Arsenal start their Premier League campaign against Sunderland at the Emirates (3pm KO), and looks bankers at 9/20 with BetVictor to make a winning start to life without Robin van Persie.
The Gunners have lost just one of their last 17 league games against the Black Cats and Arsene Wenger has a good record in head-to-heads with their boss Martin O’Neill.
O’Neill has only won one of 16 Premier League meetings between the pair as a manager (W1 D6 L9), with that sole a 2-0 win coming at the Emirates with Aston Villa way back in November 2008.
The departure of van Persie to Man United has certainly given the first goalscorer market a far more open look than last season, and I like the look of new signing Olivier Giroud who has the unenviable task of trying to fill the Dutchman’s boots.
He is a standout 9/2 chance with Betfred to break the deadlock, and there is good reason to believe that is too big.
The Frenchman has the physical presence to cause the Sunderland back-line all sorts of problems, and one of his major strengths is in the air
That could well prove major plus in this clash given that 28% of the goals Sunderland conceded last season were headers.