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Time has flown by since the 2021/2022 season and thanks to the Winter World Cup the Premier League kicks off earlier than ever before. Like last season, the first fixture is live on TV and will be played on Friday night.
Will Manchester City become champions for the third year in a row? Can Liverpool keep pace? How will new Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag fare in his first season? Will Eddie Howe’s Newcastle reach new heights, and how will newly promoted sides Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest go about trying to stay in the top flight?
Below is my preview for week 1 of the new season (all Saturday 3pm kick-offs unless stated)
Crystal Palace v Arsenal (Friday 5th August, 20:00 BST, live on Sky Sports)
Unlike last season’s opener when Arsenal were away to newly promoted Brentford under the Friday Night Lights, the challenge facing them now is a fellow established PL rival.
Selhurst Park will be rocking like it always does for an evening match but the home side will be weaker than last term. Conor Gallagher set the tone for Patrick Viera’s team with his endless running and quality within the final third but the Chelsea man has not been replaced during the current transfer window, therefore it’s most likely Will Hughes will benefit by starting.
The away side have brought in two Manchester City players in Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko so the Gunners might have high hopes that their winning mentality will rub off on their new teammates. This fixture in April was one of the core reasons why Arsenal did not qualify for the Champions League, losing 3-0 meant they could not move into the top four, so revenge will be sought and most likely achieved.
Player to Watch – Martin Odegaard
Fulham v Liverpool (Saturday 6th August, 12:30, live on BT Sport)
Saturday lunchtime brings the Championship champions at home facing one of the world’s top sides in Liverpool.
Sadio Mane has gone but it’s expected that Liverpool will carry on like they normally do! Time will tell if the moving on of the Senegal international was the right move, so often his non-stop running battered opposition defenders into submission while Mo Salah would then find himself one on one to punish sides. Luis Diaz slotted in so well last season and will find he has a clear run at the left wing slot, with Darwin Núñez or Diogo Jota vying for the central role.
Fulham’s defence and midfield still seems like an exceptional Championship unit but major doubts linger about their top flight quality. Summer signings Bernd Leno and Manor Solomon are steps in the right direction recruitment wise and while Aleksandar Mitrović has always hit the heights at EFL level with a record-breaking 43 goals in a season, it remains to be seen whether the Serbian can reach Premier League levels.
Saturday will be a tough task for Marco Silva’s trying to better the likes of Virgil Van Dijk and the quality Klopp’s Red will have. A draw would feel like a win for the home home side but the most likely result is a Liverpool win with at least two goal margin.
Player to Watch – Harry Wilson
Bournemouth v Aston Villa
The Championship runner’s up possess the most desirable match-up during the opening weekend of all the newly promoted sides but Aston Villa are a team trying to reach the next level and aiming for a European slot, with Steven Gerrard overseeing his first pre-season and the away fans will probably arrive in a confident state of mind.
Bournemouth have won the last three matches in the Premier League against Villa but resemble last season’s team while the visitors have regenerated with some astute signings. Boubacar Kamara arrives in this country with a glowing reputation and may find this challenge a lot easier than he will do as the season goes on.
This match has the potential to be the highest scoring game of the weekend and can Villa be party poopers once again? Bournemouth’s first-ever top flight match for the 2015-16 season was at home to Villa, then managed by Tim Sherwood. Rudy Gestede’s header spoilt the Cherries’ big day.
Player to Watch – Kieffer Moore
Leeds United v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Jesse Marsch narrowly kept Leeds up last season but it felt more like they benefited from the fact Burnley were so bad rather than the Elland Road outfit playing their way out of trouble.
New arrivals will bolster a paper thin squad and many are tipping Rasmus Kristensen to be a player to shine, so expectations will be lofty within the stadium once kick off commences but the away side are notorious party poopers and despite not being very active recruitment wise, Wolves possess attacking talent many sides would take in a instant.
If the visitors can maintain their dogged defending from last season they will quieten the home side and surely will pick them off on the break. This could be a goalless draw but even it does end without any goals, surely this game will be last on MOTD?
Player to Watch – Pedro Neto
Newcastle United v Nottingham Forest
Signings have remained subdued and sensible at St James’ Park while the Play-Off winning visitors have totally reinvented themselves.
It’s hard to see how Forest will gel quickly as a team and individuals like Brennan Johnson, Neco Williams and Dean Henderson will be key to earning a draw or win. Jesse Lingard has the aura of a player who will be viewed as a failed signing by the end of the season but he will be looked upon by Forest fans to be their match winner and even if he’s never been bestowed this type of responsibility before, special kinds of player thrive at weaker teams.
