Euro 2024 has simply begun in Germany and the Copa América is about to start out in america later this week, however it is time to briefly change the main target again to membership motion as a result of the Premier League fixture list for the 2024-25 season has been released.
Will Manchester City win a report fifth successive title (if the fruits of their fight to overturn 115 charges of financial wrongdoing by the Premier League do not scupper these hopes), or can Mikel Arteta lead Arsenal in taking the ultimate step to successful the league after ending as runners-up during the last two seasons?
How will Arne Slot measure up as Liverpool supervisor following the departure of Jürgen Klopp on the finish of final season? Can Erik ten Hag take advantage of his unexpected reprieve at Manchester United by proving he’s the supervisor to revive the membership to the highest of the English sport?
Chelsea are beneath new administration with Enzo Maresca, who arrives from Leicester City after guiding the membership to the Championship title, whereas Ange Postecoglou can be anticipated to construct on a promising first season at Tottenham Hotspur. However with Newcastle United and Aston Villa upsetting the established order by qualifying for the Champions League within the final two seasons, will there be one other shock workforce within the high 4?
These questions and lots of extra can be answered within the months forward, however the rolling out of the match schedule provides the primary main clues. Listed here are the highlights of the 2024-25 Premier League fixture list.
Editor’s be aware: dates are topic to alter as soon as matches have been chosen for dwell home broadcast
Robust begin for Slot
Arne Slot will get his first style of the most important rivalry in English soccer lower than a month into his new job at Liverpool when he takes his workforce to Manchester United on Aug. 31.
Whereas Jürgen Klopp’s 9 years at Anfield had been outlined by his facet’s rivalry with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester Metropolis — Liverpool’s first conflict with Metropolis comes at Anfield on Nov. 30 — it’s the encounter with United that’s traditionally the most important on the Premier League calendar and the sport that each units of supporters regard because the fixture they need to not lose. So as to add some additional spice to the conflict, Slot will come up towards United supervisor Erik ten Hag to resume their Feyenoord–Ajax rivalry and go from going through one another within the Eredivisie‘s greatest sport to the Premier League’s.
Slot’s first sport as Liverpool boss can be a visit to newly promoted Ipswich Town on Aug. 17, adopted by his Anfield debut towards Brentford on Aug. 24 earlier than the journey to Previous Trafford. And if heis capable of mount a title problem in his first season as supervisor, Liverpool should do it the onerous manner by going through Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal throughout their last 5 video games.
Titanic conflict at Stamford Bridge on opening weekend
Enzo Maresca has been billed as a mini-Pep Guardiola as a result of model of play that he launched at Leicester earlier than guiding the Foxes to promotion from the Championship final season (the Italian’s bodily resemblance to the Manchester Metropolis supervisor, and his time spent as a coach on the Etihad, are different components within the comparability.)
However after being employed to switch Mauricio Pochettino as Chelsea head coach final month, Maresca now has an on the spot alternative to measure himself towards Guardiola by going through his previous boss in his first aggressive sport at Chelsea on Aug. 18.
Chelsea vs. Metropolis at Stamford Bridge is a box-office conflict each time it’s staged, and final season it lived as much as the billing with the 2 sides taking part in out a 4-4 draw. So the assembly of the Blues on the opening weekend is a high-profile fixture to launch the brand new season, even when it’s a sport that neither facet would have chosen to kick off their marketing campaign.
1:34
Ogden: Arsenal have a nightmare begin to the Premier League season
Mark Ogden believes Arsenal have been given one of many hardest begins to the brand new Premier League season.
Arsenal handed hardest begin
Sure, each workforce performs 38 video games and every membership performs one another twice, so what distinction does it make once they play?
Attempt saying that to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, after the robust begin to the season that the Gunners have been dealt. Arsenal will face away journeys to 2 Champions League golf equipment — Aston Villa (Aug. 24) and Manchester Metropolis (Sept. 21) — and north London rivals Tottenham (Sept. 14) of their first six video games of the season.
It’s often on the again finish of the season, when nerves start to fray through the run-in, that Arsenal have faltered lately, however their begin to this marketing campaign can be a stern take a look at of the Gunners’ credentials. With Metropolis proving themselves to be ruthlessly constant throughout their 4 straight title-winning seasons, any rival merely has to make a robust begin to give themselves an opportunity of toppling Guardiola’s facet.
So the problem is already set for Arsenal to beat their nightmare begin and use it as a springboard to success.
