The Premier League released its fixture for the 2025-26 season, as defending champions Liverpool will begin their campaign against Bournemouth on Friday, August 15. Six matches will take place on the following day, that is August 16. Sunday, August 17, will see Chelsea host Crystal Palace and Manchester United host Arsenal, which will be the main attraction from the opening weekend. On Monday, August 18, newly promoted Leeds United will take on Everton.
Manchester City, which won back-to-back four league titles from 2021-24, will be hoping to bounce back in the 2025-26 season after a poor outing last season. The Pep Guardiola side struggled heavily, with question marks about whether the team could qualify for Europe. However, they scripted a comeback after spending heavily in the winter transfer market.
Even in the summer transfer window, City weren’t shy on spending, as the club had already signed Tijjani Reijnders (AC Milan, £46.3m), Rayan Ait Nouri (Wolves, £36.3m), Marcus Bettinelli (Chelsea, undisclosed) and Rayan Cherki (Lyon, £34m). With that, City will be hoping to once again challenge for the title.
How do other big clubs look?
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have a lot of work to do. Both clubs finished 16th and 17th, respectively, in the Premier League last season, which was just one step away from the relegation zone. It will be a challenge for them this time around as well. Ruben Amorim's side has strengthened their forward line with the signing of Matheus Cunha (Wolves, £62.5m), but they have also released Christian Eriksen, Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof.
Tottenham will begin their campaign against Burnley. They have signed Kevin Danso (RC Lens, £20.9m), Luka Vuskovic (Hajduk Split), and Mathys Tel (Bayern Munich, £29.8m) so far. Their arch-rivals, Arsenal, have finished second for three seasons on the trot. The Mikel Arteta side needs to challenge for the title this season or win any of the trophies this season, else the fans may very likely question his spot at the helm.
Their London rivals, Chelsea, on the other hand, have shown glimpses of class last season, but haven’t been consistent. Their head coach, Enzo Maresca, said last season that they are not close to challenging for the title, and eventually, Chelsea suffered. It needs to be seen if the Blues can get the job done this time around, especially after bolstering their attack by signing Liam Delap (Ipswich, £30m).
Opening week schedule
Friday August 15
Liverpool vs Bournemouth
Saturday August 16
Aston Villa vs Newcastle
Brighton vs Fulham
Nottingham Forest vs Brentford
Sunderland vs West Ham
Tottenham vs Burnley
Wolves vs Manchester City
Sunday August 17
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace
Manchester United vs Arsenal
Monday August 18
Leeds vs Everton