for pride. The good news for England is that after drawing twice against teams placed higher in the world rankings, they now meet a side ranked some 17 places below them. But don't underestimate the pride factor - that 11-0 defeat hurt the Argentines - that was clear from their approach against Japan yesterday.

As for winning the group, it's unlikely. If Germany beat Japan they will top Group A and if Japan beat Germany they will top Group A. The only way England can do so is if Germany and Japan draw and England better Germany's 11-0 victory.

England need to win. Full stop. It would be heartbreaking if they failed to do so, given that Monday's match comes on the back of possibly the best result ever recorded by the national women's team. Hope Powell made seven positional changes against Germany and her tactics proved to be spot on - every member of the team played their hearts out and captain Faye White and Katie Chapman were outstanding.

Truly world class players such as Birgit Prinz, Kerstin Garefrekes and Sandra Smisek - a trio with 172 international goals between them - were kept quiet by a battling defence and combative midfield and the one breakthrough they did manage was brilliantly blocked by the right foot of goalkeeper Rachel Brown.

It should not be underestimated just how big a result that draw against Germany is - and could prove to be - for women's football in this country. It came in the biggest tournament of them all, against the biggest name of them all - a team who held a record of 15 wins in 16 matches against England going into the match.

I have been watching the England women's team since 2002. I saw a narrow two-leg World Cup qualification semi-final play-off win over Iceland - our studio guest Karen Walker got two goals in Reyjkavik - and then witnessed the subsequent play-off final defeat against France in St Etienne. The England performance that day was disappointing, the crowd - all 28,000 of them were amazing - it was a real eye-opener. From that moment on, England have steadily closed the gap on the best in world football.

After that defeat in France, England was awarded the 2005 European Championship - and what a show that turned out to be! Almost 30,000 fans were at the City of Manchester Stadium to see young Karen Carney strike home an injury-time winner in the opening 3-2 win over Finland to kick-start the tournament in style. But then frustration and ultimately more disappointment set in, as narrow defeats against Denmark - a match England led with ten minutes left - and Sweden meant an exit at the group stage. An acculmative audience of 8.2m viewers watched those three matches live on BBC TWO.

The spirit shown by England since Women's Euro 2005 has been admirable. They topped their World Cup qualifying group from day one: I saw a record-breaking 13-0 win over Hungary by the beautiful shores of Lake Balaton in Tapolca - where our other studio guest Jo Potter grabbed her first goal for England - and the team went from strength to strength. They never lost top spot and battling a 0-0 draw against France in Blackburn and a gritty 1-1 draw in Rennes last September meant no more disappointments as they claimed their place in the world finals for the first time in 12 years.

Karen Walker played and scored in the 1995 World Cup - the last time England qualified. She has told me about the nerves, excitement and also the knowledge of what success could ultimately mean to the women's game in this country. I think it's fair to say that we all now feel it: come on England!

It is the first time in 12 years that England have reached the World Cup finals. Back then, in Sweden in 1995, England got to the last eight where they fell 3-0 to eventual finalists Germany.

This time around, Germany are placed alongside England, Argentina and Japan in Group A. The Germans remain a major power in women's football, Birgit Prinz and her side are reigning World Cup and European champions and start this tournament second-favourites behind the USA.

Hope Powell's side have spent three weeks acclimatising to the conditions and England will be very happy that the match is to be played in the evening rather than the afternoon. No injuries are currently reported from the team hotel and Hope should be able to field her first choice 11.

We have an England camp out in Shanghai reporting all the latest news into our TV football output across this weekend (on Football Focus and MOTD Live) before the tournament gets underway.

From Monday, BBC TWO will show nightly highlights of all the action and all England matches will be shown live in the afternoon. Both semi-finals and the final will also be shown live on BBC TWO. In addition, many other matches will be shown live via the red button on BBCi and streamed live on the website. You can check the timetable on the BBC Sport website to see where and when you can catch the matches.

Jacqui Oatley is our reporter with the England camp in Shanghai while Jake Humphrey will be providing news reports and features from around China.

Back in London, Gabby Logan will host the shows with expert analysis from Josanne Potter, who was unlucky to miss out on a place in the England squad due to injury, England's all-time record goalscorer Karen Walker (who played in the 1995 World Cup alongside Powell) and Gavin Peacock.

