It feels like an incredibly wide open Division, at least behind Champions Arsenal who look the standout team and strong favourites to retain the title.
Much of the uncertainty behind them is the number of new managers joining the Premier League, while the likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle United have lost a host of key players in the transfer window. Those teams will only be judged on September 2nd once the summer transfer window is closed, although the same can be said for any number of clubs in the top flight.
Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City are all expected to be fighting for top four spots as they begin new eras under Xabi Alonso, Andoni Iraola and Enzo Maresca respectively.
The latter two have Premier League experience, but Maresca is taking over from Pep Guardiola and there is almost an expectation that Manchester City will have to go through a bit of a transition with that in mind. Erling Haaland will always score a lot of goals when he is on the pitch, and that can make that transition easier, but Manchester City showed the work that may need to be done in the 3-0 loss to Arsenal in the Community Shield.
Andoni Iraola is taking a big step up from Bournemouth to Liverpool and Chelsea may end up being the beneficiary of not playing in Europe much like Manchester United were last season.
The absence of the midweek fixtures will give Xabi Alonso plenty of time to get his methods across to his players and the front three of Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro could push Chelsea into a strong position as long as they stay healthy.
Tottenham Hotspur are another club that look to have done some decent business to improve the squad and they have to believe they will have a much clearer year when it comes to injuries that decimated the options in the 2025/26 season.
Roberto De Zerbi has got his feet under the table at Tottenham Hotspur after guiding them to safety from a precarious position at the end of last season and he has proven to be a Coach that can get the best out of his players very quickly.
Those teams mentioned look to be the main rivals to Manchester United and the ambitions of becoming a consistent Champions League performing club.
Michael Carrick did a good job in terms of the results produced after taking over from Ruben Amorim, but there is a feeling that the underlying numbers have to be better, especially away from home. Not much was wrong with the way Manchester United played at Old Trafford under the former midfielder, but they struggled for consistency away from home and that will need to be improved.
Manchester United fans will also note that they perhaps underachieved when facing the weaker teams in the Premier League last season- they dropped two points against Wolves (20th), two points against Burnley (19th), four points against West Ham United (18th), two points against Spurs (17th), two points against Nottingham Forest (16th).
The season ended with 14 points between Manchester United and Champions Arsenal so you can see the importance of those fixtures highlighted, while it should also be pointed out that the teams in 12th, 13th and 14th place all had wins over United too.
This is an area that the signings of Youri Tielemens are expected to help Manchester United improve with a midfielder that can help probe open spaces for the forward players.
He looks a smart piece of business and the hope is that Marcus Rashford will want to prove himself to the fans who have lost faith in the Academy graduate (and that is assuming Rashford will be staying).
More transfer business is needed to really give Manchester United a chance to put a solid first half of the season together before the January window opens, while there is also the pressure of facing a couple of promoted clubs in the first two weeks of the season where expectation will weigh heavily on the players.
All three promoted clubs will have a tough time surviving at this level, but Coventry City and Ipswich Town may have more hope than Hull City.
Play Off Winners have actually had relative success in recent Premier League years, but Hull City look short right now, although this can be reassessed at the end of the transfer window.
If one or more of those clubs are able to survive, it is the likes of Fulham, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United and Sunderland that may be most vulnerable, at least at the beginning of this weekend and before all transfer activity has been completed.
Sunderland's return to European Football is expected to see them take a step backwards and the same can be said for Bournemouth under a new manager and so perhaps Brentford will be the surprise representative in any UEFA competition next season.
The Bees have held onto the key players having sold in the last two summer windows and that consistency could be so important.
Unai Emery is always likely to get more out of his Aston Villa squad than some may think, but they have an important week coming up after the sales made in this window.
In the weeks and months ahead, the focus will also be on the Fantasy Premier League game and there will be some players identified who can produce solid returns.
Those will not be the big ownership players (Erling Haaland, Bruno Fernandes, etc, etc), but those who may be flying under the radar.
