Arsenal v Man City, Tottenham v Liverpool, Man City v Man Utd and Liverpool v Man Utd among the matches
Thursday 14 June 2018 19:26, UK
We have picked out 10 eagerly-anticipated games from the upcoming 2018/19 season which you will not want to miss...
What a way to kick off the season! And what a test for Unai Emery in his first Premier League match in charge of Arsenal. The Spaniard will have to have his new side firing from the first kick of the campaign if they are to get off to a winning start against defending champions Manchester City. It's a daunting opener for the hosts - but victory for the Gunners would be a great launch pad and confidence boost for the club. As for City, who have a favourable run of fixtures after this one, they will be keen to lay down a marker for their title rivals.
Wolves fans will not have to wait long for a shot at one of the big boys - their home game with Pep Guardiola's defending champions just three weeks into the new season should be a thriller at Molineux. The Championship winners were one of the few clubs to hold Man City in the first half of last season, drawing their League Cup tie 0-0 at the Etihad before losing on penalties. They will be hoping for another positive 90 minutes here.
Tottenham confirmed on Thursday they will play their first 'home' Premier League fixture of the season against Fulham at Wembley, while the finishing touches are made to the new White Hart Lane. That means that their huge clash with Liverpool in mid-September will be the curtain-raiser at the new stadium. It would have been a mouth-watering match-up anyway, but should be a really special occasion at the new venue.
The battles of Manchester will almost certainly be key fixtures in the title race next season and their first meeting at the Etihad Stadium in November is one to look forward to. As well as Guardiola and Jose Mourinho renewing their rivalry, these derby matches often throw up special moments, such as last season's remarkable comeback win by United to postpone City's title celebrations. When United lost to City in December 2017 Mourinho was all but resigned to seeing the blue half of Manchester go on to win the Premier League. Neither team can afford to lose ground lightly at a similar stage of the upcoming campaign.
Liverpool v Manchester United, arguably the fiercest rivalry in English football, is always one for the diary. But in 2018/19 the two meetings between the teams will take on added significance, with both sides likely to be gunning for the Premier League title. Their meeting at Anfield last season was hardly a thriller but the tension was palpable. The stakes will be high again in December.
Premier League viewers could be served up a late Christmas present on Boxing Day when Liverpool host Newcastle. The fixture always conjures up memories of the famous thrillers from the past - including the 4-3 in 1996 and 4-3 in 1997 - and given the attacking talents likely to be on show this time around, plus the added element of Rafael Benitez back at Anfield, this will be one not to miss.
The Premier League kicks off 2019 in style with this hugely anticipated match-up between two of the country's most exciting teams. From the 5-0 Man City win to Liverpool's 4-3 triumph and subsequent Champions League classics, we were treated to some great games and moments in fixtures between these sides last season. With both teams tipped to be right up there in the running for the title next season, this match could be decisive.
There's a great line-up of derby matches scheduled for March 2. But while west London will have its focus on newly-promoted Fulham hosting local rivals Chelsea at Craven Cottage, over in north London Tottenham and Arsenal supporters will be flocking to the new White Hart Lane for the first north London derby between the sides at the stadium. Coming at a crunch point in the season, the game will carry even more weight - and Spurs will be desperate to get all three points on their own patch.
As well as the London derbies, there is also a Merseyside derby to look forward to that weekend, with Everton welcoming Liverpool to Goodison Park. Marco Silva will be well settled into his new managerial role by then but however well it has or has not gone for the Portuguese up to this point, a win over the Reds on home soil is always a priority.
Could this be the title decider? Or a top-four decider? Or even a dead rubber if both sides are out of the Champions League qualifying spots? It's impossible to tell at this stage but Manchester United v Chelsea at the end of April, with just two rounds of fixtures to play after this one, has the potential to be a massive match with a huge bearing on the outcome of the Premier League.
