LONDON: Manchester United kick-off the new Premier League season at home to Fulham on Friday before Manchester City begin the defence of their title at free-spending Chelsea on Sunday.

New Liverpool manager Arne Slot will be under the spotlight on Saturday with a trip to newly-promoted Ipswich Town for his first competitive game since succeeding Jurgen Klopp.

United’s surprise FA Cup final win over City kept Erik Ten Hag in his job but the Dutchman will know that he needs a fast start to the season to stop the incessant speculation about his future that dogged him last season.

The Dutchman has been backed by United’s new football operations hierarchy, led by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, and was handed a contract extension to 2026.

Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui have arrived to strengthen Ten Hag’s squad for around 150 million ($192 million).

But after finishing eighth last season — United’s worst ever Premier League finish — Ten Hag needs a good start to the new campaign to dispell doubts he is the man to lead the club forward.

Fulham won at Old Trafford for the first time in 20 years in February. Any repeat on Friday will have United fans fearing another season to forget.

Predicting what to expect from City is simple but figuring out the jigsaw puzzle that is their opening opponents Chelsea has left fans and pundits scratching their heads.

Some clues might be on offer at Stamford Bridge on Sunday when manager Enzo Maresca picks his first competitive line-up after yet another summer of mind-boggling spending.

Around 160 million pounds ($205.10 million) has been splashed out on players such as winger Pedro Neto from Wolverhampton Wanderers, midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester City and goalkeeper Filip Jorgenson from Villarreal.

The list of players signed since owners Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly took charge of Chelsea in the middle of 2022 now stands at around 40 with a total spend of some 1.3 billion euros ($1.43 billion).

Directing a huge squad proved beyond Mauricio Pochettino for the majority of last season before an impressive end to the campaign hinted at the identity he had been seeking to forge.

But then Pochettino was replaced by Italian Maresca and Chelsea fans will hope that things fall into place quicker this time.

A visit from City, who are beginning their quest for an unprecedented fifth successive English title, will certainly focus minds at Stamford Bridge.

City have been quiet in the transfer window but their first-team squad, relatively small at 27, is tried and tested and tipped to once again set the benchmark high.

The corresponding fixture last season ended in a 4-4 draw in November. Chelsea’s next game was a 4-1 loss at Newcastle United — results that summed up their unpredictability.

Arsenal are widely expected to be City’s main threat again, having pushed them close in 2022-23 and even closer last season.

Arsenal begin at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday when main summer signing Ricardo Calafiori will likely make his first start in defence.

Slot faces a tricky start to his Premier League career when Liverpool travel to an Ipswich side back in the top-flight after a 22-year absence and buoyant after successive promotions.

Liverpool are yet to make a single signing in the transfer window but have been rampant in pre-season with eye-catching wins over Arsenal, United and Sevilla.

Victory at Portman Road would bring some relief to Liverpool fans still coming to terms with the end of Klopp’s iconic reign.

The Reds could then build some momentum with a comfortable run of fixtures to come before the October international break.

But Ipswich defender Axel Tuanzebe is confident of maintaining Ipswich’s proud home record over the past two seasons.

“We’re going to empty the tank and give everything we’ve got,” Tuanzebe told the BBC. “They’re just humans. It is just 11 v 11 on the pitch. Not many teams win at Portman Road and we intend to keep it that way.”

Brighton & Hove Albion’s Fabian Huerzeler starts his stint against Everton while all eyes will be on West Ham United’s new manager Julen Lopetegui as his side host an Aston Villa side who finished fourth last season.

Tottenham Hotspur, who finished fifth last season, begin their second season under Ange Postecoglou away at promoted Leicester City on Monday.

Fixtures (all times GMT):

Friday: Manchester United v Fulham (1900).

Saturday: Ipswich Town v Liverpool (1130), Arsenal v Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton v Brighton & Hove Albion, Newcastle United v Southampton, Nottingham Forest v Bournemouth (all 1400), West Ham United v Aston Villa (1630).

Sunday: Brentford v Crystal Palace (1300), Chelsea v Manchester City (1530).

Monday: Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur (1900).

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2024