Premier League fixture release RECAP: Man United open new season at home, it's Chelsea vs Man City - before City get a dream run-in - and Arne Slot goes straight into Jurgen Klopp's nightmare

That's it from us.

Thank you very much for following along with our live coverage of fixture release day.

We now have an idea of what the 2024-25 season will look like and our appetite for the new campaign has only grown.

For now, it's back to Euro 2024, where England are desperate to win their first major trophy since 1966, although Gareth Southgate's side will have to improve upon Sunday's performance against Serbia.

Before we head off, have a scroll through the article below, click on the relevant club name, and you'll find every match of their 2024-25 campaign.

It promises to be yet another season full of drama, excitement and anguish and Mail Sport will have you covered every step of the way.

While they start with a home game against Wolves, a clash Arsenal will expect to win, the seriousness of their season quickly hots up.

After clashes with Aston Villa and Brighton, two teams not to be taken lightly, Mikel Arteta's side face Tottenham and Man City away in successive weeks.

The Gunners will be desperate to challenge Man City again and this time pip them to the title, making this brutal start all the more pivotal.

A few early wins would really get everyone believing on the red side of north London.

This is definitely not an ideal situation for Enzo Maresca at Chelsea next season.

A major test for the Italian will be balancing his side's European commitments with their desire to get back into the top four.

However, they are boosted by the fact that there are only six games in the Conference League 'League stage' as supposed to eight in both the Champions League and Europa League.

It might be 11 months away, but that doesn't stop us already getting excited about the drama that could be thrown up on the final day.

In a different set-up to recent years, both Man City and Arsenal will be away on the final day of the season, with the culmination of top flight campaigns usually marked by images of Pep Guardiola's side celebrating on the pitch at the Etihad.

They will travel to Fulham next season, while the Gunners face Southampton at St Mary's.

But how do the rest of the fixtures look?

25/05/2025 16:00 A.F.C. Bournemouth v Leicester City

25/05/2025 16:00 Fulham v Manchester City

25/05/2025 16:00 Ipswich Town v West Ham United

25/05/2025 16:00 Liverpool v Crystal Palace

25/05/2025 16:00 Manchester United v Aston Villa

25/05/2025 16:00 Newcastle United v Everton

25/05/2025 16:00 Nottingham Forest v Chelsea

25/05/2025 16:00 Southampton v Arsenal

25/05/2025 16:00 Tottenham Hotspur v Brighton

25/05/2025 16:00 Wolverhampton v Brentford

Although supporters will often assume names have been pulled out of a hat, or perhaps that data has a very specific vendetta against their club, there's method to the madness of compiling fixtures.

But that doesn't stop quirky statistics occuring, with Man United's home clash against Fulham set to be the eighth consecutive season in which they have started at Old Trafford.

Their last away game on the opening weekend was all the way back in 2016.

On that occasion, Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored as the Red Devils beat Bournemouth 3-1 on the south coast.

Tottenham will have to wait just four games to take on Arsenal next season in the Premier League.

Spurs learnt they will face Leicester away from home in their first game of the new campaign, with the Arsenal match, also at home, currently scheduled for September 14.

However, Ange Postecoglou's side have been given a favourable run-in and will end the season at home for the first time in six years with a match against Brighton, while they also take on the likes of Southampton, Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace in April and May.

Read the full story below...

Best points-per-match record on the opening weekend, you'll never sing that...

Not quite sure if that one will catch on but still an impressive stat from Chelsea and wouldn't Enzo Maresca love to get his tenure off to the best possible start.

We've mentioned all morning about the various bizarre quirks the fixture computer throws up, but what about this one?

West Ham, now under the tutelage of former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui, don't play outside of London until November.

A consequence of having seven London teams in the Premier League, but an interesting result anyhow.

At least Hammers supporters will save on petrol money in the first few months of the campaign.

With the fixtures now finally out, fans have been scrambling take a closer look at how their side's fortunes might play out.

But while all supporters are likely to believe their team has the toughest start in just two months time, one club has managed to, on the face of it, skirt danger in their opening five fixtures, according to Opta's supercomputer.

But who has the hardest?

Read the full story below...

Now the fixtures have been released, there are a number of games that immediately jump off the page.

Man City will be aiming to win their fifth straight title, but they have not had things all their own way in recent years, with the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool giving them a run for their money.

Manchester United and Chelsea will also be looking to get back into the mix after disappointing domestic campaigns last term, while all eyes will be on Aston Villa as they look to prove that finishing fourth in 2023-24 was no fluke.

