The streaming service, which gives viewers access to all remaining regular season games and the playoffs, was priced at $14.99/month but has now fallen to $9.99 for the rest of the season in the USA and Canada.

It is also available for free to all Apple TV+ subscribers.

Though the remainder of the current season is available at a reduced rate, the MLS Season Pass will renew at a standard full-season price until canceled.

What to expect from the rest of the MLS season

The regular season concludes on October 19, with Inter Miami CF currently leading the Eastern Conference and LA Galaxy sitting atop the West.

With the home advantage going to the team with the better record once the playoffs roll around, there is sure to be some feisty competition ahead of that deadline.

An exciting race for the Golden Boot is also shaping up, with former Premier League strikers Christian Benteke and Luis Suarez tied for first and third respectively.

Before then, the Campeones Cup will be shown on September 25, pitting reigning MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew against Liga MX champions Club America.

Columbus is hoping to become the second team to win multiple Campeones Cup crowns after Tigres UANL achieved the feat last year.

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Looking ahead to the rest of the season

The beginning of the post-season will be marked on October 23 when the eighth and ninth-placed teams from each conference compete in a wild card best-of-three series to claim the final spots in the quarterfinals of the MLS Cup playoffs.

The quarterfinals will also be decided by a best-of-three series but one-off games, with the option of extra time and penalties, will decide who progresses thereafter.

The final is set for December 7, 2024.

Will Lionel Messi, who returned to Inter Miami training in a limited capacity last week, be fit enough to lead Inter Miami’s title charge?

Could Olivier Giroud or Marco Reus wrap up their first Stateside season by bringing the cup home for LAFC or LA Galaxy respectively?

These are questions that can only be answered on the football field.

What is included in MLS Season Pass?

With an MLS Season Pass subscription, fans can watch every MLS game with no blackouts.

The multi-view feature allows fans to watch up to four matches at once on select devices.

They will also have access to analysis and commentary, as well as exclusive content, all of which can be streamed through the Apple TV app on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes, and game consoles, as well as on the web.

Matches are available in English or Spanish, with the option to listen to the home club’s local radio announcers.

Fans can also access MLS 360, the matchday whip-around show featuring live look-ins and highlights from around the league as well as pre-match coverage, post-match analysis, highlights, player profiles, interviews, club content, match replays, and more.

The pass will be priced at MX$9 in Mexico and $0.99 in Argentina for the rest of the season.

Photo: IMAGO / Zoonar.

Earlier this week, what is believed to be one of the first-ever red Welsh football tops was unearthed while a former Football Association of Wales (FAW) official was moving from their Cardiff home.

It is set to be displayed in the Welsh Football Museum (WFM) in Wrexham in 2026, providing a symbol from the beginning of a footballing story that continues to write new chapters today.

World Soccer Talk is turning the pages back to the very start of such stories, revisiting the first fixtures played by each of England, Wales, and Scotland.

England and Scotland

New interim manager Lee Carsley has named his first England squad ahead of September meetings with the Republic of Ireland and Finland.

Meanwhile, Scotland boss Steve Clarke will hope to bounce back from a disappointing outing at the European Championships as his side take on Poland and Portugal.

Nearly 152 years ago, on Nov. 30, 1872, England met Scotland in what FIFA recognizes as the oldest official international fixture in world football. Taking place at the Scotland Cricket ground at Hamilton Crescent, the match attracted approximately 2,500 spectators. Though the occasion was a memorable one, the fixture was less so – ending in a 0-0 draw.

Five unofficial clashes between England and Scotland played out in the two years prior. This was the first to truly capture the spirit of international football. Those fixtures were almost exclusive for players from the London area, meaning that several players representing Scotland were not Scottish.

A different vision for the fixture was subsequently laid out by FA General Secretary Charles Alcock. Alcock wrote to the chief newspapers in Glasgow and Edinburgh. He threw down the gauntlet for a football fixture between 11 Englishmen and 11 Scots.

The Glasgow-based Queen’s Park Football Club accepted the challenge. The game was eventually on St Andrew’s Day. The Scots wore blue, as they do today. England sported white shirts emblazoned with the Three Lions badge and a red and navy crown.

Wales

Wales will don their iconic red shirts as they face Türkiye in their opening fixture of the 2024/25 Nations League.

