For the second time in successive seasons Watford host Brighton on the opening weekend of the season and both teams' ambitions have not changed.
After a 2-0 win for the Hornets at Vicarage Road 12 months ago, Watford went on to enjoy another solid campaign in the top flight. They finished 11th in the Premier League table and reached the FA Cup final and now another season of stability is on the cards.
Brighton, meanwhile, are on the hunt for survival once again. A worrying run of form saw during the winter of last season saw them plunge into a relegation scrap and they only just managed to survive it.
There has been a change of manager since then with Graham Potter handed his first job in the top flight at the expense of Chris Hughton. His work at Ostersunds and then Swansea caught the eye but can the 44-year-old shine on the biggest stage?
WATFORD: Sense of stability can help Hornets finish in top half for first time since promotion
Watford haven't exactly been a picture of stability since they were promoted back to the Premier League in 2015/16. There has been a lot of changes in the dugout with the club handing Quique Sanchez Flores, Walter Mazzarri, Marco Silva and Javi Gracia stints in the dugout since then.
They were tipped for relegation at the start of last season but their impressive performances on the pitch and tactical work from Gracia off it mean that they go into the new campaign with confidence.
It seems as though they are finally content with what they have too. They managed to complete a deadline day swoop for Rennes winger Ismaila Sarr for £30million to add to the £5.5m arrival of Craig Dawson and the free signing of Danny Welbeck.
Crucially they also haven't lost any key players and took a firm stance when Everton came calling for midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure. The influential Roberto Pereyra is also still around and Welbeck's experience will help them in attack.
An impressive pre-season has seen them beat the likes of Real Sociedad and Bayer Leverkusen while they were narrowly beaten by Ajax, last season's Champions League semi-finalists, earlier in the summer.
If there is one area that the Hornets can improve it is their home form. Under Gracia last season they won the same amount of games as they lost at Vicarage Road and that must improve if they are to close the gap on the likes of Wolves and Leicester.
Fans can arrive at the stadium with plenty of confidence tomorrow though. Watford haven't lost their opening league game of the season since 2006-07 (2-1 away at Everton) – they have since won six and drawn six of their opening league games in the last 12 seasons.
Watford's push to finish in the top half of the table for the first time since their promotion could quite easily go either way but they will be confident of getting off the mark with all three points.
BRIGHTON: Three big summer signings expected to help Brighton fight off relegation danger once again
There is no hiding the fact that Brighton are among the favourites to be relegated from this season.
They finished seven points clear of the drop zone in their first season of Premier League football and there was hope that they could push on and become a mainstay.
It is hard to explain what happened at the crucial stage of last season but after three wins from Hughton's final 23 league matches and escaping relegation in their penultimate game a change had to be made.
In came Potter and on his appointment he instantly called for the club to turn their fortunes around and escape the prospect of being dragged into a scrap for survival once again.
Over the course of the summer Potter has spent around £60m, including three signings over £15m. There will be pressure on the shoulders of French striker Neal Maupay, who scored a total of 41 goals in 95 games for Brentford, to deliver the goods as Glenn Murray proved last season there's not as much in the tank as there once was.
Leandro Trossard from Genk also arrived and he could be the kind of creative force that comes up with the goods in games against fellow relegation candidates.
He helped Genk win their first Belgian title in eight years last seaosn, scoring 15 goals in 35 appearances before taking over the captaincy in a decisive stage of the season.
The most expensive signing though came in the form of a club-record £19m deal for Adam Webster from Bristol City. An assured defender, who is comfortable on the ball, Webster is expected to challenge the Shane Duffy-Lewis Dunk partnership at the Amex.
Aaron Mooy also came in on a season-long loan which is a strong signing given his impressive performances in a bad Huddersfield team last season.
Early games against Watford, West Ham and Southampton should act as a chance to see what Brighton fans can expect this season. They will want a fast start to re-build the confidence that was shattered during last season's barren run.
Predicted line-ups
Watford: Foster; Kiko Femenia, Cathcart, Mariappa, Holebas; Doucoure, Capoue; Hughes, Pereyra; Deeney, Deulofeu
Brighton: Ryan; Montoya, Duffy, Dunk, Bernardo; Propper, Stephens; Jahanbakhsh, Gross, March; Trossard
What do the bookies say?
Watford are fancied to repeat last season's trick and take all three points. The hosts are priced at evens to start the campaign with a win. Brighton have not been completely written off though and, at 7/2, they are in with a chance it would seem. Odds on the draw stand at 5/2. Trossard to cap his Premier League debut with a goal and a Brighton victory could be an attractive offer at 10/1.
What has been said?
Watford manager Javi Gracia: 'We started on July 1 and I'm really pleased with all the different moments with games against teams with a high level. 'They were good for us, all tough games. I prefer to play against these teams and it was good for us to have these experiences. We are now ready to compete.'
Brighton defender Shane Duffy: 'They (Watford) haven't changed much so we know what to expect from them, whereas perhaps they don't know too much about us at this stage, so hopefully we can use that to our advantage. The head coach wants to attack and get bodies in the box, he's just trying to get us higher up the pitch and press teams more.'