The English Premier League season kicks off this weekend and the opening game takes place on Friday night, with Arsenal taking on Leicester. Fresh from their Community Shield victory, Arsenal should be raring to this year and The Gunners will be hoping to challenge for the league title, something which has eluded them for the past few seasons.
With so many twists and turns ahead of us in this Premier League season, the early games are not hugely important for anyone. However, teams enjoy having good starts and both Arsenal and Leicester have something to prove this year, so will be desperate to start well.
Arsenal Form
Arsenal were ok in pre-season, without really impressing but their Community Shield victory will have given them a confidence boost at just the right time. After two pre-season victories in Australia, Arsenal struggled against better opposition, which included a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea. They fought back with a home win over Benfica, but last weekend we saw them click to gain their revenge on Chelsea and lift the Community Shield.
Last season’s fifth placed finish means no Champions League football for Arsenal this season, something which is a huge disappointment for them. They will be desperate to change that this season, although reaching the top four is now very tough in the Premier League. A good start will help them, and they have been given a good opportunity with a home game on Friday night to kick things off.
Leicester Form
Leicester go into the new campaign on the back of a good result in their final pre-season game, but they would have wanted to show more I am sure. Last Friday they won 2-1 at home against Borussia Monchengladbach to round off their pre-season and give them a lift going into the new campaign. One worry they will have from pre-season is their lack of goals, they scored just six goals from seven pre-season games, with four of those games coming against lower league opposition.
Last season, after their heroic Premier League title winning season the year before, it was always going to be tough for Leicester. Claudio Ranieri left the club after plenty of unrest, and after a poor start with many distraction, they eventually climbed the table to finish the season in 12th. With a good start to the campaign, Leicester will be hopeful of improving on that this season, although after a less than impressive pre-season, the pressure is on them a little.
Team News
Arsenal have not made too many changes to their squad, but one huge change is the signing of Alexandre Lacazette, who they will be relying upon for goals. He will need to settle quickly, but his pre-season form will leave fans full of optimism that he can deliver. Elsewhere, their other new signing Sead Kolasinac impressed during the Community Shield and he is one to keep an eye on in the first few games.
To try and counter their lack of goals during pre-season, Leicester have splashed the cash on Manchester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho. The youngster impressed during his time with City, and with more game time at Leicester he could prove to be a great buy for them. His arrival will add another option and they will also be hoping it kick starts Jamie Vardy back into scoring touch.
Top Betting Tips
The opening games of the Premier League season are usually pretty hard to predict, but this one is a lot easier than most this weekend. After winning the Community Shield last weekend, I am confident that Arsenal can start the new season with a victory on Friday night.
With Leicester struggling for goals at the moment, and new signing Kelechi Iheanacho still settling in with his new club, I think Arsenal can keep a clean sheet in this game too. They can be backed to win to nil at 7/4 with Ladbrokes, Skybet and William Hill, which I think represents very fair value when you look at the scoring record of Leicester in pre-season.
For those looking for even more value, it wouldn’t surprise me if Arsenal won this game comfortably. If you want to back a correct score then an Arsenal 3-0 victory is available at 11/1 with Ladbrokes, offering good value in the hope Arsenal find their scoring boots on Friday night.
The opening fixture of the Premier League season is nearly here, and Arsenal are strong favourites to win the opening game on Friday night.