Bournemouth vs. Man U
Venue: Dean Court
Kick off: 1:30pm
Just 89 days after last playing each other in a rearranged final-day fixture, Bournemouth and Manchester United face off once again to kick off their 2016-17 campaigns.
The Red Devils came out on top in that match, staged after a bomb scare in the original match two days beforehand, but that proved to be the final league outing for doomed boss Louis van Gaal.
Bournemouth supporters have known for a long time that they have a real gem in manager Eddie Howe, but it arguably was not until last season that the rest of the footballing world sat up and took notice.
Right now the 38-year-old will merely be focused on avoiding that dreaded second-season syndrome that can so often plague clubs, with the South-Coast outfit never truly in danger of facing the drop in the latter stages of the last campaign.
Complacency surely will not be an issue, though, as Bournemouth did only finish seven points above the drop and know full well that even the slightest fall in performance levels, in what will surely be a more competitive bottom half this time around, could well prove costly.
Howe has moved to bring in Jordon Ibe and Brad Smith during the off-season, both men joining from Liverpool on permanent deals – and the former setting the Cherries back a club-record fee of £15m – while Nathan Ake will provide competition for a full-back spot on loan from Chelsea.
While many felt it was the perfect match in the wake of Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, supporters have been made to wait for the arrival of Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford.
Mourinho has won trophies wherever he has been, from Porto through to his second stint at Chelsea, although the way he departed Stamford Bridge last season, not to mention a frosty relationship with club ambassador Sir Bobby Charlton, ensures that this is a tenure that really could go either way.
Mourinho also arrives at Old Trafford with a reputation as a manager who overlooks younger players, something which he looked to disprove when pointing out the chances given to the likes of Raphael Varane, Arjen Robben and “47 others” throughout his career to date.
Bournemouth possible starting lineup: Boruc, Daniels, Cook, Francis, Smith, Surman, Arter, Gradel, King, Ibe, Wilson.
Manchester United possible starting lineup: De Gea, Valencia, Bailly, Blind, Shaw, Carrick, Fellaini, Mkhitaryan, Rooney, Martial, Ibrahimovic.