The plan from Gameweek 2 is to also offer one or two top Fantasy plays from each game of the week, while selections will not be made from every fixture, although the thoughts on how those fixtures could play out will be written out.
Remember it is a long season though and there will be twists and turns throughout the campaign- the hope is that we zig and zag when we should!
English Premier League Game Week 1
Arsenal vs Coventry City: The opening game of the Premier League season will feature the Champions hosting for a second year in a row and that is probably going to be the approach the Division takes in the coming years.
Arsenal have added with some quality and they look to be the team to beat over the next nine months.
Opening fixtures can be tough as players rebuild match fitness, while those returning from late action at the World Cup may still be finding their rhythm.
Jurrien Timber and William Saliba are missing, but Arsenal should still be able to largely contain the threat from Frank Lampard's second tier Champions and the home team are one that were able to do that against those in the bottom third of the table in the last campaign.
Arsenal made sure the three promoted clubs offered very little threat at the Emirates Stadium and Coventry City are without Haji Wright for the opener.
It has been a long time since Coventry City played in the top flight, but they have an experienced manager and big ambitions in the boardroom- they should be able to offer some real fight this season, but opening up at the Emirates Stadium may be as tough as it gets and Coventry City should be shown the gap they need to bridge from the Championship to the Premier League right out of the gate.
Hull City vs Manchester United: On paper this looks an ideal opener for Michael Carrick and Manchester United, although the manager was having none of that in his pre-match press conference.
He is right to be downplaying the media words and Michael Carrick will be reminding his players of their own struggles against those they should have beaten last season. That should mean urging for a professional performance and Manchester United will also need to weather what is likely to be an early storm in this part of Yorkshire.
Hull City surprisingly came through the Play Offs to return to the top flight, but it may have come a season too early and the summer transfer activity has been decent, if unspectacular.
All of the underlying numbers suggested Hull City should have been fighting to avoid relegation and not for promotion last season and this is a big step up.
Playing at home on the opening weekend will mean the fans are loud and the players have yet to have the confidence dented, but Manchester United's forward options should give them a significant edge and anything less than three points would be a huge disappointment.
Everton vs Crystal Palace: David Moyes has not been happy with the transfer business at Hill Dickinson Stadium and Everton need to find a way to be more comfortable in their new home if they are going to match the ambitions of the manager.
A poor end to last season meant Everton were not quite able to push into the European spots in the Premier League and it has been over thirty years since they last won silverware.
Both are situations that Moyes wants to reset and making a positive start to the season before bringing in new faces is the goal of the weekend.
Everton are facing a Crystal Palace team that have not enjoyed visiting the blue half of Merseyside in recent years and this is yet another top flight club under new management.
Pierre Sage has put a solid CV together in France, but a lack of experience of the Premier League is a factor and Oliver Glasner has set a high standard having guided The Eagles to the FA Cup in 2025 and Conference League in 2026.
The squad has been kept together, which is important, but Crystal Palace have a new voice to understand and perhaps a change in system, which may see them come up short at Everton yet again.
Ipswich Town vs Sunderland: Two years ago, Ipswich Town gave Liverpool all they could handle on the opening weekend at Portman Road, but they could not breakthrough and the season unravelled over the weeks and months ahead.
They cannot afford to wait until the last fixture of the calendar year for a League win in another campaign, but Ipswich Town will be going in without Kieran McKenna this time.
Gary O'Neil has overachieved in keeping Bournemouth and Wolves in the Premier League in recent roles, but he has not been able to sustain the progress- however, Ipswich Town would snap your hand off for a 17th place finish right now!
Fixtures like this have to be seen as those where Ipswich Town need to find a way to build the points together- two years ago they struggled at Portman Road and Sunderland showed last season that they can find plenty of big away results to back up the successes at the Stadium of Light.
A lack of incomings has some wondering if Sunderland will be worked out this season, but Regis Le Bris has surpassed all expectations in each of the last two seasons and The Black Cats have to be respected.
Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United: Oliver Glasner has left Crystal Palace and some may have expected him to rock up at a 'bigger' club than Nottingham Forest.
