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Nicolas Atkin

That glorious day is upon us folks. No, not the opening match of the World Cup, but the release of the 2018-19 Premier League fixtures.
Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal will all be hoping to challenge for the title next season, but some certainly have a more favourable start than others upon first glance at the fixture list.
It all gets underway on August 11 – here are the first six fixtures for each of last season’s top six:

Pep Guardiola’s side cruised to the title last season, and Arsenal aside, have an easy early run on paper with three of the promoted sides in their first six matches.
MANCHESTER CITY:
Arsenal (away)
Huddersfield (home)
Wolves (A)
Newcastle (H)
Fulham (H)
Cardiff (A)

Jose Mourinho won’t be too unhappy with the fixture list – Manchester United are at home first up against Leicester and only face one of the top six sides in their first six games, with Spurs coming to Old Trafford on match day three.
MANCHESTER UNITED:
Leicester (H)
Brighton (A)
Spurs (H)
Burnley (A)
Watford (A)
Wolves (H)

Spurs face a tricky start with three away days in the first four fixtures, with their new stadium not ready until match day five.
And what a way to raise the curtain, with Liverpool the first visitors. Mauricio Pochettino’s men will have a Wembley send-off in their second match against Premier League new boys Fulham.
TOTTENHAM:
Newcastle (A)
Fulham (H)
Man United (A)
Watford (A)
Liverpool) H)
Brighton (A)

Liverpool may have tasted bitter defeat in the Champions League final, but they face four teams who finished in the bottom half last season in their first six matches, with Jurgen Klopp’s side kicking things off at Anfield against West Ham.
LIVERPOOL:
West Ham (H)
Crystal Palace (A)
Brighton (H)
Leicester (A)
Spurs (A)
Southampton (H)

Antonio Conte still doesn’t know if he’ll be Chelsea manager next season, but the FA Cup winners will travel to Huddersfield on the opening day.
If the Italian does keep his job, he’ll fancy his chances of getting Chelsea right up the table early on.
CHELSEA:
Huddersfield (A)
Arsenal (H)
Newcastle (A)
Bournemouth (H)
Cardiff (H)
West Ham (A)

Unai Emery would be in his right mind to accuse the Premier League of burying bad news by waiting until the start of Russia 2018 to tell him he’s got Manchester City at home then Chelsea away first up for his first two matches as Arsenal manager.
It couldn’t get much harder for the former Paris Saint-Germain boss, who already had the unenviable task of replacing the legendary Arsene Wenger.
ARSENAL:
Man City (H)
Chelsea (A)
West Ham (H)
Cardiff (A)
Newcastle (A)
Everton (H)


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English Premier League

Premier League fixtures 2018-19: Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Man City’s first six matches

Manchester City are favourites to lift the Premier League trophy again this season. Photo: AFP

epa06751008 Chelsea manager Antonio Conte lifts the trophy after winning the FA Cup final match Chelsea vs Manchester United at Wembley stadium, London, Britain, 19 May 2018. EPA-EFE/SEAN DEMPSEY

epa06787143 Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola attends the Costa Brava Legend Trophy golf tournament held at the PGA facilities in Caldes de Malavella, Girona, north eastern Spain, 05 June 2018. EPA-EFE/Robin Townsend

Manchester United's Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho geatures on the pitch after their defeat in the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Wembley stadium in London on May 19, 2018. Chelsea beat Manchester United 1-0 to lift the FA Cup thanks to Eden Hazard's penalty at Wembley on Saturday to salvage a disappointing season. / AFP PHOTO / Ian KINGTON / NOT FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING USE / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE

epa06777986 Tottenham Hotspur's Argentinian manager Mauricio Pochettino speaks during the presentation of the book 'Brave New World: Inside Pochettino's Spurs' by journalist Guillem Balague in Barcelona, northeastern Spain, 01 June 2018. Pochettino said that he will not force to leave Tottenham but keeps a door open to join Real Madrid in the future. Pochettino's new five-year contract does not contain a clause allowing him to leave for Real Madrid. EPA-EFE/ANDREU DALMAU

(180527) -- KIEV, May 27, 2018 (Xinhua) -- Liverpool's coach Jurgen Klopp walks past the trophy after the UEFA Champions League final match between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Kiev, Ukraine on May 26, 2018. Real Madrid claimed the title with 3-1. (Xinhua/Wu Zhuang)

(FILES) In this file photo taken on September 13, 2016, Paris Saint-Germain's Spanish head coach Unai Emery (L) shakes hands with Arsenal's French manager Arsene Wenger during the UEFA Champions League Group A football match between Paris-Saint-Germain and Arsenal FC, at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. Unai Emery has been appointed as the new manager of Arsenal, the club announced on May 23, 2018. "Unai Emery is to become our new head coach," said a statement on the club's website. "He joins the club after completing a two-year spell at Paris Saint-Germain, where he recently landed the treble of Ligue 1, Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue." / AFP PHOTO / FRANCK FIFE

Sport

Football

Unai Emery faces a baptism of fire at Arsenal but fixture list hands Manchester United and Liverpool chance to get off to quick starts


Premier League fixtures 2018-19: Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Man City’s first six matches

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Unai Emery faces a baptism of fire at Arsenal but fixture list hands Manchester United and Liverpool chance to get off to quick starts

Unai Emery faces a baptism of fire at Arsenal but fixture list hands Manchester United and Liverpool chance to get off to quick starts