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LONDON. — With champions Manchester City opening their title defence tomorrow, the mostly likely challengers for their crown — Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United — have a chance to make a statement today.
Chelsea host Crystal Palace after Manchester United take on Leeds United in an early kick-off.
Then Liverpool round off the day at promoted Norwich City.
City, who claimed a third title in four years in May but then fell flat in a Champions League final defeat by Chelsea, go to Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow.
Chelsea’s clinical win over City in Porto capped a remarkable start to Thomas Tuchel’s reign at Stamford Bridge, having taken over from Frank Lampard in January.
It was the third time in little over a month that Tuchel got the better of Pep Guardiola and underlined Chelsea’s credentials as the team most likely to challenge City this season.
The arrival of striker Romelu Lukaku for around 95 million pounds from Inter Milan will beef up an attack that often operated without a focal point last season, giving Tuchel another option in an already versatile forward unit.
Chelsea already have one trophy in the bank with Wednesday’s European Super Cup win over Villarreal.
They looked a little off the pace in that penalty shootout win which came at a cost with winger Hakim Ziyech suffering a shoulder injury that looks likely to make him unavailable against Palace.
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knows he faces a season of reckoning at Old Trafford after so far failing to deliver a trophy since taking over in 2018.
The Norwegian has been backed in the transfer market with the arrival of Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund but improving on last season’s runners-up spot will be a massive challenge.
A visit from old rivals Leeds United on the opening day also ensures that there will be no gentle easing in to a pivotal campaign in the managerial career of Solskjaer.
“Last season was more than acceptable in terms of on the journey but this year they’ve got to get nearer,” said former United captain and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, who called Varane “the last piece in the jigsaw”.
“They’ve got to get close to challenging for the title and that’s going to be really tough.”
Liverpool’s attempted title defence last season was undermined by a succession of injuries at the back — most notably to Virgil van Dijk.
So news that left back Andy Robertson will miss their away trip to Norwich with a ligament injury sustained in a friendly against Athletic Bilbao this week is hardly encouraging.
On the plus side Liverpool have most of their long-term injured back and the signing of defender Ibrahima Konate will offer more cover for the long battle ahead.
Liverpool won their last five league games last season to grab what had looked like being an unlikely top-four finish and a trip to Norwich offers Juergen Klopp’s side the chance to build on that momentum.
Several managerial changes will add some intrigue to the opening weekend with four clubs embarking on a new chapter — most notably Everton with Rafa Benitez, the former Liverpool manager, the latest to try to inspire the Goodison Park club.
Benitez starts with a home game against Southampton while new Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira and new Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo face daunting starts.
City forward, Raheem Sterling believes the club’s 100 million-pound record signing Jack Grealish will help him score more goals.
Sterling scored 14 goals in all competitions last season, 17 fewer than he did in the 2019-20 campaign, as City won the title and reached the final of the Champions League.
“He (Grealish) is a player that always wants the ball, he gets in good pockets of space and he is creative,” Sterling told City’s website.
English Premiership Fixtures
Today: Manchester United v Leeds United (1:30pm); Chelsea v Crystal Palace (4pm); Burnley v Brighton (4pm); Everton v Southampton (4pm); Watford v Aston Villa (4pm); Leicester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers (4pm); Norwich City v Liverpool (6:30pm).
Tomorrow: Newcastle v West Ham (3pm); Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City (5:30pm). — AFP.
Online Reporter