LONDON: The English Premier League kicks off this weekend, but some of its brightest Australian stars will be missing from the action.

Injury-plagued Tim Cahill and Mark Viduka will sit on the sidelines as Everton and Newcastle United begin their 2008-09 campaigns, while there will be no Harry Kewell for Liverpool following his transfer to Turkish giants Galatasaray.

However, goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer will be eager to please in his Premiership debut for London club Fulham, with West Ham captain Lucas Neill and Blackburn Rovers' Brett Emerton also expected to line up for their teams' opening matches.

The summer break has hardly been relaxing for Cahill and Viduka, who have been battling to overcome injuries suffered last season. Cahill remains positive about his recovery from a broken foot but might not be fit enough to play until next month.

The midfielder broke a metatarsal bone again in March and has since undergone surgery in Australia. He has resumed light training at Finch Farm and was able to join his teammates on their recent tour of the United States, but did not play.

During his recovery, Cahill, who has broken his foot three times in the past year, has tried to remain upbeat.

"Everything is really positive," Cahill told the Liverpool Echo newspaper. "I came back last year and played 28 games and scored 10 goals. I made an impact, and I'll do the same again this year. Whether it means I'll play less games or more, we'll see."

Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan does not expect Viduka to be fit enough to feature in the Magpies' line-up against Premiership and UEFA Champions League winners Manchester United on Sunday. The 32-year-old, who only played 21 matches for Newcastle in his debut season for the club in 2007-08, could be out for for at least three matches.

Meanwhile, Neill has scotched rumours of a possible move to Manchester City or joining Kewell at Galatasaray.

"I'm a West Ham player," Neill said recently after months of speculation about his future. "That's the start and finish of it."

West Ham will face Wigan Athletic on Saturday, while Emerton's Blackburn Rovers play Everton.

Elsewhere, Schwarzer could have a tricky time cementing his place as the No.1 goalkeeper at Fulham after ending his 11-year stint at Middlesbrough.

The Cottagers, who narrowly escaped relegation last season and take on Hull City on Saturday, have signed Swiss Pascal Zuberbuhler to take the club's number of keepers to four.

Schwarzer could soon be joined at Fulham by fellow Socceroos midfielders Vince Grella and Mark Bresciano, who have both been tipped to leave their Italian Serie A clubs and move to England.

The London club has reportedly made an $8 million offer for Grella to leave Torino and is believed to be one of several clubs, including Manchester City, West Ham and Blackburn interested in luring Bresciano away from Palermo.

One notable Australian absentee from the Premiership this year will be the injury-plagued Kewell, who made a controversial move to Galatasaray after his Liverpool contract expired in May.

After hardly featuring for the Reds last season, he suffered a knee strain at training last week and is sidelined.

AAP

THE AUSTRALIANS

ASTON VILLA

Chris Herd (midfield), Shane Lowry (defender)

BOLTON

Aaron Mooy (midfield)

BLACKBURN ROVERS

Brett Emerton (midfield), Rostyn Griffiths (midfield)

EVERTON

Tim Cahill (midfield)

FULHAM

Mark Schwarzer (goalkeeper), Adrian Leijer (defender)

HULL CITY

Richard Garcia (striker)

LIVERPOOL

Dean Bouzanis (goalkeeper)

MIDDLESBROUGH

Brad Jones (goalkeeper), Rhys Williams (defender)

NEWCASTLE UNITED

Mark Viduka (striker)

WEST HAM UNITED

Lucas Neill (defender)