Liverpool vs Bournemouth - Friday 15 August
What better way to spend a Friday evening than watching Liverpool take on Bournemouth in the opening game of the 2025-26 Premier League season?
The defending champions will be confident of picking up a win against the Cherries but will have to be wary of a side that performed above expectations last season, finishing ninth.
Bournemouth have made a couple of astute signings so far, picking up Junior Kroupi from FC Lorient and Adrien Truffert from Rennes, but will need to beef up their squad a little more if they are going to compete regularly against opponents like Liverpool and push for a European qualification place this season.
Manchester United vs Arsenal - Sunday 17 August
In easily the biggest game of the opening weekend in terms of stature, Arsenal take on Manchester United at Old Trafford on the Sunday.
The Gunners have been bridesmaids for the past three Premier League campaigns in a row and will be desperate to go one better this time around and picking up points on the road against top teams will go a long way to helping them do so.
United, on the other hand, will be just as desperate for a strong start to the season after a 2024-25 campaign in which they flirted with relegation to the Championship and only managed a paltry 15th-place finish.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Burnley - Saturday 16 August
South African striker Lyle Foster returns to the Premier League with Burnley after the club managed to finish second in the Championship last season.
While this fixture might seem like a bit of a mismatch on paper, it could easily prove to be a banana skin for Spurs and a chance for Burnley to pick up early points in the campaign.
Tottenham were woeful in the 2024-25 season, eventually resulting in manager Ange Postecoglou losing his job.
He was replaced by Thomas Frank, who left Brentford to join Spurs and this will be his first Premier League game in charge in north London, so there could be some nerves or a period of settling into the new tactics.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester City
Manchester City had a poor campaign by their own lofty standards in 2024-25, with manager Pep Guardiola admitting it had been one of the most difficult seasons of his career.
They eventually recovered to a respectable third-place finish behind Arsenal and Liverpool, but in a season they were expected to completely dominate the Premier League, it can only be considered a failure, especially with how much money they had invested in their squad.
Wolves also struggled last season and were almost relegated, finishing down in 16th place, ahead of only Tottenham and the relegated teams Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton.
They have not made much movement in the transfer window either, so far, and have seen five players leave the club with no reinforcements arriving yet.
Both clubs will be looking for a fast start to the campaign, but unless Wolves can pull a rabbit out of their hat, they are going to have a really tough time against the title hopefuls City.
Liverpool vs Arsenal - Saturday 30 August
The key fixture going into the first international break of the season will be when Arsenal travel to Anfield to take on defending champions Liverpool.
The two sides duked it out for the Premier League title last season with Liverpool coming out on top and both sides will see this game as a key component to any Premier League trophy challenge this time around as well, especially considering Manchester City are likely to be far better this season than they were last.
As this game takes place in the third game week of the season, both clubs will already have a couple of games under their belt and will have settled into the rhythm of the campaign so we are likely to get a tightly contested affair against two of the best teams in the competition. Definitely pencil this one into the diary.
Manchester City made a composed start to their FIFA Club World Cup campaign on Wednesday, easing past Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca with a 2–0 victory at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field.
Manchester United's pursuit of Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres has taken a positive turn following a major shift in Arsenal's transfer strategy.
Barcelona's interest in Marcus Rashford has added intrigue to the forward's uncertain future, as Manchester United seek a permanent transfer for the England international this summer.
The Premier League fixtures for the 2025/26 season have been confirmed, promising excitement and intrigue as clubs fight for ascendancy in England's top flight.