However, this is a club that has plenty of potential if they invest the Elliot Anderson funds wisely and the squad looks like one that could settle into the preferred Glasner formation pretty quickly.
Two years ago, Nottingham Forest came close to earning a spot in the Champions League, but four managers in nine months is never going to be a system for success. It meant a campaign of struggle, but Nottingham Forest did reach the Europa League Semi Final and Oliver Glasner has shown he can develop a team and get them to overachieve.
This looks a tough opener against Leeds United who had a really strong end to the second half of the season and who have added James Trafford to give them a stronger platform from which to build. Daniel Farke challenged the board to back him, which they have tried to do, and Leeds United will also benefit from the arrival of Harry Wilson to offer more creativity going forward.
A 1-1 draw is scoreline that will be popular with neutrals, but opening day football can see plenty of mistakes made as teams get up to speed and it would not be a surprise if a winner can be found.
Brentford vs Tottenham Hotspur: Roberto De Zerbi changed the Tottenham Hotspur fortune just in time to keep them in the Premier League and he has been backed significantly in the market with the midfield upgraded and yet more players set to arrive.
A new centre half pairing gives Tottenham Hotspur a more solid look, although Micky van de Ven is not expected to play this weekend, but fans will likely believe another attacker or two could make the difference between a good and a great season.
Spurs have made things tough for Brentford when visiting the Gtech Community Stadium, but the home team are a stubborn nut to crack in this part of West London.
Keith Andrews did a fine job last season and he will be glad that the squad looks to have been kept together this season rather than losing the quality of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa as they did last year. Thiago has remained with the club and Brentford look like they could build on a successful campaign with the aim being a maiden campaign in European Football.
Games between these London rivals have tended to finish with the point shared in recent times and they may be the case on Saturday afternoon with the 1-1 scoreline looking a real runner.
Brighton vs Aston Villa: In recent years, Aston Villa have travelled to the South Coast and regularly returned with three points from the Amex Stadium. Last season they were 2-0 behind, but still won the game 3-4 and Unai Emery's management will be expected to get the best out of the squad as he has done in his time at Villa Park.
However, Aston Villa made a slow start to the Premier League season twelve months ago and there is a fear that something similar may happen over the next month.
A tricky opening two games is one issue, but the bigger one is the amount of turnover in the squad.
Emi Martinez and Ollie Watkins are rumoured to be the next players ready to depart and that would mean following Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemens and Morgan Rogers out of the door. All were involved in the Europa League success, while Aston Villa are dealing with an early injury crisis as the likes of Joao Gomes and Johan Manzambi are expected to miss out.
The Villans remain a threat with Emery showing he can still get plenty out of those remaining in the narrow 2-1 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup.
They are also facing a Brighton team that have travelled back from Norway after playing in the Conference League Play Off Round First Leg, but Fabian Hurzeler was able to rest some key players and The Seagulls may be more ready to make a positive start to the Premier League campaign.
Manchester City vs Bournemouth: Enzo Maresca takes charge of Manchester City for the first Premier League game without Pep Guardiola since 2016 and he will be looking for a much better performance all around than what was shown in Cardiff in the Community Shield last Sunday.
Conceding within seconds of the opening kick off of the season will have always made it tough and you have to expect Manchester City will be more focused back at the Etihad Stadium.
The squad looks a little light, especially after Jeremy Doku was ruled out, but Manchester City have another week of training under the feet and Erling Haaland is available.
They are also facing a Bournemouth team who are under new management with Marco Rose coming in to replace Andoni Iraola, but the new manager is facing an early injury crisis. The fans will be hoping Rose is not going to rip up the tactics that had worked so well under the previous manager, but there will be new methods that need to be implemented so Marco Rose can stamp his own authority on the squad.
His first task is to make Bournemouth more competitive at the Etihad Stadium- the team have taken some very heavy defeats here as they have looked to play their football, which suits Manchester City who are used to having to break down low blocks.
Bournemouth have regularly scored here, but they concede too many and that may be the analysis of this fixture at full time on Sunday.
