It's only fitting that the 2016-17 English Premier League season kicks off with the defending champions on the pitch. Leicester City is going to open up on the road though, against a team which it was once a huge rival with in a relegation scrap just 18 months ago. Hull City is going to be out for revenge in the debut match for temporary boss Mike Phelan this Saturday.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Hull City +275
Leicester City +113
Draw +228
Over/Under 2 (over -133)
ODDS ANALYSIS
Leicester City is going to be the toughest team in the Premier League to try to figure out this year. There's just no way this team can win the title for a second straight year, but will the team fall back to earth and ultimately face a relegation fight? Or be a mid-table team? Or fight for a spot in the Champions League or Europa League? It's really a tough call.
As it is, Leicester is being lined like a champ, getting the nod as the favorite over what is perceived to be the weakest of the 20 Premier League teams by a +113 margin.
The total of 2 and -133 vig on the over might actually be a bit high considering the lack of scoring options at KCOM this season.
KEY INJURIES
There are already a lot of problems at Hull City this year. Mohamed Diame has transferred to Newcastle, a sure sign of trouble. On top of that, Alex Bruce has an Achilles injury which will cost him the first half of the season, while Allan McGregor and Moses Odubajo are already long-term injuries as well. Michael Dawson was hurt in the preseason and won't start the year while the news is at least better on Shaun Maloney, who should be fit for the start of the year after picking up a groin injury in the summer.
Leicester enters the new season injury-free, but Robert Huth is going to be suspended for this match after his violent conduct charge at the end of last season which will spill over into this year.
LIVE BETTING
The challenge which Hull City faces here is the fact that the squad has no consistency. We'll have to see whether it can bring it together on the field or not, but it just isn't likely this early in the proceeding. Phelan is nothing more than a stopgap at this point after Steve Bruce jilted the club just a few weeks ago, and losing Diame to Newcastle was perhaps the final blow to this team's season.
David Meyler, a man who is expected to be a key cog in the midfield this year, has already admitted that the Tigers are going to be in for an uphill fight just to avoid the drop back to Championship next season.
Meanwhile, the big question with Leicester which has to be answered is whether it will play like a champion or not. It's worth remembering that just 18 months ago, this team was at the bottom of the Premier League and seemed destined for a trip to Championship. Now, the Foxes aren't sneaking up on anyone anymore, and instead of this just being a mere scrap between potential relegation rivals, it is a duel of a champ against a chump, and the good little one always tries to get his shots in where he can.
QUICK PICK
Hull City is in dire straits right now, and it isn't going to get out of its way in the first week of the Premier League season.
Even though we do expect to see Leicester fall back to the middle of the field, it's going to win this match more often than not, even on the road in what should be a relatively hostile environment. Look for Jamie Vardy to once again put together some magic to get the Foxes off to mark early on, albeit by a relatively thin margin.
EPL Odds: Leicester City 1, Hull City 0
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