They have worn red as their primary color for over a century. A recent rediscovery of the shirt confirmed that in the early 1900s. That kit featured a red dragon crest, a red base and white accents on the collar and sleeves.

However, their first official football fixture was in 1876. That predates the red strip which only came into play nearly a quarter-century later.

Like England, Wales traveled to Scotland for their first official international encounter. A Wrexham-based solicitor, Llewelyn Kenrick, placed an advert in the newspaper to recruit players for the fixture. It brought together a team including a stonemason, miner and chimney sweeper who journeyed to Glasgow.

They comfortably fell to the Scots, 4-0. Wales went on to lose its next seven games before finally tasting victory against England in 1881.

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The 49-year-old will make his debut on Premier League Live tomorrow as his former club hosts Fulham in the Premier League’s curtain-raiser at 3 p.m. ET.

Neville is then scheduled to make weekly appearances each Sunday, including this weekend.

The arrangement is part of a collaboration with Sky Sports and will see the former England international joining the NBC team for special on-site broadcasts in the United Kingdom as well as from their International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Connecticut.

Neville will be following in the lead of his punditry partner Jamie Carragher as he makes his way onto the American screen. The pair were rivals on the field but have since become a dynamic duo on Sky Sports shows including Monday Night Football.

Carragher, a former Liverpool defender, was part of CBS Sports’ highly popular coverage of the Champions League last season which was hosted by Kate Abdo and regularly featured pundits Thierry Henry and Micah Richards.

With Neville joining NBC Sports, they have a former Premier League defender and broadcasting heavyweight of their own.

Gary Neville brings further experience to NBC

Since he retired from professional football in 2011, Neville has become one of the biggest names in football broadcasting.

Even during his career, he had tested his hand at punditry, making appearances for ITV Sport during the 2002 World Cup and the 2008 European Championships.

He joined Sky Sports ahead of the 2011/12 season, taking over Andy Gray’s role as match analyst on the popular show Monday Night Football.

Today, he is one of the most recognizable faces of the British broadcaster’s Premier League coverage and a highly regarded figure in the industry.

In 2022, Neville won the Royal Television Society award for best Sports Presenter, Commentator or Pundit.

His show The Overlap has also gained popularity in recent years. It boasts more than one million subscribers on YouTube. There is particular fervor around its flagship show Stick to Football. Neville, Carragher, Roy Keane, Jill Scott and Ian Wright talk all things soccer.

A storied career as a player for club and country

Neville was a full-back during his playing career and a stalwart of Sir Alex Ferguson’s wildly successful Manchester United teams.

He spent his entire career with the Red Devils. While with the Old Trafford side, he made the fifth most appearances of any player in the club’s history. He ranks in the top 50 for appearances made in the Premier League. During that time, Neville won two Champions League trophies. One came as part of United’s historic treble in 1998/99. Neville tacked on 12 Premier League titles and four FA Cups.

Jamie Carragher famously joked that “no one wants to grow up and be a Gary Neville” on Monday Night Football. There is no doubt that Neville’s was a distinguished Premier League career.

Neville was unable to claim the trophies to match at the international level. Regardless, he was a similarly steady presence in the England sides of the 1990s and 2000s. He made 85 appearances for the Three Lions in his career. His strong partnership with David Beckham stood out for both club and country.

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Broadcasting over-the-air (OTA) is sure to attract more viewers. Moreover, USMNT stars Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah in the Milan setup only adds to the allure. Both sides are linked to American ownership groups too. Krause Group purchased Parma in 2020, and RedBird Capital Partners took over Milan in 2022.

World Soccer Talk found that a recent viewership for a Serie A fixture in the U.S. currently stands at 225,000. That came during a contest between Fiorentina and Atalanta in April 2021. That fixture, a 3–2 win for Atalanta, was shown on over-the-air television by ABC. At the time, it highlighted the greater reach of fixtures broadcasted on network television.

CBS’s airing of the game between Parma and Milan on OTA TV is a testament to its revamped coverage. With games more accessible to the public, this is an exciting time for American calcio fans. That excitement will only build if a record US audience tunes in to watch Parma take on Milan.

CBS expands Serie A coverage with broadcast TV fixtures

CBS renewed their deal with Serie A this summer following the expiry of their first deal, which was signed in 2021. Securing two more seasons of top-flight Italian football, the broadcaster is set to deliver the widest distribution of Serie A ever in the U.S.