The 21 players who carry the nation's hopes this year are featured in a special film which is now available on the BBC Sport website.

Women's football has grown immensely over the past six years that I have been fortunate enough to work on it for the BBC, and England's hosting of Women's Euro 2005 proved to be a real watershed for the sport in this country with record crowds and increased participation in the sport nationwide.

A last-minute winner against Finland in the opening match and a celebration to savour courtesy of 17-year-old Karen Carney supplied one of the moments of the tournament and did a lot to take interest in the sport to a new level.

On that occasion, Powell's side narrowly failed to get out of the group stage - a draw against much-fancied Sweden would have put them top of their group but a 1-0 defeat left them bottom and out of the competition. This time around, they will be hoping to go a lot further.

I hope you enjoy the coverage.

As you will know from reading Paul Armstrong's recent blog, all BBC Sport's studio output will now come from a single set within Television Centre. A video wall and coloured perspex panel will give each programme its own feel.

Our unrivalled commitment to football at all levels will be underlined by us having journalists reporting live from all Premier League and Championship matches, two games from the SPL and the best of the rest from League One and League Two this and every weekend.

And with some high profile big name managers coming into the Premier League this season - including Roy Keane and Sven Goran-Eriksson - the post-match interview slot on Final Score and Score should make for interesting viewing.

Further down the League ladder this weekend, we are featuring Leeds United's match at Tranmere Rovers and Nottingham Forest's encounter against Bournemouth in League One. We are also with Football League newcomers Dagenham and Redbridge and Morecambe, as they both kick off their first-ever season among the 92-club.

Morecambe’s Christie Park is one of several grounds where we installed new ISDN commentary positions in the summer, meaning we can report from the top matches, wherever they may be. All our featured matches will be listed on the BBC Sport website every Friday morning.

Final Score is broadcast every Saturday on BBC ONE from 1630. Score runs on BBC Interactive (via the red button) and on the BBC Sport website between 1430 to 1800. And this season a half-hour service will also be available to international viewers on BBC World at 1730 BST.

Enjoy the season!

I studied journalism at Richmond College in Sheffield and began my career as a newspaper journalist. I joined the BBC in 1990 as a sub-editor with Ceefax Sport. Three years later I moved over to BBC TV Sport on attachment as a trainee assistant producer. I became a producer here in 1998, an assistant editor in 2001 and an editor in 2004.

I have had a varied and enjoyable career at the BBC. I have worked at three World Cups, two European Championships and two Olympic Games (Atlanta and Sydney). I have also produced and directed documentaries, worked on nine Wimbledon tennis championships (both as a journalist and a producer; I also directed the titles sequence in 1999), six world darts championships (including one as editor in 2001) and was director/producer on the World's Strongest Man in Las Vegas in 1997.

But football has always been my main love. I worked on Football Focus and Match Of The Day as a producer from 1994 and first began editing programmes in 1999. I was Assistant Editor of Football Focus from 2001-2004 and since 2001 I have also been responsible for our women's football TV coverage, including Women's Euro 2005 in England and Women's World Cup 2007 in China.

The north London team could go on to lift an unprecedented fourth trophy of the season, if they win against Charlton Athletic, at the City Ground, Nottingham, which is live on BBC ONE from 12.40pm.

It is the first time in the six years that I have been editing the match for the BBC, that the final has taken place outside of London. A record crowd is expected, buoyed by the growth in women's football in this country, England's qualification for the 2007 Women's World Cup and the promise of good weather.

Domestically, Arsenal have been the team to beat in both the FA Women's Premier League and the FA Women's Cup over the past few years. The Gunners were crowned European champions after their 1-0 aggregate win over Swedish league champions Umea. The fact that this was achieved without either the suspended Kelly Smith, or the injured Faye White speaks volumes. Smith will return to the side on Monday, and I understand that White could be on the bench.

This season Vic Akers' side have been untouchable. They have notched over 100 goals in a flawless league campaign, that has seen 20 wins from 20 fixtures, and four cup matches have provided 26 goals so far.

