Although Manchester United’s opening-day clash with Leeds is a tough one, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side don’t face any of the so-called “Big Six” until they host Liverpool on Oct.
Having failed to win any trophy since 2017’s Europa League — with no league title since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 — the pressure is growing on Solskjaer to win major silverware this season.
Manchester City made their worst start to a season in over 10 years last year, but they still ended up with a 12-point winning margin as champions, so their tough batch of fixtures in the opening weeks won’t worry them too much.
Back-to-back away games at Chelsea will be a test for Pep Guardiola and his players, but if they can navigate their tricky start and remain in contention at the top, then their soft run-in will give them the belief they can retain the title.
Arteta has to deliver at Arsenal this season having failed to secure European football last season, but the fixture computer has done the Gunners’ manager no favours.
If Arsenal slip up on day one, they will need to get something at home to Chelsea or at Manchester City in their next two games to keep the pressure off.
Jurgen Klopp’s team open up with a trip to Norwich City followed by a home game against Burnley, who won at Anfield last season.
However, the Christmas period promises to be a big test of Liverpool’s prospects with three away games — at Spurs, Leicester and Chelsea — in the space of two weeks.
Chelsea will expect to challenge for the Premier League title this season after winning the Champions League last month.
Chelsea open up with a home game against Crystal Palace, who will be under new management following the departure of Roy Hodgson, and then face Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham and City in their next five games.
But if Spurs can get a positive result against City on the opening weekend at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, then confidence will be high ahead of their next batch of games against Wolves, Watford and Crystal Palace.
Last season’s clash at Old Trafford ended in a 6-2 win for Solskjaer’s side as both teams enjoyed an end-to-end game full of scoring chances.
Don’t expect this fixture to matter in terms of deciding the outcome of the title race this season — it may ultimately be nothing more than a playoff for Europa League qualification.
Arsenal ended last season in good form in the league, narrowly missing out on Europe after turning their results around in the second half of the campaign, so they will want to maintain that bounce under Arteta.
The first rematch of last season’s Champions League final, which Chelsea won 1-0 in Porto to claim their second European Cup.
Chelsea have now won three successive games against City — in the league, FA Cup and Champions League — so a fourth win on the spin will give them a big psychological advantage over Guardiola’s team.
Liverpool lost their way spectacularly last season, losing six successive home league games, but still ended the campaign in third position.
In recent seasons, nobody has come close to matching Liverpool and City for consistency at the top of the Premier League and they remain the teams to beat.
If Manchester United are to successfully challenge for the title this season, they simply have to win this game.
By this stage of the season, we will know the shape of the title race and which teams are the favourites to finish on top.
Chelsea are now the top dogs in London after winning a second Champions League and, if they get their way, they could also have Kane in their team next season.
Traditionally, this is the biggest fixture in English football — a meeting of the two most successful and best-supported clubs in the country.
United haven’t won at Anfield since Wayne Rooney’s goal settled a 1-0 victory in January 2016 and they haven’t come close to getting a win in their recent visits.