Will there be any shocks or surprises in the opening weekend of the Premier League 2017/18?

It all kicks off with a Friday night foray to London for Leicester, who take on Arsenal at 7.45pm on Sky Sports. The biggest news of the Foxes’ summer is that Riyad Mahrez still hasn’t left, though that could well change before the window closes. Leicester have also brought in Man City’s underused Kelechi Iheanacho for £25 million, adding a bit more firepower to a frontline that underperformed their own lofty standards in 2016/17. Iheanacho heads into the curtain raiser at a Super Mega PGM of 15-19, the same as Islam Slimani and Mahrez, but behind Jamie Vardy’s 16-20.



As for the Gunners, they’ve already picked up a bit of silverware, even if it was only the Community Shield, beating Chelsea on penalties last weekend. With new boy Alexandre Lacazette – who has a Super Mega PGM of 62-72 – in toe, Arsenal fans will be hoping this season finally sees the club mount a proper title challenge. At the very least they’ll want a convincing win on Friday, with Spreadex offering an Arsenal/Leicester (h) Goal Supremacy spread of 1.05-1.25 alongside a Total Goals spread of 3-3.2.

Moving on to Saturday lunchtime and Liverpool look to put their transfer troubles to one side as they face Watford at 12.30pm on Sky Sports. Much like Arsenal and Alexis Sanchez, there is a big question mark hanging over Liverpool and arguably their best player, Philippe Coutinho. Barcelona have had 2 bids rejected, and are reportedly preparing a third; rumours abound that the Brazilian has handed in his transfer request; and all the while the club’s owners FSG are insisting he is not for sale. Not the ideal atmosphere, then, ahead of opening weekend.



Luckily Liverpool’s opponents are the toughest bunch. While they ended up comfortably(ish) avoiding relegation, 17th place was still a sharp move in the wrong direction for the Hornets. This time around they’ve brought in former Hull manager Marco Silva, as well as new faces in Will Hughes, Tom Cleverley and Nathaniel Chalobah. That’s unlikely to be enough to best the Reds, however, with Spreadex offering a Liverpool/Watford (h) Goal Supremacy spread of 0.9-1.1 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.75-2.95.

Top flight newbies Brighton then have a baptism of fire on Saturday evening, as they host Manchester City at 5.30pm on BT Sport 1. After heartbreak in 2015/16 the Seagulls finally achieved promotion last season, narrowly missing out on the Championship top spot. Now the real battle begins, as Brighton are second favourites for the drop behind Huddersfield, with a Relegation Index spread of 12-15.



That makes the fact that they are taking on City, early pick for champions at an Outright Index spread of 34-37 and fixed odds of 6/4, even more difficult. Pep Guardiola has spent the summer flashing UAE cash, splurging more than £200 million on Bernardo Silva, Ederson, Kyle Walker, Danilo and Benjamin Mendy. Consequently fans will be expecting far more than last season’s trophy-less disappointment, starting with a south-coast victory on Saturday, with Spreadex offering a Man City/Brighton (h) Goal Supremacy spread of 1.5-1.7 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.9-3.1.

Sunday starts with a trip Tyneside for Tottenham, who look to spoil Newcastle’s Premier League return at 1.30pm on Sky Sports. In a very bold move given the activities of their peers, Spurs haven’t bought a single player this summer. On the other hand they have kept hold of Harry Kane – favourite for the Golden Boot with an Individual Player Season Goals spread of 21.5-23 – and Dele Alli, and, on paper at least, won’t have the settling in period potentially required by their title-chasing rivals.



After a shock double defeat at the start of last season Newcastle quickly acclimatised to the Championship, with their promotion never really in doubt (though it did take their final game against Barnsley for them to nab 1st place). Rafa Benitez will want to pick up in the Premier League where he left off, the Toon closing out 2015/16 unbeaten in their last 6 games despite relegation. That might be tough, however, with Spreadex offering a Tottenham/Newcastle (h) Goal Supremacy spread of 0.75-0.95 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.65-2.85.

Finally Manchester United will aim to overcome their Super Cup disappointment by walloping West Ham, at 4pm on Sky Sports. United were never in the Super Cup final against Real Madrid, Romelu Lukaku’s consolation strike just after the hour mark arguably flattering the Red Devils. Still, it was another goal for Lukaku, who has been pretty consistent during the pre-season, leaving the Belgian with a Super Mega PGM of 61-71.



One of the more intriguing elements of Sunday’s game involves Javier Hernandez. The former United forward joined West Ham from Bayer Leverkusen for £16 million over the summer, and will want to remind his old club just what they are missing out on after selling him in 2015. Chicharito might not be enough to help the Hammers to a win, however, with Spreadex offering a Manchester United/West Ham Goal Supremacy spread of 1.5-1.7 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.8-3.