Arsenal finished as runners-up last term and will be looking to go one better this time around. Midfielder Granit Xhaka and central defender Rob Holding have been added to the squad this summer, but Arsene Wenger's side still require further reinforcements at the top of the pitch and in the heart of the backline before the transfer window closes at the end of the month. Arsenal may regret their failure to win the league in 2015/16 more and more as this season progresses, with the strengthening of rivals Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City - both on the pitch and in the dugout - likely to leave the north Londoners in a battle for the top four rather than the championship.
That is also likely to be the objective for Liverpool this year, with Jurgen Klopp about to begin his first full campaign at the helm at Anfield. The Reds finished eighth last term - although their lowly final position was at least in part down to their run to the final of the Europa League, which saw Klopp heavily rotate his starting line-up in his team's final few top-flight matches - but will be quietly confident of mounting a stronger challenge towards the summit of the standings. Georginio Wijnaldum, Sadio Mane, Loris Karius, Joel Matip, Ragnar Klavan and Alex Manninger have been acquired to bolster the squad, with no key men leaving the club this summer.
Wenger will be without centre-halves Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista for this heavyweight clash, with Calum Chambers the leading contender to partner Laurent Koscielny – who could be rushed back despite a lack of match fitness – at the back. England trio Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck and Carl Jenkinson will also sit this one out through injury, although Santi Cazorla's return after missing a large chunk of 2015/16 is a huge boost for the north Londoners. Cazorla, Xhaka, Francis Coquelin and Mohamed Elneny are all vying for a spot in central midfield, with Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez likely to start in the line of three behind lone striker Olivier Giroud.
Liverpool, meanwhile. will be unable to call upon Mamadou Sakho, Joe Gomez, Daniel Sturridge, Loris Karius, Lucas Leiva and James Milner, with Dejan Lovren and Marko Grujic also likely to miss out. Firmino and Coutinho should start towards the top of the pitch, with Wijnaldum, Matip and Mane in line for their competitive debuts.
This match has the potential to be extremely entertaining, with both teams determined to get their seasons off to a positive start. From a betting perspective, a Liverpool victory could be the way to go this weekend: Arsenal slumped to home defeats on the opening day of the 2013/14 and 2015/16 seasons, and the visitors could take advantage of their untimely defensive problems. A 2-1 win for the Reds could therefore be worth backing, with Roberto Firmino a sensible choice for the first goalscorer of the game.
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