Norwich City and Millwall will kick off their English Championship campaigns on Saturday afternoon, when they do battle at Carrow Road.
The hosts finished up in mid-table last season, while the visitors narrowly missed out on a play-off place.
An underwhelming campaign prompted the Norwich hierarchy to part company with manager Johannes Hoff Thorup towards the tail end of last season.
Liam Manning has been chosen to usher in a new era at Carrow Road, and he will be keen to hit the ground running when Millwall come to town this weekend.
The Lions showed marked improvement under Alex Neil’s management last season, with the former Norwich boss taking the reins at the end of 2024.
As such, there is a real sense of optimism at the Den ahead of Neil’s first full season in charge, with a top-six finish certainly not beyond the realms of possibility.
How the bookies view it: Canaries to get off to a flier
The pre-match odds point towards Norwich making a winning start to the season, with a home success priced up at 20/21 on Boylesports.
Millwall are as big as 13/5 on Boylesports to come away from Carrow Road with all three points, while a share of the spoils can be backed at 9/4 with the same bookmaker.
Head to head: Home comforts could be key
Home wins have been a recurring theme in this fixture in recent seasons, with the hosts triumphing in each of the last four meetings between the pair.
Players to watch: Sargent to strike?
Boasting an impressive return of 44 goals across his 98 appearances for Norwich City in the English Championship, Josh Sargent stands out for an anytime strike on Saturday at 15/8 on Boylesports.
Millwall broke their transfer record in the summer to secure the signing of Josh Coburn from Middlesbrough. The 22-year-old forward – who hit five goals across 21 appearances whilst on loan at the Lions last season – is an eye-catching 17/20 on Ladbrokes to register a minimum of one shot on target during this contest.
Predicted line-ups
Norwich will be unable to call upon the services of the injured trio of Elliot Myles, Gabriel Forsyth, and Kenny McLean for their opening game of the season.
Millwall will be without long-term absentees Dan McNamara and Lukas Jensen on Saturday, while defender Joe Bryan is a major doubt.
Norwich: Kovacevic; Medic, Duffy, Darling, Stacey; Wright, Nunez, Forson; Crnac, Sargent, Schlupp
Millwall: Crocombe; Crama, Tanganga, Cooper, Leonard; Neghli, Cundle, De Norre, Azeez; Ivanovic, Coburn
Anything else catch the eye?
Backing both teams to score at Carrow Road looks well worthy of support at 5/6 on Boylesports.
There have been goals at both ends in three of the last four encounters between the pair, including each of the two last term.
It’s also worth noting that Over 2.5 Goals has landed in four of the last five meetings between the duo – a repeat this weekend looks overpriced at 21/20 on Boylesports.
GambleAware