Below, Mail Sport has picked out 10 fixtures that will shape the 2024-25 season...

We mentioned it earlier that one team's early fixtures may encourage punters to invest in certain FPL assets from the start as they look to make waves in their respective leagues.

Could that be the case with Cole Palmer? The Man City academy product was one of the stars of last season and after that tricky opening game against his former club, Enzo Maresca's side will be happy with their relatively straightforward run.

A return of 22 goals and 11 assists in 34 Premier League games will be tough to match, but you wouldn't put it past Palmer.

We already know how difficult any game against Man City is, let alone in your first game managing a new team - as will be the case for Enzo Maresca.

But Chelsea will also be up against history when they take on the team who have won the past four Premier League titles.

However, given the last instance of the Blues facing the reigning champions happened 53 years ago, perhaps they shouldn't be too worried.

22 years after their last Premier League match, Ipswich are back, and in a bizarre quirk of the fixture schedule, Kieran McKenna's side will face Liverpool, the team they played when they were relegated all those years ago.

That relegation in 2001-02 came after a memorable fifth placed finish the season before which secured them a spot in what was then called the UEFA Cup.

But, despite the European adventure, George Burley's side unfortunately couldn't avoid the drop as they ended four points from safety.

For Ipswich's sake, let's hope this time around against Liverpool brings better memories than the last league clash.

We all know about Chelsea's opening day showdown against Enzo Maresca's former Man City colleague Pep Guardiola, but what else has the fixture computer thrown out for the Blues?

Following the baptism of fire, Chelsea have a comparatively straightforward run of fixtures, but they must then navigate a testing October and November, clashing with a number of Big Six opponents hand-in-hand with a potential Europa Conference League run.

The west London side will then attempt to get themselves in pole position for a top-four spot at the end of the season by overcoming tricky opponents including Liverpool and Manchester United - before ending their campaign on the road against Nottingham Forest.

Read the full story below...

Although supporters will often assume names have been pulled out of a hat, or perhaps that data has a very specific vendetta against their club, there's method to the madness of compiling fixtures.

But that doesn't stop quirky statistics occuring, with Man United's home clash against Fulham set to be the eighth consecutive season in which they have started at Old Trafford.

Their last away game on the opening weekend was all the way back in 2016.

On that occasion, Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored as the Red Devils beat Bournemouth 3-1 on the south coast.

The arrival of another campaign bring with it fresh storylines, new heroes and unexpected shocks, and 2024-25 is unlikely to be any different.

We're yet to see too much movement in the transfer market thus far, but back in 2016 a Liverpool recruit by the name of Sadio Mane announced himself in fine fashion.

Mane's debut goal was the first of 120 he would net for the Reds and on that day it helped Jurgen Klopp's side to a dramatic 4-3 win over Arsenal in one of many opening day classics from the Premier League era.

Newly-promoted Southampton begin their campaign with a long trip to face Newcastle.

Russell Martin did brilliantly to guide the Saints back to the top flight at the first time of asking via the play-offs, but he will have his work cut out if this statistic is anything to go by.

But records are there to be broken after all...

Let's hope for a similar amount of drama to the equivalent fixture last season...

Manchester City have received a dream run-in for the 2024-25 season as they bid to win a fifth Premier League title in a row.

City face fierce rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford on April 5, and that represents their final game against a 'Big Six' club.

In fact, United are the only member of the 'Big Six' that the defending champions will face after February.

Read the full story below...

Arne Slot will begin his reign as Liverpool manager with an eye-catching trip to Portman Road to face newly-promoted Ipswich Town.

The Dutchman has the unenviable task of following legendary former boss Jurgen Klopp, who brought an end to a successful nine-year spell on Merseyside at the end of the last campaign.

The fixture list has been relatively kind to the new manager, who will face only one other big-six side in his first seven domestic matches. That clash sees the Reds take on rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford and a meeting against his compatriot Erik ten Hag.

Read the full story below...

Will your side feature at home during the festive period? The Boxing Day fixtures are some of the most anticipated in the calendar - or a creative way to have a new Christmas argument, if your glass is half-empty - so take a look and see if you've lucked out.

26/12/2024 15:00 A.F.C. Bournemouth v Crystal Palace

26/12/2024 15:00 Arsenal v Ipswich Town

26/12/2024 15:00 Brighton v Brentford

26/12/2024 15:00 Chelsea v Fulham

26/12/2024 15:00 Liverpool v Leicester City

26/12/2024 15:00 Manchester City v Everton

26/12/2024 15:00 Newcastle United v Aston Villa

26/12/2024 15:00 Nottingham Forest v Tottenham Hotspur

26/12/2024 15:00 Southampton v West Ham United

26/12/2024 15:00 Wolverhampton v Manchester United

It's a pretty brutal start for Ipswich who travel to Man City after their opening day clash against Liverpool.

