You BetPunting needs a clear head, ignoring early season hysteria
Thoughts that 'this could be our season' abound but a sense of perspective is essential early on
Anything is possible on the opening weekend of the English Premier League season, or at least that's what many fans, managers and players believe.
The big clubs will dream of title triumph, others will target qualification for Europe and the rest will hope for more than mere survival. Reality may bite later on, but for now there will be a widespread feeling that 'this could be our season'.
Betting on soccer requires a more dispassionate approach and punters need to keep their heads while all about are losing theirs. A sense of perspective will be required in the opening weeks to decipher which clues are genuine and which are misleading.
On opening day last season, for instance, Swansea's 5-0 win at QPR turned out to be a clear sign of things to come. QPR ended up bottom of the table, while Swansea finished ninth and won the League Cup.
But the other 5-0 result on the opening day - Fulham's win over Norwich - was a false portent. Norwich did not struggle, as many had predicted, and finished a comfortable 11th, one place and one point ahead of Fulham.
Nor was Manchester United's 1-0 defeat at Everton in the final game of the opening weekend, following wins for Manchester City and Chelsea, a sign of where the title would be heading. United went on to win by 11 points - a margin of victory surpassed only twice in the previous 17 seasons since the Premier League was reduced to 38 games.