More than 400 club matches will be streamed live on Paramount+, while select matches will be broadcast on the CBS Television Network, CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network.

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Parma-Milan preview

New manager Paulo Fonseca is at the helm after Stefano Pioli’s departure in May. Pioli led Milan to a first scudetto in 11 years during the 2021/2022 season, but he has struggled to keep pace with Simone Inzaghi’s Inter in the two campaigns since. Fonseca has been impressed with his side during pre-season but feels there is still room for improvement as the season gets underway.

“We’ve only had five weeks of work, there’s a long way to go. We can already look at some of the team’s intentions that they’re already trying to put on the field,” he said following a 3-1 victory over Monza in Milan’s final pre-season tie.

“Today we played with two different teams, we have different things to improve and work on. I’m very satisfied because the players are trying to do what we’ve been working on in these weeks.

“We need time to improve defensively. If we want to be a team that presses high, there are things to improve. In the first 20 minutes we did well, we recovered high balls. We need time to continue improving.”

The 45-year-old is also tipping winger Rafael Leao to live up to his star potential on a more consistent basis.

“We are working together, I am very satisfied. It seems to me that Rafa is more inclined to work for the team defensively. I am sure he will be a different player,” he said.

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The platform boasts clients across 35 countries, ranging from professional sports organizations to gambling sites and media companies. Its success has convinced sports technology titans Hudl to purchase the company. Hudl claims to supply 230,000 teams and eight million users across 40 different sports with its video and data products. It now adds StatsBomb data to its professional suite.

“I’m excited our customers will have access to this critical data in one platform to improve the performance of their teams and change the way they see the game,” said Chief Product Officer John Wirtz.

Meanwhile, StatsBomb CEO and co-founder Ted Knutson celebrated the move as a step forward for sports data in a post made to X.

“With Hudl’s distribution, our football product will fundamentally change coaching process like we did in soccer,” he wrote.

“And the soccer product will finally incorporate video, for the full data, insight, and video analysis cycle.

“I think the Founders of that company built something special in a very crowded, competitive space and I hope the fact that we carried ourselves differently was visible to the outside world from day 1 right through to the end.”

Blog to business: the StatsBomb story before Hudl

“A new sports stats site with a silly name. Why is it here and why should you care?”

This was the opening line of the first edition of the StatsBomb blog, published July 15, 2013.

Knutson, who authored the piece, clearly had a vision for the page but even he could not have imagined the ways it would evolve over the next 11 years.

The original concept was a humbler one. Under the sub-heading ‘What is StatsBomb?’ he wrote, “It’s going to be a place for analysts to publish their work on a website with a bigger, more regular traffic footprint than their personal blog.”

Looking to the future, he added “I see StatsBomb growing into a place you can come to for good, thoughtful writing about sports and/or numbers.”

What has emerged is slightly more elaborate. Alongside co-founder Charlotte Randall, Knutson helped StatsBomb grow into a leader in the soccer analysis and data space. Its audience has grown well beyond the analytics enthusiasts to whom Knutson wrote. The platform now supplies advanced data to over 330 professional teams and sports organizations.

Just last month, they agreed to a partnership with LaLiga club Celta Vigo. Back in 2021, their StatsBomb 360 product won them a partnership with Liverpool. They have branched into other sports too, moving into American Football in 2022.

Co-founders say goodbye

Knutson has left the company following the acquisition but feels positive about its future.  

“I have left to pursue other passions, but there are amazing, clever people left that will continue to impress the world every day,” he said.

Randall will also step aside for the next chapter of the StatsBomb. She voiced her joy at the company’s success in a post on LinkedIn.

“Extremely proud, humbled and honored as we announce that StatsBomb has been acquired by Hudl!” she wrote.

“This is the culmination of 8 years of hard work that started with some scrappy ideas and big dreams and ended up with 1,000 employees across 3 continents.”

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The shocking news comes after Preston’s 2-0 home defeat to Sheffield United, which ended with the fans booing Lowe and his side off the field.

The 45-year-old has managed the club since December 2021 but said it was the ‘right time’ to go.

Mike Marsh has been placed in interim charge ahead of clashes with Sunderland and Swansea City this week.

