Manchester City Start Defense Against Chelsea, Slot Era Begins at Ipswich and More On the Opening Weekend of Premier League

With last season’s Premier League title race going all the way down to the wire, the excitement for the new season is at its peak. Despite the rival teams catching up to Manchester City, Pep Guardiola’s side will again be the team to beat as they look to lift their 5th consecutive PL title.

The new season is set to kick off on Friday 16 August 2024 with Manchester United playing at home to Fulham in the opening match of the new season. Defending champions Man City will be involved in a mouth-watering clash when they take on Chelsea and Arne Slot’s first assignment will be away to newly promoted Ipswich Town.

Let us take a look at the opening day fixtures in detail.

Chelsea v Manchester City

Manchester City will start their league defense with a tricky away trip to Chelsea. City have had a somewhat quiet transfer window so far with Brazilian right-back Savinho being the only major coup this summer. However, with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Ederson set to stay this season, City are again the favorites to lift the title.

Julian Alvarez’s sale to Atletico Madrid looks likely and Pep Guardiola will be keen to sign the replacement for the World Cup winner before the transfer window shuts.

Chelsea have been one of the busiest teams this transfer window bringing 7 new players to Stamford Bridge. The Blues will be hopeful that the arrival of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester City will be pivotal in their bid to breach the top 4 and with Italian manager Enzo Maresca at the helm, there is a lot to look forward to for the Chelseas faithful this season.

The opening game between the two English giants will be nothing short of a spectacle and both teams would be eager to start the new campaign with 3 points.

Manchester United v Fulham

Manchester United will be the first in action in the new season when they play at home to Fulham on Friday night. After a below-par 2023-24 season, Man Utd finished the season on a high winning the FA Cup by beating Man City in the final helping Eric Ten Hag to keep his job.

The Red Devils have already signed Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee this summer and Matthijs de Ligt, Manuel Ugarte, Adrien Rabiot, and Jarrad Branthwaite are all expected to join the Red Devils during this transfer window making Manchester United a force to be reckoned with for this season.

Fulham had a decent season in the league last time out finishing 13th. The Londoners have a more settled squad this time around and would be pushing for a European finish. They have done some good business this summer signing Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal and Jorge Cuenca from Villareal. The opening-day trip to Old Trafford will be a major test for Marco Silva’s men and will give an indication of things to come this season.

Ipswich Town v Liverpool

Ipswich gained promotion to the top flight of English football for the first time since the 2001-02 season under the leadership of Kieran McKenna. They have made Omari Hutchinson’s loan move from Chelsea permanent. The Tractor Boys have also signed Liam Delap from Manchester City and goalkeeper Arijanet Muric from Burnley.

McKenna is no stranger to English football having worked with Tottenham and Manchester United at the youth level. His experience will come in handy in their bid to survive the relegation.

Liverpool will be under the new leadership of Arne Slot this season. The former Feyenoord manager will look to provide a fresh start to the Reds and with his new ideas and the right mentality, they are more than capable of mounting a title challenge to Manchester City. The opening-day clash against Ipswich will mark the beginning of post Klopp era at Liverpool as they look to return to the pinnacle of the domestic league.

Arsenal v Wolves

Arsenal pushed Man City to their limits last season and came agonizingly close to lifting their first title since their invincible season. Gunners are one of the most stable sides this season and with the arrival of center-back Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna, things are looking bright for Mikel Arteta’s men ahead of the new season.

Wolves finished the last season in 14th position. They have strengthened their squad with the signings of Rodrigo Gomes and Jorgen Strand Larsen in their bid to improve their goal-scoring ability after struggling last season. Wolves have a daunting task at the Emirates but Gary O’Neil will be hopeful to get a result on the opening day.

Everton v Brighton

Everton have been involved in the battle to avoid relegation in recent years. The Toffees have broken the bank this transfer window and have announced the arrivals of Jake O’Brien, Iliman Ndiaye, and Tim Iroegbunam. Under Sean Dyche, they will be hoping that new signings will stabilize the team and propel them towards the upper reaches of the points table.