The club forms the backbone to the England side that has qualified for this year's World Cup, to be held in China in September. Seven of the England team are expected to start for Arsenal on Monday. Sadly, for England coach Hope Powell, the team's star striker Julie Fleeting is Scottish. Fleeting hit a hat-trick the last time Arsenal met Charlton in the FA Women's Cup final at Loftus Road in 2004 and also starred last season when The Gunners thrashed Leeds 5-0 at The Den to claim their seventh triumph in the competition.

Charlton have also enjoyed a successful season and lie second in the league table, but such is Arsenal's dominance that the Addicks trail their London rivals by 19 points and were crushed 9-2 when the sides met in the league last month.

Eniola Aluko still remains Charlton's biggest threat, although Natasha Dowie (niece of Coventry City manager and BBC World Cup pundit Iain Dowie) has chipped in with some big goals this season, notably the semi-final winner against Blackburn. Aluko scored the goal that won Charlton the FA Women's Cup in 2005 and was also the match-winner when Charlton beat Arsenal to lift the Women's League Cup last season - the last defeat inflicted on The Gunners in all competitions, over a year ago!

Jake Humphrey presents live coverage of the match, with opinion and analysis from Rachel Brown, Sue Smith and Gavin Peacock. Hope Powell joins Guy Mowbray in the commentary box and will give an interview at half-time.

The fourth qualifying-round scores will also be on the website from 1645.

The competition is now at the stage when the Nationwide Conference teams (nine of which are former Football League clubs) join the best of the rest from the non-league pyramid.

I think the pick of the bunch is AFC Wimbledon's visit to Exeter City. This is the furthest the club has got in the competition since its formation in 2002 when Wimbledon (now known as MK Dons) relocated to Milton Keynes.

As a Southern League side in 1975, The Dons won 1-0 at First Division Burnley and then drew 0-0 at Elland Road against then all-conquering Leeds United. They lost the replay at Selhurst Park due to an own goal from future manager Dave Bassett.

That Cup run went a long way to gaining the club Football League status in 1977 and, of course, 11 short years later they famously won the FA Cup.

Now, the biggest match in the new club's short history will see over one thousand fans travel down to Devon to take on Exeter for a place in the first round proper of the FA Cup. It is one of our featured matches on Score.

Win or draw, they will be in the hat for the first-round draw - hosted by Sir Trevor Brooking - live on BBC ONE, with the possibility of drawing MK Dons! Only football could throw up a story like this!

Elsewhere, six other teams are attempting to get into the first-round proper for the first time: Brackley Town, Clevedon Town, Hucknall Town, Newcastle Benfield, Potters Bar Town and Haverhill Rovers, the lowest-ranked team left in the competition. Haverhill play in the Eastern Counties First Division, five leagues below their opponents Aldershot.

Three teams from below step two of non-league football (Conference, Conference North and Conference South) are guaranteed a place in the first round. Fleetwood Town play Wisbech Town, Maidenhead United play Merthyr Tydfil and AFC Sudbury play Leatherhead.

Leatherhead also had a famous FA Cup run back in 1975, which resulted in them taking a 2-0 lead at First Division Leicester City in the third round before going out, 3-2. It featured on Match Of The Day and made a star of their striker Chris Kelly, who became well-known nationwide as the 'Leatherhead Lip' during that Cup run. I remember it well from my childhood.

Somewhere, one team is waiting to make the headlines this season. It could be AFC Wimbledon, or maybe Leatherhead or someone else. What is for sure, is that there will be a story.

Live coverage of a first round match on BBC ONE beckons on Sunday, 12 November, with the dream of a place in the third round on 6 January 2007 the ultimate aim for all 64 non-league teams in action this weekend.

Ever since the Women's World Cup qualifying draw was made two years ago it looked likely that this match would determine which country would go to China and so it has proved: England require just a point whilst France have to win. It's set to be a tense and exciting night for all involved.

I have been editing the BBC's television coverage of women's football for five years now and this undoubtedly is the strongest national side I have seen in that time.

By contrast, the French have looked rather shaky in qualification. They were beaten at home by Holland early on and only scraped past Austria 2-1 last weekend.