Joelinton has become a beast in midfield since Eddie Howe took over and the away team have not faced a man like him before. The last time these two played in the Premier League at St James’ Park was September 1998 and a 2-0 win for the home side seems likely again.
Player to Watch – Joelinton
Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton
The new White Hart Lane could be about to be the home for a team it deserves, Antonio Conte has been backed in the transfer market and hopes are high they could better last season’s league finish. Harry Kane is usually a slow starter to the season which will suit England fans, who want his top form occurring in November and December. The threat to a title challenge will be the twice weekly games they face before the World Cup break, undoubtedly though their strongest line up when fit is a match for anyone.
Southampton will hope they can keep a clean sheet for the majority of the game because if they concede early it could be a rout. Joe Aribo played well for Rangers last season during their Europa League run but it is worrying that so far he’s the standout signing. Like a few other teams in the division, The Saints seem well short of quality, visibly depleted from last term and potentially sleep walking into a relegation fight.
Ralph Hussenhuti will not make it to September if they lose the first three games of the season.
Player to Watch – Ivan Perisic
Everton v Chelsea (Saturday 6th August, 17:30, live on Sky Sports)
Saturday finishes with Frank Lampard facing his much changed former employers, who have endured a painful pre season and will look to take their anger out on the Stamford Bridge legend.
Everton ominously look weaker than last season, surely relying on the feisty home support to drag them through matches. Dwight McNeil could become the modern day Neil Redfern, only playing for teams teasing around the drop. Unfortunately without Richarlison and the injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin, the Toffees forwards seem very Poundland esq.
Like many games this weekend the opening goal will set the tone and decide the result, where Chelsea rightly so are the hot favourites. Raheem Sterling is a inspired signing and will look to play a role similar to Eden Hazard during his spell with Chelsea. Without the lumbering Romelu Lukaku, Thomas Tuchel’s front three will be interchangeable and bright.
Player to Watch – Raheem Sterling
Leicester City v Brentford (Sunday 7th August, 14:00)
Eyes will be on Brentford because the key question will be whether the Bees suffer from ‘second season syndrome’? Summer signings have been impressive, most notable being Aaron Hickey, but Leicester on the other hand have brought in no one and seem more likely to lose more key men before August finishes.
Kasper Schmeichal leaving is a massive blow, not only was he one of the best goalkeepers in the league but he set the culture around the King Power. Jamie Vardy now is the last man standing from the title winning season, keeping him fit is becoming harder as the seasons go by.
The result of this game may well follow last season’s match ups (Leicester winning both) but how the two squads develop over the coming months may change fans expectations for years to come.
Player to Watch – Vitaly Janelt
Manchester United v Brighton & Hove Albion (Sunday 7th August, 14:00, live on Sky Sports)
Erik Ten Hag’s reign begins at home which by kick-off may be a happy venue, the concerns will start if the crowd becomes frustrated by the ever plucky Seagulls, seeing as Brighton’s lineup will be different than normal but the key with a Graham Potter side is they will be well-drilled and will attempt to execute the game plan.
All the flashy new toys will be on show at Old Trafford but two existing players in Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford will look for the Ten Hag effect to rejuvenate their form, especially when England World Cup spots are in their sights.
A Home win seems the most likely result and if it occurs ultimately that will only mask the huge task in hand for Manchester United.
Player to Watch – Jadon Sancho
West Ham United v Manchester City (Sunday 7th August, 16:30, live on Sky Sports)
Declan Rice’s probable last season as a Hammer could not start any harder, because City have lost squad players but have brought in top level talents like Kalvin Phillips and Erling Harland.
Like so many games this weekend the home support will bridge the quality gap but the difference in these two is gigantic. Jarrod Bowen will look to fester a partnership with new signing Gianluca Scamacca but it’s in defence where the Hammers seem lacking. David Moyes will be looking for more investment in the squad before the month ends and a comprehensive defeat will help his case with the board.
The final game of the weekend should bring Harland’s first goal in the PL, proving all those Community Shield doubters wrong.
Player to Watch – Gianluca Scamacca
it’s very likely the league table by the end of the weekend will have a familiar look to it, the shock results most likely to happen once teams are continually playing twice a week from September onwards. Have a fun weekend, the best league in the world is back!