It’s been a long time coming for Leicester. When Nigel Pearson leads his team out next Saturday  at home against Everton, it will end a 10-year absence from the Premier League.

Fans will hope that this will be the start of an extended run in the English top division and that they won’t have to worry about when the next time they will get the opportunity to rub shoulders with the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea will be.

The Foxes would have been used to winning games at a canter in the Championship, where they were expected to win most weeks, and will now have to be prepared for waiting a few games before picking up a point.

It is a harsh reality of life back in the Premier League but fans will enjoy every moment of it.

The beauty of winning the Championship is that it gives the players that extra bit of confidence. They were head and shoulders the best team in the division last season and will feel that they have a terrific chance of avoiding relegation this season.

Pearson is an experienced manager and will have sat down with his coaching staff, in front of the fixture list, and marked out the games they are likely to lose and the fixtures they cannot afford to lose.

Beating the teams that came up with them home and away will be high on their to-do list, as well as not being heavily beaten by the teams in the top half. Should it come down to goal difference, the number in the “goals conceded” column will prove to be vital.

With that in mind, they have been handed a nightmare opening set of fixtures.

The aforementioned home game against Roberto Martinez’s Everton is followed up by a trip to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea before welcoming Arsene Wenger and his confident Arsenal side.

They are given a quick rest when they take on Stoke away before they host Manchester United on Filbert Way.

Pearson will see very quickly if his team are cut out for the big time but in some respects, playing the big teams early could be a blessing in disguise.

The Foxes will be excited about playing in the top division again. Fans will be fully behind the side and the team may fancy their chances of springing an upset early on.

On the other side, they may find themselves sitting bottom of the table come the start of October and with a side full of players who have played the majority of their career outside of the Premier League, it may be too daunting of a task to close the gap.