Two clubs with very different targets for the season will get their campaigns underway at Goodison Park on Saturday as Everton prepare to play host to Watford.
After falling below standard last season, Everton will be keen to make an impressive start, while newly-promoted Watford have the opportunity to begin with a morale-boosting result on the road.
Everton
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Roberto Martinez was the darling of English football just 12 months ago. After taking on the challenge of leaving Wigan Athletic for Merseyside, the Spaniard had made the perfect start to a new era for the club by leading them to an impressive fifth-place finish with plenty of stylish performances.
Starting last season with the pressure of producing the same at the very least, Martinez watched his side struggle with the test of balancing Europa League commitments and Premier League form, and the end result was a disappointing campaign which saw the Toffees finish 11th.
In truth, 11th was looked upon as a relief after Everton had flirted with the relegation zone for much of the winter, but Martinez and his players will be fully aware that nothing less than a big improvement will be accepted by their loyal supporters.
Challenging the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur for places further up the table could be beyond Everton for at least another year, and the focus may well be on catching teams such as Southampton, Stoke City and Swansea City, who all moved forward while Everton were battling in the bottom half of the table.
The club moved quickly in the transfer market to bring in Tom Cleverley on a free transfer and complete a deal for Gerard Deulofeu, whose fine form in a loan spell was a key factor in Martinez's success in his first season.
Rather than a flurry of late deals, the club will be hoping that players settled in the squad will take another step forward in their development, with Romelu Lukaku starting the season with a point to prove after scoring 10 goals in the league following his club-record move last summer.
The biggest challenge could be keeping John Stones, who appears to be a target for Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United, but all eyes will be on the pitch this Saturday as Everton look to hand their supporters a boost by proving that their troubles are behind them.
Pre-season form: WDLWWLL
Watford
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Despite the success which earned them promotion to the top tier of English football last season, it has been a summer of change for Watford as Quique Flores prepares for his first competitive match in charge of the team.
Eyebrows were raised when the Hornets allowed Slavisa Jokanovic to walk away at the expiration of his one-year contract, but despite some turbulent times at Vicarage Road, Watford fans will be hopeful that the latest managerial appointment is another masterstroke by the Pozzo family, who took control of the club in 2012.
For much of last season, a promotion push seemed out of reach for a club which went through four head coaches in the campaign, but their form was fantastic in the closing stages and they proved that there was enough talent in the squad when it mattered.
Much of their success was down to Troy Deeney, who will be desperate to prove that he can impress in the Premier League after scoring 21 goals in the Championship, but the club's fans will also need to get used to plenty of new faces.
Watford have already made eight permanent signings this summer, with the likes of Etienne Capoue, Valon Behrami, Jose Manuel Jurado and Jose Holebas all trusted to be the men who can steer their new side clear of the relegation zone under Flores, whose most recent spell as a head coach ended after just over a month in charge of Getafe.
The key for Flores will be how quickly his new players can gel as he looks to stamp his style on the club, and although the test is to stay in the Premier League for another season at least, the fans will be eager to see how the squad matches up against one of the league's established sides.
Pre-season form: WDWWWLL
Team News
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Martinez has confirmed that Deulofeu will struggle to be fit for the opener after picking up a hamstring injury in pre-season, and his second debut for the club is more likely to come against Southampton next weekend.
Stones is likely to start, despite the speculation surrounding his future, while Cleverley is in line to make his competitive debut with Muhamed Besic unavailable due to injury.
Watford boss Flores could hand debuts to as many as five players on Saturday, but it is likely to be a familiar attack for the visitors as Deeney prepares to continue his partnership with Matej Vydra.
Capoue and Behrami are expected to be handed the responsibility in the centre of midfield, while Almen Abdi will provide the creativity for the Hornets.
Everton possible starting lineup:
Howard; Baines, Jagielka, Stones, Coleman; Barry, Cleverley, McCarthy, Barkley, Mirallas; Lukaku
Watford possible starting lineup:
Gomes; Holebas, Ekstrand, Angella, Britos; Capoue, Behrami, Abdi, Forestieri; Deeney, Vydra
Head To Head
Watford supporters will not look back on their most recent Premier League meetings with Everton too fondly, with both matches in the 2006-07 campaign ending in defeats.
Andy Johnson was on target in both fixtures as Everton won 2-1 at Goodison Park - a game which took place on the opening day of the season - before winning the second clash 3-0 at Vicarage Road.
Everton head into the game unbeaten against Watford in their last nine matches in all competitions.
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Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:
We say: Everton 2-1 Watford
Everton will certainly start the match as favourites, but Martinez will be wary of the threat posed by Deeney, whose instinct in front of goal makes him a dangerous opponent. It can be tough playing a newly-promoted side on the opening day, but Everton should be strong enough to secure a narrow win.
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