The Premier League fixtures for the 2019/20 season will be unveiled on Thursday morning, with the top-flight teams all eager to find out their opening day opponents.
Fans will have their fingers crossed for a headline clash on home turf to give their side the best chance of getting the campaign off to a flying start.
However, there is plenty of speculation surrounding how the matches are arranged by the Premier League with TV scheduling known to influence dates and kick-off times.
SportNations.bet have done some digging into the stats and utilised their own unique supercomputer to predict the most likely line-up of fixtures for the opening weekend.
Using a statistical model which takes into account previous matches, policing requirements and TV broadcasting, Sportnation experts expect champions Manchester City to host West Ham United at the Etihad while Liverpool welcome Leicester to Anfield.
City have not played at home on the opening day in the past three years while West Ham have gone up against a member of the ‘Big Six’ on each of the past five occasions.
Liverpool have also been away from home more often than not since 2014 while the Foxes have faced a team north of the King Power on three of the last four opening weekends.
Meanwhile, Manchester United are set for just their second away day in six years when they travel to Newcastle, who have faced a ‘Big Six’ seven times in the last 10.
SportNation have also gone one step further, analysing TV trends to make a prediction on which matches will be televised – and the results come as no surprise.
United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are all expected to be on the box due to their worldwide support while newly-promoted Sheffield United could be in the firing line.
A SportNation.bet spokesman said: “When it comes to the ‘lottery’ of fixture release day, there is more than meets the eye. We have unearthed some trends which seem to have stood the test of time – which, combined with other logistical factors and past precedent, give eagle-eyed punters a good steer at who is playing who on one of the biggest days in the football calendar.
“As ever, fixtures will be scheduled for television purposes and due to having the biggest global fanbase, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool are all expected to get the opening weekend of the Premier League off to a bang.”
Premier League opening weekend fixture predictions
Bournemouth vs Southampton
Brighton vs Sheffield United
Burnley vs Wolves
Chelsea vs Aston Villa
Liverpool vs Leicester City
Manchester City vs West Ham United
Newcastle United vs Manchester United
Norwich City vs Crystal Palace
Tottenham Hotspur vs Everton
Watford vs Arsenal
Premier League opening weekend TV game predictions
Manchester City v West Ham United – Saturday 12.30pm
Newcastle United v Manchester United – Saturday 5.30pm
Chelsea v Aston Villa – Sunday – 1.30pm
Brighton v Sheffield United – Sunday 4pm
Liverpool v Leicester – Monday – 8pm