Everton v Watford

And the Blues first hurdle in a season that we're all unusually optimistic about is newly promoted Watford.

Our record against them at Goodison is pretty faultless as it reads

Played 7; Won 7; Scored 19; Conceded 5.

The last time we played them at Goodison was during the 1999/2000 season when we ran out 4-2 winners with goals from, wait for it, Mark Hughes, Stephen Hughes and a double from Joe-Max Moore!

If you look at the line-up of the team that day you'll get an idea of just how far we have come in the ensuing six years.

Playing for Everton that day were…

Gerrard,
Ball,
Gough,
Dunne,
Xavier,
Pembridge,
Hughes S,
Collins,
Barmby,
Moore,
Hughes M

…and it's unlikely that any of them would be able to force their way into today's starting eleven with the exception, perhaps, of Michael Ball at left back.

But Watford are also a much better side than back then and they were last season's surprise package in the Championship.

Up front they have Marlon King, a genuinely threatening striker, who netted 21 goals in 41 games for the Hornets last season and is one of those strikers that most clubs seem to covert these days, the combination of power and pace.

But he's also a tidy finisher and the Everton defence will have to keep a tight rein on him today.

For the Blues, Tim Howard, Joleon Lescott and Andy Johnson are all expected to make their proper Everton debuts and, in reality, it's a match we should win.

But we are notoriously bad on the first day of the season and the last time we won our opening day fixture was in 2001/02 season when goals from Ferguson and Weir propelled us to a 2-1 win away at Charlton.

The last time we faced a newly promoted side on the opening day of the season was way back in 1997/98 when a dreadful Crystal Palace side, Attilio Lombardo being the exception, came and beat us 1-2, with the shiny headed Italian netting the first.

So, as is always the case with the Blues, we've just got to turn up and see what happens!

I'll go with 3-1 to Everton!