Brighton finished in the midtable last season. With no European football this season, the Seagulls would again be tipped to challenge the top six of the points table. They have signed Malick Junior Yalcouyé, Ibrahim Osman, Yankuba Minteh, and Mats Wieffer and are set for yet another exciting season ahead.

The match with Everton is expected to be a closely contested battle with Brighton being slight favorites despite being away from home.

Newcastle v Southampton

Southampton earned their promotion thanks to a playoff win against Leeds United. They spent 10 consecutive seasons in the English top flight from 2012-13 and would be keen to replicate that run again. Saints have done some good business this summer window, making Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Flynn Downes’ loan moves permanent and re-signing Adam Lallana from Brighton.

Of the three newly-promoted sides, Southampton are tipped to be least likely relegated given the quality and depth in their squad.

Newcastle United finished 7th in the league last season and Man Utd’s FA Cup triumph meant that the Magpies will not be participating in Europe this season. They will now have to focus on the league and with the signings of left-back Lewis Hall and center-forward William Osula, Magpies would be eager to finish in the European places this season.

Nottingham Forest v Bournemouth

Nottingham Forest survived the relegation last season finishing 17th in the league. This season their main goal will again be to survive the drop and push for a higher position finish. Forest have signed Elliot Anderson from Newcastle and Nikola Milenkovic from Fiorentina to stabilize and improve their performance on the road.

Bournemouth saw their star striker Dominic Solanke leave for Tottenham recently. However, they already have a replacement ready, signing Enes Ünal from Getafe. After a 12th-place finish last time out, the Cherries will look to establish themselves as a stable Premier League team under Andoni Iraola.

The game between the two sides is expected to be a closely contested contest with Forest’s home advantage giving them the edge on the opening day.

West Ham v Aston Villa

West Ham finished 9th last season resulting in the departure of David Moyes. The Hammers have now appointed Julen Lopetegui as their new head coach. The Spaniard has English managerial experience having been at the helm of the Wolves in the 2022-23 season and the Hammers have backed Lopetegui in the transfer market this season bringing players like Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Füllkrug, and Luis Guilherme to the club. With a couple more acquisitions before the transfer window shuts Hammers could well push for a top-4 finish this season.

Aston Villa achieved a top 4 finish last season and will be playing in the Champions League this season. Villa have brought 8 new players to Villa Park this season including Amadou Onana, Cameron Archer, and Ross Barkley as they look to continue their upward trajectory both domestically and in Europe.

The game between West Ham and Aston Villa is one of the best on the opening weekend and both sides will be looking to start their respective campaigns with 3 points.

Brentford v Crystal Palace

Brentford finished the previous season in 16th place with 39 points. This season the Bees will look to put some distance between themselves and the lower part of the points table and aim for a much more stable season. They signed center forward Igor Thiago from Club Brugge amid the speculations surrounding the future of Ivan Toney.

Crystal Palace appointed Oliver Glasner as their manager in February 2024 when Roy Hodgson stepped down from his position. His arrival drastically improved the Eagles as they won 7 out of his 13 matches in charge of the club leading them to a 10th place finish.

The Eagles will have high hopes coming into the new season and the arrival of Ismaïla Sarr from Marseille is seen as a perfect replacement for Michael Olise, who moved to Bayern Munich. They also signed Chadi Riad which would ramp up their defense this season. The Eagles would look to breach into the European places, and with a full preseason with Glasner under their belt, Palace could be the one to watch out for this season.

Leicester City v Tottenham

Leicester City won the Championship last season and given the experience of the squad, they are tipped by many to survive the drop zone this time around. Most of their players like Jamie Vardy, Harry Winks, Wilfred Ndidi, and Patson Daka have good English top-flight experience and with some good recruits in the summer transfer window, they are more than capable of staying up this season.

Tottenham finished in the 5th position last season which earned them a spot in the the Europa League for this season. Given the struggles of Richarlison in front of goal, Spurs announced the signing of Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth. They also signed the young duo of  Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray and would be looking to breach into the top 4 this season.

Leicester will have their tails up in their return to the top flight and the game against Tottenham on Monday night has all the ingredients to be a Premier League classic.

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