In a statement posted to the club’s website, Preston thanked Lowe for his “hard work, dedication and commitment” and promised an update on the arrangements moving forward following the conclusion of those two upcoming games.

Lowe’s time at Preston

Lowe arrived at Preston in December 2021 to replace Frankie McAvoy, who was sacked after The Lilywhites fell to 18th in the Championship standings.

The Liverpool-born manager resigned from Plymouth Argyle to take the job at Deepdale Stadium and secured Preston’s Championship status by steering them to 13th place in his first half-season in charge. He went one better with a full pre-season and a transfer window behind him, achieving a 12th place finish in the 2022/23 Championship season.

His departure comes shortly after his best season at the helm, taking Preston to 10th place. That season ended disappointingly, though, as Lowe’s side lost seven of their final 10 league games. The slump in form raised questions about Lowe’s stewardship and as a swirling pessimism gripped Deepdale on Friday, the manager realized it was time to go.

“I think now is the right time for the club to go in a different direction. I’ve always stressed since I walked through the door that if I can’t take the club any further, I’d leave it to someone else and that’s what I’m doing,” he said.

“I’m leaving the club in a good place with a fantastic squad, and I just wish the football club and everyone associated with it all the best in the future.”

Preston director Peter Ridsdale claims that the club accepted Lowe’s decision but did not actively seek his departure.

“It was Ryan’s initiative, not ours, we’re not sitting here after one game trying to knee-jerk react to the loss on Friday,” he said. “As a football club, we’re proud of the fact we don’t just hire and fire managers.”

What now for The Lilywhites?

As they begin the search for Lowe’s successor, The Lilywhites host Sunderland on Tuesday. Then, at the weekend, Preston travels to Swansea.

Sunderland finished 16th in the Championship last season, but they made an encouraging start to the campaign under new manager Regis Le Bris as they defeated Cardiff City 2-0.

Jobe Bellingham had links with a move away from the club this summer. He remains with the Black Cats for now.

Meanwhile, Swansea fell to a 1-0 defeat against Middlesborough as Luke Williams’ first full season in charge got underway.

The Lilywhites will be hoping to steady the ship and get a first win of the season under their belts as they await a new permanent manager.

Check out our handy guide on how to watch EFL Championship in USA if you want to keep up with all the exciting matches of this season.

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The 20-year-old forward was expected to sign a seven-year deal as a fee in the region of $44 million was agreed between the two clubs.

But the West London club will not be welcoming the Spanish international after contract negotiations reached a deadlock.

Reports from Spain suggest the disagreement related to ownership of the player’s image rights. Whatever its nature, it has jettisoned the deal.

Chelsea is now reportedly shifting their interest toward Omorodion’s teammate Joao Felix, who spent the second half of the 2022/23 season on loan at Stamford Bridge.

With Omorodion staying in Madrid, the seemingly imminent transfer of Conor Gallagher from Chelsea to Atletico is now in jeopardy.

The midfielder had flown to Madrid to complete his transfer but is now expected to return to London as the sides scramble to save the deal.

Why Chelsea wanted Omorodion

Chelsea’s pursuit of Omorodion was in line with their overarching transfer strategy, which focuses on attracting highly rated young talents to the club. The Premier League club has already snatched a promising attacking talent from LaLiga this summer, signing Barcelona teenager Marc Guiu in a $6.4 million deal.

Omorodion fits that mold. The 20-year-old scored nine La Liga goals while on loan at Alaves last season and was part of Spain’s gold medal-winning side at the Paris Olympics. Standing at 6’4, the Melilla-born striker has the makings of a domineering center-forward, which is a position that Enzo Maresca’s side may want to reinforce.

Nicolas Jackson netted 14 Premier League goals in his debut campaign with the Blues. Christopher Nkunku has been lighting up pre-season after an injury-plagued start to life in West London.

However, there are lingering concerns about Jackson’s consistency. Maresca can deploy Nkunku as a winger, attacking midfielder or striker, stating that the French international ‘can play everywhere.’

Omorodion, then, would have added depth to a relatively thin department of Chelsea’s squad. Meanwhile, he boasts the star potential that has consistently enticed the Todd Boehly-led consortium since they took charge in 2022.

Chelsea eyeing Joao Felix return in lieu of Omorodion

Chelsea is eyeing Joao Felix as a new candidate to refresh their attacking options after failing to land Omorodion.

