It’s back. The self-styled ‘most exciting league in the world’ returns this weekend, overloaded with hype and replete with enough flamboyance to satisfy a troupe of drag queens.

The 2016-17 Premier League season means new managers, a fresh influx of foreign players, tattooed referees and garish away kits. Welcome to England’s top flight.

For Arsenal the new season kicks off on Sunday (4pm) with a massive home game against Liverpool.

According to the match stats team at bettingexpert.com, three of the pair’s last four contests (and six of their last 12) have finished all square, which explains the appeal of odds of more than 5/2 (33/13) available at online bookie Matchbook for the duel to end on level terms.

As the home side, the Gunners are quoted at 7/5 (Marathonbet) to secure a maximum haul, but they must beware Liverpool’s front men, particularly the fit-again Danny Ings and new boy Sadio Mané.

Arsenal started their last league campaign with a 2-0 home defeat to West Ham and, while a similar scoreline cannot be completely discounted, the Gunners look rather too frothy (at 11/1, bet365) to register a 2-0 victory this time.

Betway’s 13/2 odds, posted against a 1-1 outcome, have proved popular, although more positive backers have been inclined to take bet365’s chunky 8/1 against the Gunners registering a 1-0 victory.

Odds supplied by www.smartbets.com, the customisable odds comparison site

TOP TIPS

Arsenal to lead at 45 and at 90 minutes: 29/10, Coral

Arsenal to win 2-1: 9/1, bet365

Both teams to score: 7/9, Unibet