Why Boro need to be cautious of the opening game of the Premier League season

The 2016/2017 Premier League fixtures are released on Wednesday morning, however Boro need to watch out for their opening game.

As Boro fans wait in anticipation for the Premier League fixtures to be released at 9am Wednesday morning, history tells us that we need to be cautious about the opening game.

According to the Premier League, promoted sides have only picked up 13 opening day victories from 71 matches. Further statistics show that only two victories have been secured by promoted teams in the past seven campaigns. The last time a promoted club secured three points on their first of the season was when West Ham United beat Aston Villa in August 2012.

With an opening day win percentage of 18.3%, a challenging start to the campaign may be ahead for us.

Middlesbrough will be taking part in their 15th campaign in the Premier League after gaining promotion on the last game of the Championship season. The last time we opened a season as a promoted team, in 1998/99, a 0-0 draw played out at The Riverside Stadium against Leeds United.

Boro have only gained 2 points from a possible 9 as a promoted team to the Premier League. However, most Boro fans won't take notice of previous results when it comes around to 9am tomorrow morning.

Who would you like to face in the opening game of the season?