7.30am: Leeds endured a tough start to their last season in the Premier League, going three games without a win following draws with Newcastle and Southampton, as well as a defeat at Tottenham. Bielsa will be looking to avoid that sort of run as the Whites attempt to build on their impressive stint under his lead.
The Elland Road faithful will be, however, watching out for potential opening-weekend match-ups against the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool. It’s been 16 years since the northern rivals scrapped it out on a regular basis and fans have missed those encounters.
7.20am: The race for the top four went down to the wire last season as Manchester United, Chelsea and Leicester all had hopes of securing Champions League qualification going into the final day of fixtures. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Frank Lampard and Brendan Rodgers will be eager to avoid that sort of pressure this time around.
Strong starts are imperative across the board and it’ll be interesting to see who the Champions League qualification-hopefuls will be pitted against in the opening round of fixtures. Will they be given tough tasks or ideal starts?
7.10am: Liverpool started their title-winning 2019/20 campaign with eight wins on the spin and Klopp will be keen for them to piece together that sort of form when the new season gets underway. Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Divock Origi were on target in last August’s 4-1 opening night win over Norwich.
Manchester City are the only team to have won back-to-back titles since Manchester United achieved the feat in 2009. But Liverpool are the early favourites ahead of the 2020/21 campaign. Can they deliver on that promise?
7.00am: Who do you want your club to face on the opening day of the 2020/21 Premier League campaign? Fans all over the country will be asking themselves that very question this morning.
Well, we’ve had a go at simulating the opening fixtures of the season for you. Of course, these might be impacted by the aforementioned four teams’ post-European commitment breaks, but there’s some mouth-watering games lined up nonetheless.
Take a look RIGHT HERE to see who your team might just end up facing as the new campaign gets underway in three weeks’ time.
6.55am: The 2020/21 Premier League campaign is scheduled to kick off on Saturday September 12. The opening round of fixtures are expected to be spread across the weekend, with games to kick off at staggered times, just as was the case as last season wrapped up following the enforced break between March and June.
Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Wolves’ European commitments saw their campaigns extended beyond those of their rivals. It’s anticipated those teams will be given a 30-day break off the back of their last fixture and will therefore get their new seasons underway a week later than their rivals.
In that case, hypothetical Manchester City vs Manchester United and Chelsea vs Wolves matches would be built into the schedule later on. We’ve still, though, got plenty of action to look forward to ahead of the big kick off next month!
6.50am: Fans are eagerly-anticipating the release of fixture lists for their respective clubs and we’ll bring them to you as soon the clock strikes 9am (BST). The Premier League welcomes back Leeds, West Brom and Fulham following their respective promotions from the Championship.
Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites started their title-winning campaign against Bristol City and they’ll be savouring the prospect of lining up against top-flight opposition on the opening day. Leeds last played in the Premier League in 2004 and supporters across the country are glad to have them back in the big time.
West Brom spent two seasons in the second tier following their 2018 relegation and they’ll be out to get off to a flying start this time around as they look to avoid an immediate return. For Fulham, it was a solitary season back in the Championship and Scott Parker will be seeking to carry their momentum into the new Premier League campaign.
The Premier League waved goodbye to Norwich, Watford and Bournemouth as the coronavirus-hit 2019/20 season concluded last month. The relegated sides will discover their Championship fixture lists on Friday.
6.45am: Hello and welcome to Express Sport‘s live coverage as the Premier League gets set to release its fixture schedule for the oncoming 2020/21 campaign! Liverpool head into the new season as defending champions for the first time in the Premier League era after blowing away their competition last time out.
Jurgen Klopp’s Reds will be desperate to defend their title and, maybe even, add that extra point which would see them join Manchester City in the Centurions club. Pep Guardiola’s men, meanwhile, will be focussed on getting back on top following disappointment last season.
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Manchester United and Chelsea, of course, completed the top four, with Leicester just pipped to qualification for the Champions League. The Foxes were forced to settle for fifth and, with it, a place in the Europa League.
Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham go into the 2020/21 campaign off the back of sixth-place finish and they’ll be eager to see who’s first up for them. Arsenal might not have had the best time of it in the Premier League last time around, but they secured European football by winning the FA Cup.
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