Sergio Aguero will be targeting two Premier League records when Manchester City visit West Ham United for their season opener on Saturday 10 August.
And history suggests he has the ability to break them.
Quick out of the blocks
Although the 31-year-old did not score in Man City's opening match of last season, a 2-0 win at Arsenal, he does love a fast start.
The striker scored twice on his very first Premier League appearance, as a substitute, in a Matchweek 1 victory over Swansea City in August 2011.
He followed that up with strikes against Newcastle United in both 2013 and 2014, before getting on the scoresheet against Sunderland and Brighton & Hove Albion in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
It means Aguero is just two goals behind the record jointly held by Alan Shearer, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney for the total goals ever scored in Matchweek 1.
Most Matchweek 1 goals
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Alan Shearer | 8 |
| Frank Lampard | 8 |
| Wayne Rooney | 8 |
| Teddy Sheringham | 7 |
| Didier Drogba | 6 |
| Louis Saha | 6 |
| Sergio Aguero | 6 |
But Aguero might hope for even more than two goals in the opening match of Man City's title defence.
After all, Pep Guardiola's side won 4-0 when they last visited London Stadium in November 2018.
And Aguero claimed the winner when the Citizens last met West Ham in the Premier League, at the Etihad Stadium in February.
Last month's meeting at the Premier League Asia Trophy in China was also encouraging for City as they beat the Hammers 4-1.
Rare feat
If Aguero scores three times he will set a second record, surpassing the 11 hat-tricks by the Premier League's all-time leading goalscorer, Shearer, for the most in the competition's history.
But scoring a hat-trick in Matchweek 1 has proved an elusive achievement across the Premier League.
Only seven players in PL history have done so, and none since Didier Drogba in 2010.