Newcastle United vs Liverpool: Kevin Keegan will be remembered in the build up to this Premier League fixture and rightly so.
Fans will also come together to pay their respects to the man who represented both of these clubs, but the rivalry will soon return.
Newcastle United fans will not have forgotten how Liverpool managed to turn Alexander Isak's head last year and they felt that impacted their season all year long. The Swedish striker is likely going to be booed relentlessly when he leads the line for Liverpool on Sunday, but the visitors can continue their strong run of results at St James' Park if they can quieten the noise.
The home team have not only lost manager Eddie Howe, but the midfield has been gutted ahead of the new season and the next week is going to be hugely important for Newcastle United.
A trio of Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton had given Newcastle United a physical presence in the middle of the park and plenty of quality to get the ball out of the likes of Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes. They missed Alexander Isak last season as Nick Woltemade struggled to adapt and Yoane Wissa was injured for much of the campaign, but this year Newcastle United are also missing Guimaraes, Tonali and Gordon.
The former two names have headed to separate Premier League clubs in North London and Anthony Gordon has replaced Marcus Rashford at Barcelona, while new manager Matthias Jaissle is also going to be without Joelinton.
The Toon Army will be loud and really get behind the home team, but it is hard to see how they can contain Liverpool's attack as Andoni Iraola manages them for the first time in a competitive game. The new manager wants more attacking options, but both Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak have enjoyed a productive pre-season outings and Liverpool should be able to create a lot of opportunities.
Liverpool do have issues defensively that Newcastle United could exploit on the counter attack, but in a game that could be filled with goals, it is the away team that looks to have the edge. Five goals were shared out when the teams met here last August and something similar would not surprise with the visitors likely heading back to Merseyside with three points.
Fulham vs Chelsea: Two friends who both managed Real Madrid at different points last season will be heading to West London to take one another on in debuts with new clubs.
Xabi Alonso takes over at Chelsea and there is a lot of excitement that he can get the best out of an underachieving squad.
He has been backed by the board who have brought in a replacement for Marc Cucurella that will suit the Alonso favoured 3-4-3 tactic, while signings like Maxence Lacroix and Morgan Rogers means established Premier League quality has arrived. No European Football gives Chelsea every chance to bounce back into a top four battle, if not even better, and this is a team that have tended to enjoy the short trip to Craven Cottage.
Alvaro Arbeloa is the surprise Fulham appointment to replace Marco Silva having had little experience, although he would argue six months at Real Madrid is like managing a lifetime at most other clubs.
Fulham have lost some influential players in Harry Wilson and Raul Jimenez, but there is some quality within the squad and much will depend on how quickly they respond to the new manager having spent five years under Marco Silva.
A West London derby under the lights should mean a decent atmosphere, but it will be far from hostile for Chelsea and that is perhaps why they have enjoyed this fixture more than visiting Brentford.
Scoring first on the opening weekend always feels that much more important with players perhaps not having the same energy to fight back as they would in two months time.
Chelsea's front three look more capable of helping the away team get in front first and they look like they have the quality to make an early statement about what they can achieve this season by winning at Craven Cottage.
MY PICKS: Arsenal Win to Nil @ 1.87 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
Manchester United - 1.25 Asian Handicap @ 1.74 William Hill (1 Unit)
Everton @ 2.25 Bet365 (1 Unit) early payout price
Ipswich Town-Sunderland Draw @ 3.40 Bet Fred (0.5 Units)
Nottingham Forest-Leeds United Over 2.5 Goals @
Brentford-Tottenham Hotspur Draw @ 3.75 Bet Fred (0.5 Units)
Brighton @ 2.25 Bet365 (1 Unit) early payout price
Manchester City - 1.25 Asian Handicap @ 1.97 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Liverpool @ 1.90 Bet365 (1 Unit) early payout price
Chelsea @ 1.95 Coral (1 Unit)
2026 World Cup: 57-45-1, + 8.63 Units (103 Units Staked, + 8.38% Yield)
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