The full Premier League fixture list has been released, with the first 10 fixtures for the opening weekend being confirmed. Here they are:
Matchday One in the Premier League
Liverpool v Bournemouth
Aston Villa v Newcastle
Brighton v Fulham
Nottingham Forest v Brentford
Sunderland v West Ham United
Tottenham Hotspur v Burnley
Wolves v Manchester City
Chelsea v Crystal Palace
Manchester United v Arsenal
Leeds United v Everton
Defending Premier League champions Liverpool host Bournemouth in the first game of the season. The Reds, who confirmed the signing of Florian Wirtz for £100m, will start their defence of the league title at Anfield on 15th August. The Cherries will visit Anfield without Dean Huijsen following his £50 million move to Real Madrid, and defender Milos Kerkez is set to complete a transfer to Liverpool this summer from Bournemouth.
Premier League runners-up Arsenal start their season with an away match against Manchester United. Mikel Arteta’s side picked up a point against The Red Devils last season on the road. United will be looking to bounce back after a poor season, which ended with the club finishing 15th in the table.
Pep Guardiola’s team begin their season away from home against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Manchester City have begun their summer rebuild, which includes the signing of former Wolves defender, Rayan Ait-Nouri.
The three promoted sides, Leeds United Burnley and Sunderland also learned who they will be playing in their first matches of the campaign.
Leeds United will host Everton in the final opening round of fixtures, with the Championship champions hosting The Toffees at Elland Road on 18th August.
Burnley travel to the Europa League winners Tottenham Hotspur for their first match, with new Spurs boss Thomas Frank at the helm. Although Tottenham picked up their first trophy in over a decade, a 17th place finish in the table was well below the club’s expectations for the domestic expectations. Burnley boss Scott Parker has been heavily linked with a move to Brentford, with The Bees seeing him as a potential replacement for Thomas Frank.
Sunderland are back in the top-flight, following their play-off final win against Sheffield united. The Black Cats will host Graham Potter’s West Ham side, as they play their first Premier League fixture in eight years.
Aston Villa will host Newcastle United at Villa Park in the first fixture on Saturday 16th August. Unai Emery’s side suffered heartbreak on the final day, missing out on Champions League football following their 2-0 loss against Manchester United. Newcastle United took The villains’ spot in the top five, to play in the most prestigious club competition in Europe. Only goal difference separated Aston Villa and Newcastle United last season.
Chelsea, the Conference League winners, will host the FA Cup winners Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge, in both sides’ first match of the season. Chelsea will look to finish the Club World Cup strongly and carry the momentum into the new season. Oliver Glasner’s team will play European football for the first time in their history, after their 2-0 win against Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
Brighton host Fulham at The Amex Stadium next season, with The Seagulls looking to break into a European spot after their eighth-place finish last season. If Manchester City won the FA Cup, Brighton would have been playing Conference League football, just showing the fine margins in football.
Conference League outfit Nottingham Forest will start their season at home, against Brentford. With the departure of Thomas Frank there is still uncertainty hanging over the heads of Brentford fans over who will be their manager next season. Forest will play in a European competition for the first time in 29 years, highlighting how significant their finish in the league was last season.
