By Robert Wheeler
- Manchester City take on Burnley
- Arsenal face Nottingham Forest
- Chelsea are up against Liverpool
ENGLAND – The Premier League is back and the opening game includes a legend returning to face his former club as Vincent Kompany’s Burnley host Manchester City.
Burnley vs Manchester City, Friday August 11, kick-off 20:00
The champions Manchester City start the defence of their title as they visit Burnley this Friday night. This match will be billed as Vincent Kompany -who won the Premier League four times with City- facing his former club. Kompany led the Claret’s to win the Championship last season and they are now expected to make their mark in English football’s top flight.
Pep Guardiola‘s side go into this game on the back of a defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield. However, City fans should not be disheartened by this as they lost to Liverpool in last year’s competition and went on to win the treble.
A lot of eyes will be on Erling Haaland to see if the Norwegian can replicate his record-breaking goal scoring form of last season. The forward scored 36 goals in 35 league games in the last campaign but has failed to score in any of City’s pre-season games.
The Citizens have lost Riyad Mahrez to Al-Ahli this summer. However, this does give an opportunity for Cole Palmer -who scored a stunner in the Community Shield- to step up this season.
Score prediction: Burnley 1-2 Man City
Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest, Saturday August 12, kick-off 12:30
Arsenal were victorious over Manchester City in the Community Shield. However, Mikel Arteta‘s side should not get too ahead of themselves as Liverpool won it last year and ended up finishing fifth. The Gunners came agonisingly close to winning the Premier League last season and anything less than another title challenge will be seen as a failure.
Kai Havertz will likely lead Arsenal’s line against Nottingham Forest this weekend, as Gabriel Jesus is still injured. The German is a recent signing from Arsenal and whilst he is predominantly an attacking midfielder, he has a chance to impress as the Gunners’ main striker.
Forest signed Matt Turner from Arsenal this week and it could be the American’s first assignment to try and stop his previous club from scoring. Turner played as backup to Aaron Ramsdale last season, so he could make his Premier League debut this weekend.
Steve Cooper‘s side flirted with relegation in the last campaign but ended up finishing 16th. Forest will be hoping for a more comfortable season ahead but they face a difficult start.
Score prediction: Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest
Chelsea vs Liverpool, Sunday August 13, kick-off 16:30
Both Chelsea and Liverpool had disappointing campaigns last season but this is still a stellar fixture in the Premier League calendar. The Blues and the Reds have both revamped their squads, so it will be interesting to see how their new looks sides get on.
Liverpool has notably lost their captain Jordan Henderson to Al-Ettifaq, which has not been a popular move on many levels. However, they have replaced him with Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton, and the World Cup winner now has a chance to impress with one of the country’s top sides.
Chelsea has also had a big clear-out but their squad was in desperate need of trimming down. A big loss to the Blues’ lineup will be the departure of Mason Mount to Manchester United. Mount came through the ranks at Stamford Bridge and their supporters will be disappointed to see him go to one of their rivals.
This will be Mauricio Pochettino‘s first competitive game in charge of Chelsea. It will be strange for many to see the former Tottenham Hotspur boss in the Blues’ dugout but there is no doubting his capabilities as a manager.
Score prediction: Chelsea 2-2 Liverpool
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