Arsenal vs Leicester City
Never before has the English top flight opened on a Friday night (British time)
But whether you’re a stickler for tradition (Saturday afternoon at 3pm) or love the thought of a summer clash under the floodlights, it’s irrelevant in many ways.
For what matters is that football games in the most exciting league in the world are returning.
It all kicks off at the Emirates Stadium.
What betting odds on Arsenal winning the top prize for the first time since 2004?
They are rated at Outright 12.00, actually.
While I won’t be placing any money on the Gunners, if manager Arsene Wenger does use the energy-sapping Europa League to blood youngsters and give game time to fringe players, then perhaps their domestic assault will be aided.
Of course, the problems at the club haven’t gone away.
It’s only three months since ‘Wenger Out’ banners were increasing by the week, while star player Alexis Sanchez’s long-term future is far from clear as he enters the final year of his contract.
Yet the arrivals of new signings Alexandre Lacazette and Sead Kolasinac may yet prove astute moves, and certainly, Wenger can be forgiven for expecting more consistency from some of his established stars in the nine months ahead.
2016 champions Leicester finished the last campaign on a high – advancing to the last eight of the Champions League, further than any other Premier League side – rediscovering the equilibrium which was such a key part of Claudio Ranieri’s never-to-be-forgotten fairy-tale reign.
It secured a top-half finish and that is more than achievable again and, who knows, perhaps an outside chance of a Europa League spot.
Keeping 2016 footballer of the year, want-away Riyad Mahrez, at the club will be key, while there’s genuine excitement about the potential of the likes of Demarai Gray and Ben Chilwell.
After a last-gasp league victory over Leicester in February 2016, Arsenal players took selfies in the dressing room, believing they had cleared a major hurdle in the race for the title.
Leicester went on to defy the odds and win the Premier League.
Focus is key.
Friday focus is where it all starts this time.
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
