Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Liverpool manager Arne Slot lifts the Premier League trophy.Alamy Stock Photo FreeCalendar Liverpool to begin Premier League title defence against Bournemouth Thomas Frank’s Spurs reign will start against Burnley, while Sunderland face West Ham and Leeds take on West Ham. 9.17am, 18 Jun 2025 Share options LIVERPOOL WILL KICK OFF their Premier League title defence with a home game against Bournemouth on Friday, 15 August. Arne Slot’s side have the chance to secure the first points of the new season at Anfield as they launch the 2025-26 campaign. Thomas Frank’s first match as Tottenham boss will come the following day at home against newly-promoted Burnley, while Sunderland’s return to the top flight also begins at home on 16 August against West Ham. The third newcomers, Leeds, have been given the Monday night slot for a clash with Everton at Elland Road. Other fixtures on the opening weekend see Aston Villa face Newcastle at Villa Park in the early kick-off on the Saturday, while Manchester City travel to Wolves later the same day. Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United have been handed an immediate challenging test with a home game against Arsenal on Sunday, 17 August. Everton’s first Premier League match at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium comes the following weekend against Brighton, while notable fixtures that weekend include Arsenal hosting Leeds, Tottenham travelling to Manchester City and Liverpool visiting Newcastle. It could be a testing start for Slot’s champions, with a home game against Arsenal on the third weekend ahead of the first international break of the new term. Advertisement The first Manchester derby of the campaign comes immediately after the break, on the weekend of 13 September at the Etihad Stadium, where Pep Guardiola’s new-look team will hope to stamp their authority after a difficult season. A probable key couple of weeks for City concludes with a trip to Arsenal the following weekend, while the weekend of 20 September also sees the Merseyside derby take place at Anfield and a meeting between Manchester United and Chelsea. Burnley appear to have the most tricky start of the promoted sides, with Spurs, Manchester United, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Aston Villa all among their first eight fixtures, while they also face clashes with Leeds and Sunderland. The weekend of 18 October will be immediately marked in the diaries of Manchester United and Liverpool fans, with the rivals clashing at Anfield. The first meeting between Manchester City and Liverpool comes the weekend of 8 November at the Etihad Stadium, with the first north London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham taking place the other side of the international break at the Emirates. The north-east derby, meanwhile, returns to the Premier League the weekend of 13 December when Newcastle make the short trip to Sunderland’s Stadium of Light. The first weekend of the new year will see matches between Leeds and Manchester United and Manchester City and Chelsea, with Arsenal facing Liverpool the following midweek. Notable fixtures in the second half of the season include the second Manchester derby at Old Trafford the weekend of 17 January, while Liverpool host Manchester City the weekend of 7 February. Everton fans will have to wait until the weekend of 18 April for the first Merseyside derby at their new home, with Arsenal also travelling to Manchester City in that round of fixtures. The final day of the season falls on Sunday, 24 May, with matches including Manchester City against Aston Villa. Press Association Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Liverpool to begin Premier League title defence against Bournemouth”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Liverpool to begin Premier League title defence against Bournemouth”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. 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