adminLONDON. — The 2021-22 football season is officially over after Tuesday’s international matches, but attention already turns to the start of the 2022-23 campaign.
This morning, the Premier League announce their fixtures for the upcoming term – with all 20 clubs awaiting to see how their season will shape up.
Their schedules will be officially revealed at 9am, giving managers seven-and-a-half weeks until the season is due to start on the weekend of August 6/7. A long-winded domestic season due to the World Cup (more on that shortly), the top flight is due to end on May 28, 2023.
Champions Manchester City began last season with a 1-0 defeat at Tottenham and will be hoping they are dealt an easier opening day tie.
Pep Guardiola’s side will be looking out for rivals Liverpool’s fixture list, and vice-versa too, with the pair once again set to be the frontrunners for the title.
It’ll be a new dawn at Manchester United too with their new manager Erik ten Hag getting his first taste of English football following his appointment from Dutch giants Ajax last month.
Promoted trio Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest will be hoping for a kind start to their respective campaigns as they get acclimatised facing the quality of top-flight opponents week-in and week-out. Elsewhere the likes of Everton and Leeds United will be hoping they fare better than last term after both barely survived being relegated.
This season will be like no other with domestic seasons worldwide having to accommodate their schedules due to the World Cup. Being held in Qatar, the traditional summer showpiece has been switched to the late autumn/early winter due to the searing temperatures of the Middle East.
As a result the Premier League’s calendar has been tweaked to maintain its integrity. Matchweek 16, to be played over the weekend of November 12/13, will be the last set of matches played ahead of the call-up period for the tournament, which starts on November 21.
Despite the disruption, there will be the usual festive football for fans with the Premier League resuming on Boxing Day following the World Cup final, which takes place on December 18. — Mailonline.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter