Sheffield Wednesday v Southampton: Ryan mighty at 15/2

• Manning had 10 assists in 41 starts last season

• Up at 15/2 for another on Southampton debut

• Read Betfair's new 90 Minute Payout offer here

Sheffield Wednesday v Southampton
Friday 4 August, 20:00
Live on Sky Sports Football and Main Event

The new English season gets under way on Friday night - a great relief for fans and punters alike!

For props players, the opening weekend always involves a bit of danger as we can never be 100 per cent sure who is going to play.

That's the case here, certainly with Southampton.

Saints looking strong

Just relegated to the Championship, the Saints currently still have a number of top-class players on their books but many of those are being linked with moves away - think England international James Ward-Prowse and highly-rated youngster Romeo Lavia.

New boss Russell Martin must decide if they are worth including. Much will depend on mindset and the team news suggests Ward-Prowse will start here, although Liverpool target Lavia seems less likely to play.

The likes of Che Adams, Carlos Alcaraz and Kyle Walker-Peters also remain, while a significant returnee is Nathan Tella, who starred in Burnley's promotion-winning side in this division last season while on loan at Turf Moor.

In short, Southampton have the makings of a strong Championship side and that's being recognised by the layers here - they are 6/52.20 for victory at Hillsborough, against a team which looks to have many more flaws.

The euphoria generated at the end of last season by their play-off success has been well and truly punctured by the club's owners ditching manager Darren Moore in favour of Xisco Munoz. It's also fair to say their summer business hasn't been widely welcomed.

New boy Manning can return to old ways

There's plenty to like about the visitors here but, rather than one of their established stars, the props bet I like the most involves new signing Ryan Manning.

He has followed boss Martin to St Mary's, the pair having worked together at Swansea last season when the left-back produced now fewer than 10 assists in his 41 Championship starts - only three players in the division managed more.

The Irish international loves to drive forward down that left-hand side and the full-backs will play a big role in how Martin wants his side to attack this season.

Frankly, I'm surprised to see Manning at 15/28.50 for an assist in this contest.

He's already got one in a Southampton shirt during pre-season and with plenty of attacking talent in their squad - as well as Tella and Adams, Adam Armstrong shone during his last season in the Championship - Manning can produce the goods again.

The other bet I considered putting up was Wednesday utility man Liam Palmer for 2+ fouls.

He landed this in 12 of his final 18 games of last season yet he's odds-against here at 11/82.38.

That's tempting, particularly given he could potentially be going up against Manning in the right-back slot for the hosts.

However, there's disagreement among the local press about whether Palmer will start or not and I don't really want to kick off the season by putting up a player who comes off the bench for a few minutes.

In contrast, Manning looks a near-certain starter, so while we usually put up a Bet Builder in this column, the opening-day circumstances mean preference is to play the single on the assist.

Read Mark O'Haire's in-depth preview of Sheff Wed v Soton!