Summer is here, and with that heralds the approach of a new football season. Whether they’re aiming to win the title, qualify for the UEFA Champions League, or simply avoid relegation, every club in the English top flight will have anticipated the release of the fixtures with bated breath.
The honour of opening the campaign will fall to Arsenal and Crystal Palace on Friday 5 August, when they battle it out at the latter’s Selhurst Park. As is traditional, every team will kick off at the same time on the final day of the season, which will be on Sunday 28 May.
This campaign will be a little different to previous years, however, due to the staging of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar this winter. Domestic top-flight football will take a hiatus during the tournament, so the season will pause on Sunday 13 November and resume on Boxing Day, just 6 days after football’s biggest game – the World Cup final.
It’s shaping up to be a fascinating campaign at every point in the league table. Champions Manchester City will be aiming to defend their title, and to that end they’ve signed Borussia Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland for a reported £51 million. The striker – still just 21 – scored an astonishing 86 goals in just 89 appearances for Dortmund, so the prospect of him joining a team that racked up 93 points last season is frightening to say the least.
As for Liverpool, who were just 1 point behind, they’ve bolstered their firepower with the addition of Darwin Nunez for a club-record fee of £85 million from Benfica, for whom he scored 34 times last season in all competitions. Meanwhile, Chelsea, who finished 3rd, could prove something of a wildcard thanks to their new ownership, as could Manchester United following the arrival Erik ten Hag from Ajax as their new manager.
Here are some key dates for the top sides:
- 13 August: Chelsea v Tottenham
- 20 August: Man Utd v Liverpool
- 3 September: Man Utd v Arsenal
- 10 September: Man City v Tottenham
- 17 September: Chelsea v Liverpool
- 1 October: Arsenal v Tottenham, Man City v Man Utd
- 8 October: Arsenal v Liverpool
- 15 October: Liverpool v Man City
- 18 October: Arsenal v Man City
- 19 October: Man Utd v Tottenham
- 22 October: Chelsea v Man Utd
- 5 November: Chelsea v Arsenal, Tottenham v Liverpool
- 2 January: Chelsea v Man City
- 14 January: Tottenham v Arsenal
- 21 January: Arsenal v Man Utd, Liverpool v Chelsea
- 4 February: Tottenham v Man City
- 25 February: Tottenham v Chelsea
- 4 March: Liverpool v Man Utd
- 1 April: Man City v Liverpool
- 8 April: Liverpool v Arsenal
- 22 April: Man Utd v Chelsea
- 25 April: Tottenham v Man Utd
- 26 April: Man City v Arsenal
- 29 April: Arsenal v Chelsea, Liverpool v Tottenham
- 20 May: Man City v Chelsea
A similarly intriguing battle looks set to form in mid-table; West Ham United and Leicester City have established themselves as regular top-half finishers in recent years, while the likes of Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United, Frank Lampard’s Everton, and Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa will also hope to push on after avoiding the drop last season.
What’s more, 2-time European Cup winners Nottingham Forest will finally return to the top-flight after a 23-year absence. Their first priority will be securing survival along with fellow promoted teams Fulham and Bournemouth, who are likely to be joined in the relegation battle by teams such as Leeds United, Southampton, and Brentford.
In total, there will be 380 games played over the course of the campaign, so there will be plenty of opportunities for you to see your favourite team in action.
For a full list of the fixtures and more information on purchasing tickets, please click here.