The 24-year-old, also of Atletico Madrid, has spent the last season-and-a-half out on loan. At first, that was with Chelsea. Then, he spent time at Barcelona. Each move is a reflection of his failure to establish himself at Atletico Madrid following his $144 million move. That 2019 move remains Atletico Madrid’s most expensive transfer of all time.

There is no doubting the Portuguese international’s talent. He brings an entirely different profile compared to Omorodion, raising questions about his potential fit at Stamford Bridge. Felix operates best as an attacking midfielder or second striker, which is hardly a position of need for The Blues.

He impressed in that role during his short stint at Chelsea. Yet, that was before Cole Palmer arrived from Manchester City and stamped his identity on this struggling side.

Palmer, whether starting in the No. 10 or from that right wing, plays in the same pockets of space as Felix. He is hardly going to be displaced after a stellar debut campaign with the club. Nkunku, another of Chelsea’s most highly regarded attackers, can also play in the position.

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The 2023/24 Premier League season delivered one of the more memorable title races in recent memory, with Manchester City, Arsenal, and, until the later stages, Liverpool battling for the top spot. 

Pep Guardiola’s side emerged victorious with 91 points while Mikel Arteta’s runners-up reached 89, which reveals quite how exacting the competition has become.

Looking ahead to the upcoming season during his side’s pre-season tour of the United States of America, Arteta quipped that Arsenal will be aiming for 114 points – a perfect 38 wins from 38 games – as they seek to overcome the City juggernaut after consecutive seasons falling short finally. 

Though said jokingly, there is an underlying truth to Arteta’s comments. For those chasing the title, there is little room for error once the season kicks off on August 16. 

With the top teams hoping to make a strong start, World Soccer Talk analyses the first five fixtures that last season’s title contenders will encounter as they fight to reach the Premier League summit. 

Manchester City

The dominance of Pep Guardiola and Manchester City continued last season as they made history by becoming the first Premier League side to win four titles in a row. 

As they bid to extend that record to five titles in a row, they face early encounters with two of their toughest opponents from last season.

Gameweek 1: vs Chelsea (A), Sunday, August 18 (NBC)

In the must-watch fixture of the Premier League’s opening weekend, City face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. A 4-4 thriller played out when these two sides met in west London last season as Chelsea’s Cole Palmer struck an ice-cold penalty to level the scores against his former club deep into stoppage time.

They split the points at the Etihad too after Raheem Sterling’s opener was cancelled out by a late Rodri strike. 

A late-season flourish helped Chelsea finish sixth under Mauricio Pochettino, but the Argentine manager has since been replaced by Enzo Maresca, who orchestrated Leicester City’s return to the Premier League. 

It has been a torrid pre-season for the new manager as Chelsea slumped to a 2-2 draw against Wrexham AFC, who play two divisions below them, and a 4-1 defeat against Scottish Premier League holders Celtic. 

After these disappointing results, alongside a more encouraging 3-0 win over Club América, Chelsea’s last pre-season opponent on the US tour was Manchester City, who beat Chelsea 4-2.

Gameweek 2: vs Ipswich Town (H), Saturday, August 24 (Peacock)

Consecutive promotions under Kieran McKenna have taken Ipswich Town to the Premier League, but the competition is hardly offering them a warm welcome. 

The Tractor Boys travel to the Etihad during Gameweek 2 to face the reigning champions. City were unbeaten at home in the Premier League last season, handing losses to all of last season’s Premier League newcomers – Luton Town, Burnley, and Sheffield United – on their way to relegation. 

They are strong favorites to win this one. 

Gameweek 3: vs West Ham United (A), Saturday, August 31 (TV TBD)

City defeated West Ham United 3-1 home and away last campaign, with their triumph at The Etihad sealing the league title. 

The Irons approach the season with a new manager in Julen Lopetegui and enough quality to cause City some problems, as shown by Mohammed Kudus’ stunning overhead kick in that decisive game.

City will be favorites at the London Stadium, but Lopetegui will be hoping to make an emphatic statement with his new side. 

Gameweek 4: vs Brentford (H), Saturday, September 14 (TV TBD)

West London club Brentford know a thing or two about causing City problems, winning both their Premier League fixtures against the Manchester club during their treble-winning 2022/23 season. 

