As summer transfer news engulfs the English Premier League, the highly anticipated opening fixtures of the 2022/23 season have been announced, and should prove a welcome distraction for those obsessed with which players might be going where. While fans won’t be watching football from the EPL for a couple months yet, there is still lots to be excited about.
With the return of Premier League football comes the return of the English football “blackout” – a rule which disallows broadcasters from showing matches from any level of the football pyramid during the hours of 14:45 and 17:15 on Saturdays. Half of the matches will fall into this category but the other half, those shown on Friday, Saturday midday, Saturday evening and Sunday, will be available to watch on TV and via live streaming on Sky Sports and BT Sport, the current TV rights holders.
Arsenal will once again open the proceedings as they did last season, and again they will play away from home against a fellow London club. This time Mikel Arteta’s side will lock horns with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Friday 5 August at 20:00. The Arsenal boss will hope to get off to a better start then they did against Brentford last season.
The action on Saturday will begin at 12:30 as newly promoted EPL side, Fulham face a tough test when they welcome Liverpool to Craven Cottage. Jurgen Klopp may well pick a starting X11 including new superstar signing Darwin Nunez and Portuguese youngster Fabio Carvalho, who shone for Fulham in the Championship last season.
Later on at 15:00 on Saturday, during the blackout, fellow new boys Bournemouth will host Aston Villa, Leeds United will face Wolves, Leicester City meet Brentford, Newcastle United welcome Championship play-off winners Nottingham Forest and Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur will play Southampton.
To cap off Saturday, Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea, under new ownership, will travel to Goodison Park to do battle against Everton at 17:30. The Toffees are currently managed by former player and club legend Frank Lampard. Who doesn’t love a bit of narrative to start the season?
Both Manchester clubs will play in what is sure to be a super Sunday of action to start the season. Manchester United, under new boss Erik ten Hag will welcome Graham Potter’s Brighton to Old Trafford for a 14:00 kick-off. Later on in the day, at 16:30, Manchester City bring the weekend of football to an end as they travel to West Ham United, a team they sometimes struggled against last season.
Fans up and down the land will be excited to see Darwin Nunez get his start at Liverpool but the majority of the hype leading into this Premier League season will be down to one man – Erling Braut Haaland. The Norwegian superstar has arrived at the Etihad Stadium from Borussia Dortmund and looks set to thrive in the Premier League under Pep Guardiola.
It’s a little early for predictions but the teams who will almost certainly be in the conversation to win the title come the end of the season – Liverpool and Manchester City – will start their campaigns with tricky away trips. Look for a possible slip up from one of them, as City did last year, losing their opening game to a then sub-par Spurs side.
All in all, it looks like a fantastic set of fixtures and one that will surely have fans excited about the return of the Premier League.
Opening Fixtures for 2022/23 Premier League Season – Full List
Friday 5 August
20:00 – Crystal Palace v Arsenal
Saturday 6 August
12:30 – Fulham v Liverpool
15:00 – Bournemouth v Aston Villa
15:00 – Leeds v Wolves
15:00 – Leicester v Brentford
15:00 – Newcastle v Nottingham Forest
15:00 – Spurs v Southampton
17:30 – Everton v Chelsea
Sunday 7 August
14:00 – Man United v Brighton
16:30 – West Ham v Man City
