Opening weekend: 2024/25 season to kick off with Man Utd v Fulham
The 2024/25 Premier League season will kick off with Manchester United facing Fulham at Old Trafford on Friday 16 August.
Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag, who has said that he is in talks to sign a new deal, will hope for a winning start after Man Utd finished eighth last season, their lowest in the Premier League era.
However, they face a Fulham side who stunned Man Utd 2-1 last season, with Alex Iwobi scoring the latest winning Premier League goal by a visiting team to Old Trafford.
Liverpool's Slot starts at IpswichArne Slot’s first Premier League match as Liverpool head coach is a trip to promoted Ipswich Town in Saturday’s early kick-off.
Ipswich, who have earned back-to-back promotions under head coach Kieran McKenna, will be ending a 22-year exile from the Premier League when they host Liverpool.
Interestingly, Ipswich's last Premier League match was also against Liverpool, on 11 May 2002, when they lost 5-0.
Hurzeler begins Brighton tenure at EvertonThe pick of the four Saturday 15:00 kick-offs could be at Everton, where Fabian Hurzeler will take charge of his first Premier League match as head coach of Brighton & Hove Albion at the tender age of 31 years and 180 days, setting a record for the youngest permanent manager or head coach in the competition’s history.
This will also be the final opening weekend at Goodison Park as Everton will move to their new stadium in 2025/26.
Arsenal, Southampton & West Ham at homeAfter two seasons of being pipped to the title, Arsenal will start 2024/25 at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers as they aim to become Premier League champions for the first time since 2003/04.
Arsenal have started a league campaign with a match against Wolves only twice before, losing on both occasions, in 1946/47 and 1963/64.
Southampton’s first match back in the Premier League after promotion will be their furthest trip of the season as they head north to play Newcastle United, while AFC Bournemouth will travel to Nottingham Forest, whose head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has yet to lose on the opening weekend in four matches.
Saturday’s action ends with two Basque managers facing off as West Ham United play host to Aston Villa. The Hammers’ new head coach Julen Lopetegui and Villa manager Unai Emery were born less than 40km apart in the Gipuzkoa region of northern Spain.
Man City start title defence at ChelseaChampions Manchester City will begin the defence of their title at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea in Sunday's late match.
It will be “master v apprentice” as Pep Guardiola comes up against his former Man City assistant Enzo Maresca, who was hired this summer by Chelsea from Leicester City.
Only three times in history have a team who won the Premier League title started the following season with a loss, but Chelsea will be a tough test for Man City, with the Blues having the joint-best record in opening-weekend matches of all 2024/25 teams.
This fixture was also one of the best matches of last season as Chelsea’s Cole Palmer converted a stoppage-time penalty against his former team to seal a 4-4 draw.
Sunday opens with a London derby as Crystal Palace, who were the in-form team under Oliver Glasner at the end of last season, hope to continue their seven-match unbeaten winning streak at a Brentford side who have yet to lose on the opening weekend in the Premier League.
Leicester v Spurs on Monday nightThe opening weekend concludes with promoted Leicester City, the 2015/16 Premier League champions, hosting Tottenham Hotspur on Monday evening.
This is traditionally one of the highest-scoring fixtures in Premier League history, with an amazing 28 goals registered in their last five meetings. Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou won’t know who he will be facing in the dugout at King Power Stadium as Leicester have yet to appoint a successor to Maresca.
2024/25 Matchweek 1 fixturesFriday 16 August 2024
20:00 Man Utd v Fulham
Saturday 17 August 2024
12:30 Ipswich Town v Liverpool
15:00 Arsenal v Wolves
15:00 Everton v Brighton
15:00 Newcastle United v Southampton
15:00 Nottingham Forest v AFC Bournemouth
17:30 West Ham v Aston Villa
Sunday 18 August 2024
14:00 Brentford v Crystal Palace
16:30 Chelsea v Man City
Monday 19 August 2024
20:00 Leicester City v Spurs
As a result of the expansion of UEFA club competitions this season, the domestic calendar has been revised to consist of 33 weekends, four midweek rounds of matches and one Bank Holiday.
The mid-season break has been removed to allow a mid-August start for the Premier League, after this summer’s European Championship. This later start allows players a consecutive three-week break after taking into account expert advice from medical and technical departments, which values a longer period of complete rest in the summer rather than a short break in the winter.
The Premier League has also committed to giving supporters a minimum of six weeks’ notice on UK broadcast selections until December 2024, and five weeks’ from January 2025 until Matchweek 37.
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