But it's a mood of excitement rather than fear at Portman Road as the Tractor Boys can now finally plan their return to the Premier League after 22 years away.

It will be tough, but as Kieran McKenna's side have proved over the past two seasons, they are not a team to be written off!

Mikel Arteta and Arsenal will have to make a very fast start to the 2024-25 campaign, with trips to Aston Villa, Tottenham and Manchester City within their first five games.

The Gunners pushed City until the final day of the campaign last term, and although they went unbeaten against Pep Guardiola's side, the prospect of a clash between the title front-runners so early will have fans eagerly waiting in anticipation.

The Gunners host bitter rivals Spurs on January 14, while City travel to the Emirates on February 1, before Arteta and Co take on Liverpoool and Newcastle in their final three games in a tricky end to the season.

Read the full story below...

Manchester United have been handed a favourable start to the 2024-2025 Premier League campaign, facing Fulham - who finished in 13th place last season - at Old Trafford in their opening game. But, it's the Christmas period that will concern fans.

Despite a disappointing Premier League and European campaign last season, Ten Hag's side managed to beat their local rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup to finish the 2023-2024 campaign with some silverware.

However, the United fans will be expecting more from the Dutch manager and his side during the 2024-2025 campaign - with the Red Devils set to face the Cottagers in their opening game of the season.

Read the full story below...

It promises to be an emotional season for Everton as they prepare for their final campaign at Goodison Park before moving to their state-of-the-art new venue at Bramley-Moore Dock.

Goodison Park remains one of the last few proper football grounds in the country, nestled right within its community, although it has seen better days.

When Everton are on form, few stadiums roar (and shake) as loudly as the Grand Old Lady.

On the penultimate weekend of the campaign, Everton's final home game takes place, with Sean Dyche's side set to take on Southampton.

That will surely be a day full of fervour and passion as Toffees supporters try to give their famous old ground the best possible send off.

In what promises to be a highly competitive Premier League, every team will be desperate to get off to the best possible start.

It looks set to be a tough start for Arsenal, but incoming Liverpool boss Arne Slot will be pleasantly surpised to see how things are looking.

Take a look at each club's first five fixtures of 2024/25 below...

Everything you need to know about the Premier League's opening weekend can be found below, with five games set to be shown on TV.

Things get going on the Friday night at Old Trafford and run all the way until Monday evening at the King Power.

Read the full story...

With Chelsea taking on Man City on the opening weekend, here are more dates for your diary with regards to the biggest games in the Premier League.

Arsenal's clashes with City on September 21 and February 1 could prove to be decisive, while the Gunners face both Tottenham and City away in the first month alone.

Elsewhere, Chelsea face Man United on the penultimate weekend in what will be the Red Devils' final home game of the season.

It doesn't get much bigger than this for Kieran McKenna's side.

The atmosphere at Portman Road will be absolutely electric!

Stamford Bridge, Sunday August 18th, you don't want to miss it.

Enzo Maresca is faced with the toughest possible task to begin his Chelsea reign, but he will up against a familiar face on the touchline.

Dubbed 'Pep-Lite' in some circles, Maresca was Pep Guardiola's assistant during Man City's Treble-winning season, which came after a stint in charge of their Elite Development Squad from 2020 to 2021.

It will no doubt be a game for the football purists and is likely to be dubbed master vs apprentice, something that Guardiola's clashes with Mikel Arteta have also been labelled in recent times.

16/08/2024 20:00 Manchester United v Fulham

17/08/2024 15:00 Arsenal v Wolverhampton

17/08/2024 15:00 Everton v Brighton

17/08/2024 12:30 Ipswich Town v Liverpool

17/08/2024 15:00 Newcastle United v Southampton

17/08/2024 15:00 Nottingham Forest v A.F.C. Bournemouth

17/08/2024 17:30 West Ham United v Aston Villa

18/08/2024 14:00 Brentford v Crystal Palace

18/08/2024 16:30 Chelsea v Manchester City

19/08/2024 20:00 Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur

It promises to be another enthralling Premier League season and that will start in just under two months time.

Manchester United will kick off the campaign for us, with Erik ten Hag's second chance beginning with a home game against Fulham.

Newly-promoted Ipswich Town have a hugely exciting opening game at Portman Road against Liverpool, while Leicester hosts Tottenham and Southampton make the long trip to Newcastle.