Though they fell to two defeats against City in 2023/24, Thomas Frank’s side were a nonetheless tough opponent. 

Brentford took the lead in the home fixture before a Phil Foden hat-trick turned the game in City’s favor. 

At the Etihad, The Bees successfully stalled City’s attack until an error from defender Kristoffer Ajer allowed Erling Haaland to score the game’s only goal. 

Retaining Frank as manager and bolstered by the return of players including Rico Henry and Aaron Hickey from injury, Brentford are ready to make life difficult for City as they return to the Etihad this campaign.

Gameweek 5: vs Arsenal (H), Sunday, September 22 (TV TBD)

Fans only have to wait until gameweek five for a showdown between the winners and runners-up of the previous two Premier League campaigns. 

Arsenal defeated City 1-0 at home last season before drawing 0-0 at the Etihad later on in two fixtures that lacked the jaw-dropping drama many spectators were anticipating. Upon winning the title, City midfielder Rodri criticized Arsenal for their defensive approach to the fixture. 

“When they came here, they faced us at the Etihad, I saw them and said: ‘Ah, these guys, they don’t want to beat us, they just want a draw,’” the Spaniard said.

“And we caught them. At the end, if you give us one point, we will win the last seven, eight games even though it’s so tough. So I think it comes down to mentality.”

Will Arteta continue with this cautious approach? Or will The Gunners opt for a more attacking approach? 

The answers to these questions could prove crucial in determining who emerges victorious on September 22 and, ultimately, who claims the Premier League crown. 

Arsenal

As they seek their first Premier League title in over twenty years, Arsenal faces the toughest start to the season out of last season’s title contenders, traveling to face Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester City within the first five gameweeks.  

Gameweek 1: vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (H), Saturday, August 17 (USA)

The Gunners kickstart their campaign in front of a home crowd, facing Wolves on August 17. 

Their 2-1 win over Gary O’Neil’s side at The Emirates last season showcased some of their most fluid attacking football, with Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard applying the finishing touches to two brilliant team goals. 

The Gunners were victorious on the road too, triumphing 2-0 with the pressure mounting in the title race. 

They will be hoping to repeat those victories this season, but should not underestimate Gary O’Neil’s side, who were one of three teams to defeat Manchester City in the Premier League last season. 

Gameweek 2: vs Aston Villa (A), Saturday, August 24 (NBC)

Arsenal will have a point to prove when they travel to Villa Park in Gameweek 2. With former Arsenal manager Unai Emery in the dugout, Aston Villa completed a Premier League double over The Gunners on the way to a fourth-placed finish. 

The first meeting, a 1-0 triumph at Villa Park in December, ended Arsenal’s six-game winning streak while propelling the home side into second place.

The latter, a 2-0 win at The Emirates in April, dealt a killer blow to Arsenal’s title hopes. 

Villa has moved decisively in the early stages of this transfer window too, adding Ian Maatsen, Ross Barkley, and Amadou Onana, as well as some promising young talents to their ranks, so Arteta’s side will have to be on top form if they are to take three points from this grudge match. 

Gameweek 3: vs Brighton and Hove Albion (H), Saturday, August 31 (TV TBD)

After the departure of manager Roberto De Zerbi, Brighton will travel to The Emirates under the tutelage of the newly appointed Fabian Hürzeler.

At 31 years old, Hürzeler is the youngest permanent manager in Premier League history and he is not short of ambition. 

Announcing his intention to “achieve big things and challenge the establishment” during his unveiling, this fixture will provide the opportunity to do just that. 

Brighton were beaten convincingly home and away by The Gunners last year, and Arteta’s side can take confidence from those compelling displays. 

But with a bright young manager at the helm, can Brighton cause an upset?

Gameweek 4: vs Tottenham Hotspur (A), Sunday, September 15 (TV TBD)

Arsenal face North London rivals Tottenham and likely title rivals Manchester City in the space of seven days in September in what could prove a make-or-break week for Arteta’s side. 

As well as six crucial points, momentum could be gained or lost from these headline fixtures. 

Arsenal drew 2-2 with Ange Postecoglou’s side at The Emirates last September but defeated Spurs on their home turf in April. 

Gameweek 5: vs Manchester City (A), Sunday, September 22 (TV TBD)

Arteta earned his first Premier League win over Manchester City last campaign and he will be hoping to add to that tally on September 22. 

