Man City faces familiar foe in opening Premier League weekend
The full 2024/25 Premier League schedule reveal was on Tuesday. Reigning English top-flight champions Manchester City did not receive any favors from league officials. Pep Guardiola’s side will feature in the marquee matchup of the opening weekend against Chelsea. The Blues host City on Sunday, August 23 in west London.
The fixture also pits Guardiola against his former assistant coach. Enzo Maresca previously worked under the Spaniard during the 2022/23 campaign. The Italian left after one season to manage Leicester City in the summer of 2023. Nevertheless, Maresca was recently hired by Chelsea brass to succeed Mauricio Pochettino.
Before the massive match at Stamford Bridge, Manchester United will help start the 2024/25 Premier League season. The Red Devils are set to host Fulham on Friday, August 16 in the opening match of the campaign. United is coming off of a disappointing 2023/24 campaign and will look to start the upcoming season off with a bang. Club brass recently decided to retain manager Erik ten Hag in a decision that will surely be heavily scrutinized if the team does not get off to a fast start.
Premier League schedule reveal shows Arsenal tests early
Outside of the opening Premier League weekend, Arsenal has been given a fairly difficult first five games of the season. The Gunners host Wolves in the opening match of their campaign. However, they then travel to Aston Villa a week later, followed by a matchup against Brighton. Villa finished fourth in last season’s table, the club’s best finish in nearly 30 years.
Following these trio of fixtures, Arsenal finishes September with road games against Tottenham Hotspur and City. The North London Derby is one of the biggest rivalries in all of European soccer. The latter matchup features the top Premier League clubs in each of the last two seasons.
Outside of Arsenal, Manchester United also hosts Liverpool in another big rivalry game on August 31. The two teams are historically the most successful clubs in the country. The matchup, typically known as the Northwest Derby, is perhaps an even bigger fixture than the North London Derby. Both sides drew against each other at home last season, but the Reds recently demolished United 7-0 in March of 2023.
City has an easier end-of-season schedule compared to the biggest challenger
Looking ahead to the end of the 2024/25 Premier League fixtures, Arsenal also has a more difficult run-in compared to City. The clubs have battled it out for the title in recent seasons and it seems likely for this trend to continue. A trip to Liverpool and a home match against Newcastle are in Arsenal’s final three matchups of the season. They will then finish out their campaign away to newly promoted Southampton.
City, on the other hand, does not play a ‘big six’ club after April 5. Guardiola’s club completes their 2024/25 Premier League campaign with games against Wolves, Southampton, Bournemouth, and Fulham. City has grabbed the last two English titles by chasing down Arsenal late in the season. The Gunners will have to finish strong in the upcoming campaign if they want to finally win their first Premier League championship in two decades.
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