But there is the no doubt the standout game will be Chelsea's clash against Manchester City at 4:30PM on the Sunday afternoon.

Have a scroll through the article, click on the relevant club name, and you'll find every match of their 2024-25 campaign.

The fixtures are out!

And what an opening weekend line-up we have in store...

Who will your team get?

When I tried this fun little game, I ended up with Brighton vs Man United.

A tricky hunting ground for United down the years, although they did secure an impressive 2-0 win there on the final day last season, a result that no doubt helped Erik ten Hag to keep his job.

We'll have the fixtures for you in TWO minutes.

More opening day memories now and this slightly scrappy, but important goal from Marc Albrighton helped to start Leicester's stunning 2015-16 campaign that saw them improbably win the Premier League.

Having survived by virtue of a Great Escape the previous season, the Foxes raced out of the blocks with a thumping 4-2 victory over Sunderland at the King Power Stadium.

Goals from Albrighton, Riyad Mahrez (two) and Jamie Vardy were enough on a scorching summer's day.

Leicester are set to return to the promised land after winning the Championship title last season, although they are yet to appoint a replacement for Chelsea-bound Enzo Maresca.

Let us know in the comments who you want to see up first for your team...

Back in 1996, a certain David Beckham continued to announce himself as one of the stars of his generation in what was his second full campaign as a Man United first teamer.

Goals from Eric Cantona and Dennis Irwin had United ahead against Wimbledon, but it was Beckham who stole the show with this stunning strike...

Best points-per-match record on the opening weekend, you'll never sing that...

Not quite sure if that one will catch on but still an impressive stat from Chelsea and wouldn't Enzo Maresca love to get his tenure off to the best possible start.

While we've already covered the Champions League and Europa League fixtures for Premier League teams, we can't ignore Chelsea who will be in the Europa Conference League for the first time next season.

Although they finished sixth in the top flight, Man United's FA Cup triumph meant Enzo Maresca's side were effectively relegated to Europe's third tier club competition.

The dates for this tournament aren't finalised yet, but the Blues are set to start in the play-off round stage, where victory over a two-legged tie would secure their spot in the league stage.

Those play-off fixtures will take place on 22 and 29 August, the week after the Premier League season begins.

Chelsea's trip to Wolves last season led to the Premier League being widely criticised due to the fact it was the first Christmas Eve fixture in 28 years, causing a nightmare for travelling fans.

The top flight have confirmed no game will take place on that day this time around, while they have also promised that arrangements will be made to allow more rest time over three of the festive match rounds.

As a result, no club will play within 60 hours of another match.

Elsewhere, the mid-season winter break has also been removed from the calendar to allow a mid-August start date, which should ensure players receive a consecutive three-week summer break.

This is something that was recommended by medical and technical experts, who claim a longer period of complete rest in the summer is better for player welfare than a short break in the winter.

We're now under 45 minutes until the Premier League fixtures for the 2024-25 season are released.

But that's not all the big football action that's taking place today, with the group stage of Euro 2024 continuing to cause plenty of excitement and drama out in Germany.

This afternoon Group F gets underway as Turkey face tournament debutants Georgia at 5PM.

Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, one of the favourites for glory, then take on Czechia at 8PM and it promises to be another fascinating day of action.

A new season brings new faces and new heroes to the Premier League and the 2024-25 campaign will be no different.

Along with Kieran McKenna of Ipswich and Southampton's Russell Martin managing in the top flight for the first time, there has been plenty of movement in the dugout elsewhere.

Arne Slot will attempt to fill the huge Jurgen Klopp-shaped hole at Liverpool, while Enzo Maresca was prized away from Leicester by Chelsea, leaving the Foxes still searching for a new manager.

Elsewhere, former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui has replaced David Moyes at West Ham, while Brighton have appointed US-born German coach Fabian Hurzeler, who is just 31 and becomes the youngest ever full-time boss of a Premier League team.

That quartet will keeping a keen eye on the schedule this morning.

The excitement is only rising across the country as we prepare to find out the 2024-25 Premier League fixtures.

Joining Ipswich in getting promoted from the Championship are Southampton and Leicester, with the Saints going up through the play-offs after just one season away from the top flight.

They'll be hoping for a better outcome than their last Premier League season in 2022-23, when they went through three managers and finished rock bottom with just 25 points, 11 adrift of safety.

Whilst on a particularly bad day, a supporter might either assume names have been pulled out of a hat, or perhaps that data has a very specific vendetta against their club, there's method to the madness.

