Sometimes a team goes into a new season with such confidence, feeling so infinitely superior to the rest of the division, they're just crying out to be opposed on the opening day.

Southampton v Plymouth (Saturday 13.15 CET)

Southampton know this division is theirs for the taking because they proved it beyond all reasonable doubt over the course of 36 games last season.

Now they just have to go out and set about proving it all over again, but there's a real danger minds have strayed too far ahead. Getting themselves off the mark and tapping their way back into that irresistible form might be difficult - at least initially.

It might have helped their cause had they been up against run-of-the-mill League One opponents this weekend but Plymouth are much less likely to play the role of rabbits caught in headlights. They faced much more intimidating assignments last season.

Instead, the Pilgrims will see this as an opportunity to get a quick answer to the question of whether they're capable of bouncing straight back into the Championship.

On top of which, they also have an old-school gaffer in Peter Reid who will make absolutely sure no quarter is given in terms of the mental battle.

The former Sunderland and Manchester City boss will provide a change in culture from what Argyle fans have been accustomed to in recent years and while it's difficult to say whether he can roll back the years to emulate his early managerial success, his new troops should be trusted to give a good account of themselves here.

That said, we're not entirely convinced there's a huge amount of value to be found in the 4/1 about the away win given the strength in depth that Alan Pardew has assembled at St Mary's, awarding himself the capacity to change games quite dramatically from the substitutes bench.

So we'll settle instead for a small interest on a couple of correct scores that reflect how we think the game could pan out, while putting ourselves in with a much better shout of copping a decent windfall. 

Therefore, take odds of 7.00 at Bet365 about the 1-1 draw, which is a full point bigger than standard on English football's most common result and combine that with Plymouth to win 2-1 at the highly attractive price of 15.00 at Ladbrokes.

Best of the rest:

Twelve months ago, Colchester caused the biggest sensation on the opening day of the Football League season by smashing seven goals past Norwich at Carrow Road but they could be staring at quite a contrast in fortunes when they travel to Exeter this time around.

Of course, that remarkable display in Norfolk wasn't all good news for the U's as they lost manager Paul Lambert to the Canaries barely a fortnight later and, since then, they have paid the price for making another ambitious appointment with successor Aidy Boothroyd tempted away by Coventry in the summer.

So it's understandable they should now plump for a much safer option in John Ward and he has enough pedigree at this level to bring some long-term stability to the club without using them as a stepping stone to something bigger.

However, life could be a little tricky for the new man to begin with because you get many good things from a spell under Boothroyd but a comfortable legacy isn't necessarily one of them.

The Yorkshireman has a talent for working to a tight budget, snapping up limited players for next to nothing and creating a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts by tailoring a system around the individual strengths of certain individuals. However, the leftovers aren't always much use to a new man with different ideas on how the game should be played.

So it might take some time for Ward to bring in the personnel required to suit his style and a number of missed transfer targets will hardly prove helpful to the transitional period.

We've already made the case for Exeter improving on their overall standards last season on the back of a strong finish to the campaign and they look a fair price to triumph at 2.45 at Bwin.

Meanwhile, the mood isn't quite what it should be at Charlton and newly-promoted Bournemouth should be chanced at 5.25 at Bwin for what they will view as an exciting opener at The Valley.

The Addicks lost their midfield driving force when Nicky Bailey joined Middlesbrough in the summer and remain some way short of putting together the kind of squad Phil Parkinson has in mind for another promotion challenge.

New faces are desperately needed to liven up a dressing room that suffered play-off heartache in desperately disappointing circumstances three months ago, so they could be vulnerable between now and the end of August without the leadership qualities of their former captain.

The Cherries started last season in blistering fashion before tailing off slightly, which is understandable for a team brimming with young talent, and they have the ability to adjust quickly at this level, starting in SE19.