Southampton and Watford lock horns at St Mary's Stadium this weekend as both teams begin life under new managers on the south coast.
The Saints have had to contend with further disruption this summer, echoing the last two years in many ways, while the visitors are looking to build on a solid return to this level last time out.
Southampton
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If there is one thing that we have learned about Southampton over the past few years, it is that they should never be written off heading into a new campaign.
The Saints, recovering from the summer exits of five key figures and manager Mauricio Pochettino, bettered their Premier League finish two seasons ago before doing likewise last time out following the loss of Nathaniel Clyne and Morgan Schneiderlin.
Yet again the south coast side have seen their playing squad dented during the off-season, however, having lost powerhouse midfielder Victor Wanyama and leading goalscorers Sadio Mane and Graziano Pelle.
The biggest loss of all, though, could be that of manager Ronald Koeman who, like Pochettino two years beforehand, has opted to leave St Mary's to better himself elsewhere at Everton.
Supporters will feel that Southampton, who finished 16 points above the Toffees last season, are in a far better position to continue knocking on the door of a top-four finish, but new boss Claude Puel does remain an unknown quantity.
A solid CV he may well boast, although the Frenchman's best moment in management came more than 13 years ago now when taking AS Monaco to the Ligue 1 title - a division that he has never played or managed outside of during his near-three decades in the game.
Puel does arrive at Southampton with some European pedigree, however, which could prove vital this campaign as the club look to make it into the Europa League proper this time around following their disappointing playoff exit 12 months ago.
Southampton also face a fairly tricky run in the opening couple of months of the season, taking on Manchester United, Arsenal, West Ham United and Leicester City, but it must still be remembered that just seven years ago this club was floundering in the third tier of English football.
That is not to say the Saints are ready to stand still, as shown by the impressive capture of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Bayern Munich - a man who will look to fill the big void left by Wanyama in the centre of the park, while Nathan Redmond and Jeremy Pied have also been brought on board.
Pre-season form: WWWDW
Watford
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Following a summer of mass changes last time out, in which 21 new faces arrived, Watford proved many wrong by comfortably sealing their survival in the Premier League after promotion from the second tier.
It may be unorthodox, but the club's owners - who actively look to recruit from sister sides Granada and Udinese - have turned the Hornets from a mid-table Championship outfit into a solid top-division team.
Keeping hold of Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo this summer, without doubt the two most important players at Vicarage Road over the past couple of seasons, was always going to be vital for the Londoners, and they have done exactly that despite facing fierce competition.
Champions Leicester City bid in excess of £20m for skipper Deeney and Chinese outfit Jiangsu Suning £38m for Ighalo - plus £350,000 a week in wages - but Watford resisted and tied both down to new deals during the off-season.
On the flipside, the strike duo have become almost too important for Watford, having contributed a combined 38 goals last term - no other player in the side being able to bag more than two.
It is a staggering figure that must be improved under new boss Walter Mazzarri, who this summer became the Hornets' seventh appointment in the owners' four-year reign, taking over from Quique Flores who was perhaps unfairly shoved towards the exit.
Watford may have slipped off the pace in the closing weeks of the campaign, best summed up by their otherwise-impressive defensive stats taking a real battering, although it must be remembered that most of the focus was on the FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace.
That match at Wembley ended in defeat, perhaps signalling the end for former Atletico Madrid boss Flores, and now it is over to Mazzarri to have a go at stabilising Watford in the coming years and establishing them - and indeed himself - in this division.
Watford won only two of their six games during pre-season, but the likes of Isaac Success, Christian Kabasele, Brice Dja Djedje and Jerome Sinclair, the latter a free signing from Liverpool, have all been brought in to add to an already bloated squad in this latest new era for the Hornets.
Pre-season form: DWWDLD
Team News
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Cedric Soares, who played in four of Portugal's games during their run to the Euro 2016 crown this summer - including the final against hosts France - is lacking match fitness following his exertions in the tournament.
Another defender in Ryan Bertrand will also miss the visit of Watford through injury, while Jose Fonte - linked to Manchester United in recent weeks - is in an identical position to compatriot Soares.
Redmond will likely be handed his debut in attack, meanwhile, and there could be a start at full-back for Pied following his summer arrival from Ligue 1 outfit Nice.
In terms of the visitors, Valon Behrami and Craig Cathcart both featured in the Euros so may be eased back into contention, while Dja Djedje missed the friendly with Espanyol due to a knock that could also keep him out of this one.
Success is the other big injury doubt, so Mazzarri may be forced to leave a number of his new signings out of the starting lineup for his side's opening-day trip to the south coast.
Southampton possible starting lineup:
Forster; Martina, Van Dijk, Yoshida, Pied; Hojbjerg, Romeu, Davis; Tadic; Redmond, Long
Watford possible starting lineup:
Gomes; Kabasele, Britos, Prodl; Nyom, Suarez, Capoue, Watson, Zuniga; Deeney, Ighalo
Head To Head
Southampton are unbeaten in their last five games against Watford, with the Hornets failing to score in four of those matches.
Watford managed just one shot on target across 180 minutes of Premier League action against their opponents last season, in fact, although they did claim a point from the early-season affair at Vicarage Road.
The visitors have not won any of their three previous season openers in the Premier League, drawing one and losing two, but they are unbeaten in their last nine league matches on the opening day overall.
We say: Southampton 2-1 Watford
Only champions Leicester gained more points than Southampton's 39 between January and May, but the Saints have had to contend with further disruption this summer. The good news for Southampton supporters is that this is nothing new, and Puel has brought in a couple of smart purchases to ensure that another sixth-place finish is not completely out of the question. Watford will themselves be looking to make a positive start to a new era under Mazzarri, although they will see their impressive opening-day run come to an end this weekend.
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