Former England defender Glen Johnson believes Tottenham's opening day clash against Manchester City is the 'perfect chance' for the club to launch their revival after last season's disappointment.
Spurs, who are currently without a permanent manager since sacking Jose Mourinho in April, are closing in on a deal to hire Paulo Fonseca after Fabio Paratici was named the managing director of football last week.
They were handed the toughest possible start to the new campaign on Wednesday morning, however, and will take on Pep Guardiola's champions on the opening weekend.
But Johnson, who won 54 caps for England during his career, believes the fixture is the ideal opportunity for Spurs to lay down a marker for the season ahead.
'I think there will be other teams slightly happier than those two,' Johnson said on Sky Sports News.
'But it's a perfect chance for Tottenham.
'They are certainly going to want to improve on last season's league position.
'There's no better place to start than playing the champions.'
Johnson, who made 200 appearances for Liverpool during his career as a defender, also insisted that Jurgen Klopp will be delighted with the first few games handed to his side.
Liverpool take on newly-promoted Norwich on the opening weekend before a pair of home games against Burnley and Chelsea, an away trip to Leeds and an Anfield clash with Crystal Palace.
Discussing Liverpool's first few matches, Johnson added: 'I think Klopp will be very happy with those first five or six games.
'If they come flying out the blocks then they could be in a really strong position come game four or five.'
Asked about Liverpool's defensive situation, given the number of high-profile injuries they suffered last season, Johnson added: 'Hopefully (Virgil) Van Dijk will be ready to start the season.
'Obviously (Ibrahima) Konate is a young guy but if he does well in pre-season and impresses enough then he can get that second slot.
'Hopefully Joe Gomez will be back as well so there will be some familiar faces back there and they can be more solid in defence.
'We saw last season they had to change it far too many times to try and challenge for the title.'
Source: m.allfootballapp.com