It’s back! It’s finally back! This weekend sees the return of the Premier League, and we couldn’t be more excited. The first round of games have thrown up some great fixtures that will throw us head first into the 18/19 season, rather than ease us in gently.
Although we may not see many appearances from players that had a long summer at the world cup, the transfer window saw plenty of movement, and plenty of strengthening for most teams in the run up to the opening games.
Friday 10th
Man United V Leicester
The season gets underway at Old Trafford as the two former winners will battle it out on the first day of the three-day weekend of premier league games. Manchester United and Mourinho have had a torrid pre-season as the club and the manager seemed to battle it out with each other over a lack of transfer activity and Leicester will look to get off to a good start as they look for a strong finish with some new players.
Saturday 11th
Fulham V Crystal Palace
Although Crystal Palace got off to one of the worst starts in last seasons premier league, Roy Hodgson managed to turn them into a team capable of scoring goals and saved them with time to spare. After surviving last year, they now have a point to prove, and Fulham, returning to the Premier League since their 2014 exit, now have a very strong team, with the likes of Andre Schurrle and Ryan Sessegnon, and will look to make a statement in their opening game. Expect some goals in this game.
Sunday 12th
Arsenal V Man City
Even Arsenal fans eventually admitted they were sad to see Wenger leave at the end of last season; although a great manager in his time, Arsenal in recent years had become predictably chaotic and most of the top 6 could often manage 3 points against them. Now, with a new manager at the helm and a host of new signings, they are a different animal all together. Apart from a handful of pre-season games, no one has really seen what they are capable of, so we will be excited to see how they fare in their opening game against the reigning champions.
On the other hand, we know exactly what this Man City side are capable of, and after strengthening their already comprehensive squad depth, they could be absolutely unstoppable once again this season.
A win for Arsenal could be the perfect start to unsettle this Man City squad and give everyone else hope that this season may be more open than the last.
