What will happen when Leicester City face Brentford?
I'm going 2-0, but with less than 24 hours to go until kick-off I'm still not entirely sure to which side.
Either:
Maddison and Vardy give us a comfortable three points with trademark finishes - the latter celebrating with his finger to his mouth in front of the visiting fans who have spent the entire game slagging off his missus; Fofana and Tielemans put on displays which prove to the Filbert Way faithful that they're still committed to the Leicester cause; and Iversen makes a string of stunning saves to cement his position as the club's new hero between the sticks.
Or:
Brentford are out of sight after a turgid first half-an-hour; a steadily-increasing stream of boos every time Fofana touches the ball, from a crowd full up with free Singha; and chants of "Schmeichel, Schmeichel" after a bullet header from a corner, which not even two goalkeepers together would have been able to stop.
I suppose the fun thing about being a Leicester fan is that either of those could prove to be accurate.
Ryan Hubbard
I think we need to prepare ourselves for the inevitable goalkeeping mistake and subsequent set piece goal. There's a legitimate chance we get booed off at half time in the opening game if this goes poorly.
However, let's go for 2-1 after a Maddison-inspired turnaround. Then in the post-game interview he proclaims his undying love for human rights and prompts St James' Park to spontaneously combust in anger.
James Knight
I'm hoping for a repeat of last season where we score early, follow it up with a second and then control the game from there. Possession-based teams like us look so much more effective when leading rather than chasing the game. I can see Vardy and Maddison on the score sheet.
I do sense a lot of frustration and dare I say anger in the fanbase (which, for other clubs looking in, must seem bonkers). Therefore, a good start is essential this season to settle the nerves and to make sure we don't do something daft like replacing Rodgers with a Puel v2.0 from the continent in November.
Iain Wright
I was fascinated to learn the other day that Brentford had conceded three goals from set pieces in a 4-0 friendly defeat. My concept of them last season was partly that they were big and physical and dominant in both boxes but, in fairness, they only managed to score one goal from a corner across two games against us last season.
They’ve spent about £30million on Keane Lewis-Potter and Aaron Hickey, who both seem like intelligent signings, and I wouldn’t have been adverse to us picking up Ben Mee, who they’ve brought in on a free transfer. The headline for most neutrals is still their loss of Christian Eriksen though.
Of course the season hasn’t even started yet and I’ve had to adjust my prediction already due to injury - this is the Leicester life. So it won’t be Harvey Barnes to get the only goal of the game early on. It’ll be 1-1. We’ll take the lead and all will be rosy. They’ll equalise second half and it’ll all feel a little flat.
David Bevan
With a fully-fit squad finally available, I wasn't too downbeat about probably being the only club in the world not to have signed anyone over the summer. But of course, it was all too good to be true. A final pre-season friendly with Sevilla prompted return to normality with three of our players hobbling off against the Spanish side.
We're unbeaten in the last five Premier League opening day fixtures at home, drawing three and winning two. With the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd all to play in the first five matches, this does seem like a big opportunity to pick up three points.
I predict we'll win a close-fought contest 2-1. Brentford will take the lead in the opening 15 mins courtesy of a set piece. We’ll turn it around in the second half with Vardy and Maddison to score.
Dante Clarke
Despite the sad departure of Kasper Schmeichel and another cruel injury for Ricardo, I still feel fairly confident going into the season. On Sunday we'll look to control the game better than we did back in March, where Brentford caused us a lot of problems and were unlucky to lose on the day.
All eyes will be on our 'keeper, whether it's Iversen or Ward, particularly in terms of set pieces and distribution. I'm predicting a clean sheet and a convincing performance from whoever steps in.
There will also be eyes on the three key players linked with moves away. Irrespective of their individual situations, Maddison, Fofana and Tielemans will be as keen as ever to prove their qualities and should put in customary strong performances.
On the day, I think Leicester will sneak it 1-0 after a nervy start, with Daka to come on and score the winner. He’s looked sharp in pre-season and could punish some tired legs in the Brentford defence.
Matt Jedruch