Though criticized for his cautious approach in their two meetings with the Sky Blues, Arteta has shown his continuing determination to improve Arsenal’s defensive foundations with the recent addition of Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori. 

Solidity will be the basis of Arsenal’s game plan, but they will be eager to strike an early blow to City’s title hopes.

Liverpool

Before a late-season slump, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool was the third horse in a title race that seemed too close to call. 

The German manager would not get his fairytale ending at Anfield, though, finishing nine points behind eventual champions City as he handed the reins to Arne Slot after nine years with The Reds. 

Arriving from Eredivisie runners-up Feyenoord, Slot has been gifted a relatively easy start to Premier League life.

Gameweek 1: vs Ipswich Town (A), Saturday, August 17 (USA)

Facing Liverpool and Manchester City in their opening two fixtures is sure to awaken McKenna’s Ipswich to some of the more punishing realities of the Premier League. 

Slot’s Liverpool will need teething time, especially since several key players are yet to join Liverpool’s pre-season after competing in the European Championships and the Copa America, but the odds are stacked in their favor in this opening game. 

The Dutch manager’s approach centers around controlling possession whereas Klopp favored a more direct style built around an aggressive press.

Though they will need some time to adapt, the players seem ready to embrace the change of pace.

“As a style of play, it suits me,” midfielder Curtis Jones recently said. “It is a clear plan. Arne is fully involved in the training, he coaches us a lot, and he’s big on the finer details.”

Gameweek 2: vs Brentford (H), Sunday, August 25 (Peacock)

Like Ipswich, Brentford must also do battle with both Liverpool and Manchester City during their opening five fixtures. 

It was plain sailing for The Reds when they faced Thomas Frank’s side last season, registering a 3-0 win at home and a 4-1 win on the road after some calamitous Brentford defending. 

The Bees will be reinforced after the return of some of their injured players and may be tempted to retain Ivan Toney after new striker Igor Thiago sustained a meniscus injury ruling him out until late 2024. 

Anfield is certain to bring the noise for Slot’s home opener, but Brentford are a tricky opponent when at their best and might just spoil the party. 

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Gameweek 3: vs Manchester United (A), Sunday, September 1 (TV TBD)

Another chapter was added to a long and fierce rivalry as Manchester United interrupted Liverpool’s title charge and FA Cup run last season. 

The Red Devils, eventual FA Cup champions, eliminated Liverpool in a 4-3 quarter-final thriller at Old Trafford. 

Less than a month later, Liverpool had another unhappy afternoon in Manchester, drawing 2-2 to United as their title aspirations took a major hit. 

After much speculation around his future, Erik ten Hag remains in charge for a third season at United and will be hoping to improve on a rocky 2023/24 campaign.

His coaching staff has been upgraded over the summer, with the arrival of Rene Hake and Ruud van Nistelrooy as Assistants, and young talents Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro have been signed, though Yoro is now expected to miss three months with a foot injury suffered in pre-season. 

A win at United’s stomping ground is the biggest statement Slot can make across his first five fixtures, but with a rivalry such as this, those victories are rarely straightforward.

Gameweek 4: Nottingham Forest (H), Saturday, September 14 (TV TBD)

Consecutive games at Anfield round out Liverpool’s opening five fixtures, beginning with last season’s 17th-placed side Nottingham Forest. 

Forest survived despite a four-point deduction for breaches of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), finishing six points clear of the relegation zone. 

Nuno Espírito Santo’s side combines strong defensive foundations with the attacking talents of Morgan Gibbs-White, Anthony Elanga, and Callum Hudson-Odoi. 

Liverpool can expect to dominate possession, but they must be wary of the pace and panache that Forest possesses on the counter. 

Gameweek 5: Bournemouth (H), Saturday, September 21 (TV TBD)

Bournemouth finished 12th under new manager Andoni Iraola last season, catching the eye with their high-pressing style. 

Marksman Dominic Solanke ended the season with 19 Premier League goals, placing him joint fourth in the Golden Boot race. 

If Bournemouth can retain Solanke then they can realistically hope to improve on the club-record 48 points they tallied last season. 

For Slot and Liverpool, it’s another chance to mark Anfield out as the oft-cited footballing fortress, but Bournemouth will provide a tough test for an evolving side. 

Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool fixtures

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