The Long wait by fans for the restart of English Premier League ends today, with last season’s surprise champions, Leicester City setting the ball rolling as guests to Hull.
Super Eagles forward, Ahmed Musa, who joined the Foxes from CSKA Moscow, is set to make his Leicester debut as they start the defence of their title at the KCOM Stadium for a lunch-time kick-off against a managerless Hull City with only 13 players fit to start the game.
The home side are without three centre-backs – Alex Bruce, Harry Maguire and the captain, Michael Dawson – injured, as well as the goalkeeper Alan McGregor. Coach Claudio Ranieri, whose side will only miss suspended defender Robert Huth, could not have hoped for anything easier as they begin an unlikely campaign to defend a title they won against all odds last season.
It is still uncertain if Musa starts the game, but he will definitely make his debut in a game that Leicester should easily take.
The match of the weekend will however be played tomorrow at the Emirate when Arsenal hosts Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
Arsène Wenger’s Gunners start the season with this cracker of a tie, weakened by absence of a number of players due to injury and fitness questions. Wenger, who only made two Summer signings (Xhaka and Holding) will field a makeshift central defensive partnership, with Mertesacker and Gabriel injured and Koscielny unfit to start.
Liverpool also have their own injury worries, but will want to do all to nerve Arsenal, though they have a poor away record against Arsenal, winning only once in 20 matches across 15 years.
But before this game, Pep Guardiola will get a taste of the Premier League when his new look Man City side host Sunderland today.
Talking about debuts, the much awaited one takes place tomorrow when new manager Jose Mourinho takes his refurbished Manchester United team to Bournemouth to face a team that handed him defeat at Stanford Bridge in his last match as Chelsea’s coach. However, this time around the Portuguese could bank on his summer signings, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to force a different outcome against Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth.
Manchester United world record signing, Paul Pogba misses the game on suspension, due to two yellow cards he got in last season’s Coppa Italia in the semi-final tie against Inter and the final win over Milan.
With the return of Mourinho to English football and star coaches like Guardiola, Klopp and Conte, now in charge at Etihad, Anfield and Stamford Bridge respectively, this season is tight and hard to predict. It will surely go down as the most contested in the history of the Premier League, with about seven teams capable of winning the title.
In any case, bookmakers are tipping Man Utd or Man City to take the shield. But they were proven wrong last season as underdogs Leicester City, with 5000-1 chance, defied the odds to win.
First Weekend Matches (August 13-14) Kick-off 16.00 CET
Hull City v Leicester City (13.30)
Crystal Palace v West Bromwich Albion
Everton v Tottenham Hotspur
Burnley v Swansea City
Middlesbrough v Stoke City
Southampton v Watford
Manchester City v Sunderland (18.30)
A.F.C. Bournemouth v Manchester United (Sunday 14.30)
Arsenal v Liverpool (Sunday 17.00)
Chelsea v West Ham United (Monday night 21.00)
Next Weekend, August 20-21
Leicester City v Arsenal
Liverpool v Burnley
Manchester United v Southampton
Stoke City v Manchester City
Sunderland v Middlesbrough
Swansea City v Hull City
Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace
Watford v Chelsea
West Bromwich Albion v Everton
West Ham United v A.F.C. Bournemouth
August 27-28
Chelsea v Burnley
Crystal Palace v A.F.C. Bournemouth
Everton v Stoke City
Hull City v Manchester United
Leicester City v Swansea City
Manchester City v West Ham United
Southampton v Sunderland
Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool
Watford v Arsenal
West Bromwich Albion v Middlesbrough
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