1:28
Do Manchester United have the simplest begin to the Premier League subsequent season?
Mark Ogden believes Erik ten Hag’s luck might be altering as Man United got beneficial opening fixtures.
Ten Hag and Man United can be joyful
Perhaps Erik ten Hag’s luck as Manchester United supervisor is starting to show. Ten Hag’s facet ended a hitherto dismal season in 2023-24 by beating Manchester Metropolis within the FA Cup last they usually now have arguably the softest begin of the large golf equipment to the brand new season.
United’s Previous Trafford conflict towards Liverpool on Aug. 31 is clearly a troublesome fixture and one which has confirmed to be unpredictable in current seasons. However other than that sport, United’s first six matches ought to give Ten Hag the boldness that his facet could make a robust begin.
United begin at residence to Fulham on Aug. 16 — the Friday night time curtain-raiser for the season — earlier than 10 days later travelling to Brighton & Hove Albion, who’ve not too long ago appointed the Premier League’s youngest-ever supervisor, 31-year-old Fabian Hurzeler. After the Liverpool sport, United face back-to-back away video games at promoted Southampton and Crystal Palace, the place they misplaced 4-0 final season, earlier than a house sport with Tottenham on Sept. 28.
It will get harder for United in December once they face Arsenal, Manchester Metropolis and Newcastle, but when they’ll begin properly and develop some momentum, that month could not look so daunting.
1:23
Why Man Metropolis’s run-in is ‘dangerous information’ for the remainder of the Premier League
Mark Ogden reacts to Manchester Metropolis’s last six fixtures of the Premier League season.
Title run-in favours Man Metropolis
There’s a massive caveat right here as a result of nobody is aware of whether or not Manchester Metropolis can be within the title race by the tip of the season or if they are going to be derailed by a factors deduction upon the result of their battle towards their 115 costs. However from a purely soccer perspective, if Metropolis are heading into the ultimate six video games with the title nonetheless of their sights, the Premier League could as properly simply hand them the trophy as soon as once more.
Whereas Liverpool face video games towards Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea of their run-in and Arsenal should consider video games towards Liverpool and Newcastle, Metropolis’s last sport towards a conventional Large Six facet is once they journey to Man United on April 5. Of their last six video games, Metropolis face Everton (A), Aston Villa (H), Wolverhampton Wanderers (H), Southampton (A) and Bournemouth (H) earlier than ending their season at Fulham.
No Premier League sport is simple, and most are unpredictable, however Metropolis have cruised via run-ins over current years and their last six video games look unlikely to bother Guardiola’s facet.
When are the most important video games?
The large video games begin on the opening weekend — Chelsea vs. Man Metropolis — and proceed throughout the season, however some video games are greater than others and require a giant pink pen to mark them off.
Man United towards Liverpool at Previous Trafford on Aug. 31 is as massive as they arrive, whereas the primary north London derby is on Sept. 14.
Metropolis and Arsenal have been the highest two during the last two seasons, so their encounters are the fixtures that might determine the title – their first assembly is on the Etihad on Sept. 21, with the return sport on the Emirates pencilled in for Feb. 1.
Liverpool’s rivalry with Metropolis has develop into the traditional fixture of the trendy period and the 2 sides meet at Anfield on Nov. 30 earlier than clashing once more on the Etihad on Feb. 22.
And if United can benefit from their promising begin, the Manchester derby might develop into a key fixture once more. United journey to Metropolis on Dec. 14 earlier than internet hosting Pep Guardiola’s facet at Previous Trafford on April 5.
The place will the Premier League trophy be lifted?
OK, there’s a lengthy method to go till the ultimate day of the season, however with a ball but to be kicked we are able to nonetheless dream about a wide range of groups lifting the Premier League trophy.
If Metropolis win it once more, Craven Cottage might host a title social gathering on the banks of the River Thames when Pep Guardiola’s facet go to on the ultimate day. Arsenal’s bid to make it third time fortunate of their try to wrestle the title from Metropolis finishes with a sport at Southampton, whereas Liverpool wrap up their season towards Crystal Palace at Anfield.
As for Manchester United, a title win appears a way off, however Previous Trafford can nonetheless hope to be the venue for a title presentation once more with Aston Villa visiting on the ultimate day. However will it’s United or Unai Emery’s Champions League qualifiers Villa who go into the final sport of the season with title hopes intact?
We’ll begin to discover out when, with this summer season’s tournaments already a distant reminiscence, all of it begins on Aug. 16.
