The start of the new Premier League season is approaching faster than some might realise.
With the top teams all spending heavily this summer - reinforcing their starting XIs - this season is shaping up to be one of the closest in recent memory.
Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming Premier League season, and when it will begin.
When does the Premier League season start?
The opening day of the Premier League this season is one Friday, August 13, with the defending champions opening proceedings, as is tradition.
Liverpool will play host to Bournemouth to start the season, with the 8pm kick-off being the only match that evening.
The following Saturday (August 14) will see Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City all in action in various fixtures across the country.
See below the full list of opening week fixtures:
Friday, August 13
Liverpool v Bournemouth (8pm)
Saturday, August 14
Aston Villa v Newcastle United (12.30pm)
Brighton v Fulham (3pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v Burnley (3pm)
Sunderland v West Ham United (3pm)
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester City (5.30pm)
Sunday, August 15
Chelsea v Crystal Palace (2pm)
Nottingham Forest v Brentford (2pm)
Manchester United v Arsenal (4.30pm)
Monday, August 16
Leeds United v Everton (8pm)
Which club has the worst opening fixtures?
Looking at the opening few weeks, Arsenal have seemingly been thrown to the lions in terms of their fixture run.
After playing Ruben Amorim’s new-look Man United in the opening weekend, the Gunners will have a brief respite at home to newly-promoted Leeds United, before consecutive fixtures against Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Newcastle United.
It is an awful run of fixtures that will put Mikel Arteta’s squad through the ringer - but the manager is still optimistic about the upcoming season.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s pre-season tour, he said: “Every year we have to see how things develop, but I see the right balance in terms of maturity, experience, youth, hunger and all these ingredients are there.
“The thing is there are another six, seven, eight clubs in the league that have the right ingredients to win and there is only going to be one winner.
“So we have to focus a lot on the things that we can control, that we can do, to achieve what we want at the end of the season.”
When does the Championship start?
Former Premier League sides - including those relegated at the end of last season - will battle it out for a return to England’s top flight in the Championship.
It’s a closely fought division, with former juggernauts like Blackburn Rovers, Leicester City and Watford eager to make it back to the pinnacle of English football.
This season will also mark Wrexham’s first year in the Championship, following a meteoric rise under Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
The Championship will kick off on Friday, August 8, as Birmingham City play host to Ipswich Town.
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