The fact France are still in with chance is by virtue of head-to-head games deciding the group should two teams finish level on points. France are currently three points behind England with a much inferior goal difference. The heartbreaking negative scenario isn't worth pondering. 'So near yet so far' doesn't come close...

England coach Hope Powell feels that her team has as good as won the group already and with a superior goal difference of 16 more than the French it's hard not to feel some sympathy with that view.

But, crucially, the two teams played out a goalless draw at Ewood Park in March. It was the only game in which England have failed to score during the campaign.

And therein lies the catch. Although England have played superbly at times during the past few years - including a record 13-0 thrashing of Hungary in Tapolca last October - they have generally struggled against top class opposition.

France are ranked sixth in the world - six places higher than England - and in Marinette Pichon, they have one of the true greats in the women's game. The hard-worked draw in Blackburn in the spring was a good result for England.

It is 32 years since England beat France. The good news ahead of this weekend, is that a) they don't have to, and b) this is probably their best chance of doing so since 1974. The team definitely now has the talent to do so.

Kelly Smith is now established as one of the best players in the world - her injury was a big factor in the Euros last year - and the forward line of Eniola Aluko, Karen Carney and Rachel Yankey is exciting. Katie Chapman and Fara Williams are experienced midfield players whilst the defence - despite the loss of captain Faye White - has conceded just one goal in seven qualifiers.

Faye is ruled out of Saturday's match through injury but is in Rennes for the BBC providing co-commentary and analysis alongside Guy Mowbray.

Sue Smith, who was a popular studio guest for us in the Women's Euros 2005, is now back in the England squad. She is likely to be on the bench this weekend.

Karen Walker, who played for England in the 1995 World Cup finals in Sweden (the only time England have so far reached the finals) joins Celina Hinchcliffe and Gavin Peacock in the studio at Television Centre.

I saw Karen play as a sole striker in a World Cup finals play-off defeat against France in St Etienne almost four years ago to the day. France were much the better side in that match but what remains in my mind more than anything is the crowd of 26,000 which backed them throughout.

England received similar backing last summer. More than 29,000 were at the City Of Manchester Stadium for England's opening game against Finland whilst a combined TV audience of 8.2m watched the country's three group matches live on BBC Two.

During this current campaign BBC Three has shown England's home games against both France and Hungary and both attracted good audiences.

It promises to be an exciting match on Saturday - both to watch and to work on - because there is so much at stake. A place in the World Cup finals would be a fantastic achievement for England and - there is no doubt - a tremendous boost for women's football in this country.

We’re introducing a new graphics look from a new presentation studio which has meant a lot of work over the summer for me, producer Emma Josling, head of presentation Simon Buglione and new graphics company Delta Tre.

Both Emma and myself were in Berlin for the World Cup producing Football Focus and several of the Match of the Day highlights programmes so it's fair to say it's been a busy summer.

You'll see a few changes when you access the programme via the red button.

Firstly, the studio now fills the whole screen - looking much more like a traditional football show.

As there are six 3pm kick-offs this Saturday there promises to be even more lively debate and discussion.

This Saturday, Ray Stubbs is joined by Garth Crooks, Gary Pallister and Gavin Peacock. As well as discussing the day's football, the boys will also be trying to predict the outcome of the day's matches on the highly competitive Score Seven - our interactive football predictions game with Premiership tickets up for grabs every week.

Carlton Palmer was the top pundit last season - he'll be keeping across developments from his villa in Portugal!

Score has reporters at every game in the Premiership and Championship plus selected games in Coca-Cola League One, League Two and the SPL - this means more than 20 reporters at matches up and down the country every Saturday.

This weekend we’re at Nottingham Forest v Brighton, Port Vale v Chesterfield, Darlington v Swindon and Lincoln v Walsall. We are also at the big match north of the border between Rangers and Hearts.

Results and tables from all the minor leagues will also feature, all the way down to the Nationwide Conference North where this weekend my home-town team Worksop visit Hyde in search of their first goal of the new season!

The panel would love to hear your thoughts and answer your questions - via e-mail or text - ahead of the new season and throughout the campaign. I’m also be keen to hear what you think to the new-look show on the blog.

I do hope you can join us on Saturday. Enjoy the new season.