Before preparing the schedule, the Premier League looks at a number of different variables, including security issues around clubs hosting matches in the same cities or any particular dates clubs don't want to play at home.

Then there are rules to be followed: clubs can't play more than two games at home on the trot, and they cannot play two matches away or at home to close off their campaign.

But as we all know, fixtures - particularly in the latter half of the season - can be subject to the odd reshuffle, as things sharpen up in Europe, broadcasting concerns are taken into consideration, as are any unprecedented turns of events.

The Premier League also insist that travel issues are taken into account, through minimising travel on Bank Holidays, while the top light are keen to avoid 'pinch points' on the rail and road network during gameweeks.

As with those teams in the Champions League, fans of Manchester United and Tottenham will be keen to see which Premier League fixtures take place around their Europa League campaigns.

Like its sister competition, the Europa League will take the form of an expanded 36-team tournament next season, where each side faces eight games in the newly-named League stage.

As normal, they will run on a similar timetable to the Champions League, although the Europa League proper kicks off a week later.

Matchday 1: 25/26 September 2024 Matchday 2: 3 October 2024 Matchday 3: 24 October 2024 Matchday 4: 7 November 2024 Matchday 5: 28 November 2024 Matchday 6: 12 December 2024 Matchday 7: 23 January 2025 Matchday 8: 30 January 2025

22 years after their last season in the Premier League, Ipswich Town are back after a stunning rise over the past two seasons which saw them earn back-to-back promotions.

If it was yet to sink in for the Tractor Boys that they are back in the big time, it sure will today when they find out their schedule for next season.

Boss Kieran McKenna was linked with jobs at Brighton, Chelsea and Man United but the Northern Irishman signed a new four-year deal last month in a major boost to the club.

As ever, fans will be keen to know when they will be taking on their arch-rivals in derby clashes, but there are likely to be a few games which define the Premier League season.

It's hard to look past Arsenal's matches against Man City, with Mikel Arteta's side pushing the reigning champions the closest over the past two seasons.

However, their encounters have generally been tight affairs with March's showdown ending in a cagey 0-0 draw.

You can catch up with highlights from that game below...

Along with European action, there will also be the small matter of domestic cups to deal with for teams.

Premier League sides enter the Carabao Cup in either the second or third round, depending on whether or not they have European commitments, while they join the FA Cup from the third round onwards.

The exact schedule for the Carabao Cup is yet to be confirmed, although the EFL have confirmed it will start in mid August.

Last year's second round ties took place on the w/c August 28 before the third round clashes were on the w/c September 25.

The FA Cup is simpler, with the third round scheduled over the weekend of January 11 and 12.

Fans of Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa will be keen to see which fixtures take place around their Champions League campaigns this year.

We're set to see a new, 36-team expanded Champions League format, with each competing team facing eight group stage clashes, as supposed to the usual six, although it will be known as the league stage this time around.

Those European matchdays start in September and run through until the end of January, from when the knockout stages commence.

Matchday 1: 17–19 September 2024 Matchday 2: 1/2 October 2024 Matchday 3: 22/23 October 2024 Matchday 4: 5/6 November 2024 Matchday 5: 26/27 November 2024 Matchday 6: 10/11 December 2024 Matchday 7: 21/22 January 2025 Matchday 8: 29 January 2025

Although we are still two months away from kick off, a new season no doubt brings attention to a new year of hopes and expecations for FPL.

Could one team's early fixtures encourage you to invest in certain assets from the start or might it put you off?

The likes of Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka, and of course Erling Haaland were some of the biggest points scorers last time and fans will be expecting similar returns this time around.

Time to get your diaries out and pencil in these important dates for the 2024-25 campaign.

Opening weekend - August 17, 2024

Final weekend - May 25, 2025

In total, there will be 33 weekends of actions, four midweek rounds and one Bank Holiday matchweek

The Premier League fixtures for the 2024-25 season will be announced at 9AM this morning.

In the meantime, we'll be bringing you all the build-up and then reaction to the announcement as fans from across the country can start to plan in earnest for a new campaign of hope, excitement and expectation.

With Euro 2024, the season doesn't begin until August 17, slightly later than last season's August 11 start, giving players an extra week of well-deserved rest.

It's the day you've all been waiting for!

It might be slightly hidden among the festival of football that is Euro 2024, but today is the day the Premier League fixtures for the 2024-25 season are released.

The confetti on Man City's fourth successive top flight title has barely been swept up but Pep Guardiola's side - and the 19 other teams - will find out their fates and schedules for next season today!