The Premier League fixtures for 2021/22 have been announced, with champions Manchester City hosting Tottenham on the first day.
The season will kick off on Saturday, August 14, 2021 and will run until Sunday, May 22, 2022.
Here are the fixtures for the opening day:
- Brentford v Arsenal
- Burnley v Brighton
- Chelsea v Crystal Palace
- Everton v Southampton
- Leicester City v Wolves
- Manchester United v Leeds United
- Newcastle United v West Ham United
- Norwich City v Liverpool
- Tottenham v Manchester City
- Watford v Aston Villa
While there is a 2022 World Cup in Qatar, it won't be taking place until winter 2022, so there won't be a men's tournament in the summer following the season – though there will be the Women's Euro 2022, held in England.
This will avoid the issues of the congested 2020/21 season, which didn't begin until mid-September.
However, the winter World Cup will cause complications for the following year.
Manchester City go into this season as defending champions, though could face a more difficult time than this season's 12-point margin of victory.
Manchester United, who finished second last month, are rumoured to be active in the transfer market, with Borussia Dortmund's England star Jadon Sancho heavily linked.
Champions League winners Chelsea improved once Thomas Tuchel took over in January, and beat Manchester City in the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League final.
Liverpool, who won the title in 2019/20, will also hope to be back among the challengers next May. Central defenders Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk, who both missed significant portions of this season with injury, are currently back in training and could play big roles.
From the Championship, Norwich and Watford both return to the top flight after short absences, while Brentford make their Premier League debut and first appearance in the top tier since 1947.
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