Premier League Kickoff: The Storylines to Watch on Opening Weekend
by Joseph King | by Joseph King
Baptism of fire for Coventry vs the Gunners
- Date: 21 August, 20:00 BST
- Venue: Emirates Stadium, London
- Player to watch: Martin Odegaard
Coventry are back in the big time for the first time in 25 years…and they couldn’t have asked for a more difficult opening fixture to welcome them back. Defending champions Arsenal are the clear favourites to retain their league title by the oddsmakers, and there is a real sense of optimism around the side. See who our experts are favouring in our Arsenal vs Coventry prediction!
They’ve actively looked to strengthen the squad when the opportunities have arrived, bringing in standout midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle, direct winger Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge and, most recently, Aston Villa’s defensive rock Ezri Konsa. Rumours continue to swirl about another LW addition as Martinelli’s future begins to look more and more in doubt.
Standing opposite Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will be Frank Lampard.
A pair of cerebral central midfielders in their playing days, they’ve now both successfully transitioned their ideas into management.
This will be the seventh time the two have gone head-to-head, with Arteta leading 4W-1D-1L.
Lampard deserves immense praise for the job he’s done at Coventry. Taking over the team when they were floundering in 17th place, just two points above the drop zone, and guiding them to a fifth-place finish. He then led them to the top of the Championship in the very next season on 95 points, securing a spot back in the Premier League for the Sky Blues.
No love lost as Isak returns to Tyneside
- Date: 23 August, 16:30 BST
- Venue: St James’ Park, Newcastle
- Player to watch: Alexander Isak
After a messy breakup last summer, there are plenty of eyes on Alexander Isak and his return to St. James’ Park. This will be the first time that the Swedish striker has faced his former club, owing to an injury that kept Isak out for a large chunk of the 2025-26 Premier League campaign.
This will be the first taste of competitive action for new Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola in what promises to be a hostile environment. Iraola’s fantastic work leading Bournemouth to a seventh-place finish last season earned the Basque manager the Liverpool job, and while there is an expected bedding-in period, Iraola will be under a lot of pressure to deliver results.
It’s been a difficult summer for Newcastle fans. Their club was raided of its best players as Bruno G, Tonali and Anthony Gordon all left the club, which was followed soon after by manager Eddie Howe.
38-year-old Matthias Jaissle was brought in to replace him, following a successful stint at Al-Ahli which saw him lead his side to back-to-back AFC Champions League trophies. He’s got a massive job on his hands if he is to rebuild the Magpies back into a Champions League competing team.
Red Devils looking for fast start against newly-promoted Hull
- Date: 22 August, 12:30 BST
- Venue: MKM Stadium, Hull
- Player to watch: Bryan Mbeumo
Manchester United begin their first full campaign under the leadership of Michael Carrick, and it can't be overstated just how big of an impact the former Manchester United midfielder had on his old club after taking over in matchday 22 of last season. Our experts have the Red Devils getting off to a fast start against Hull - see our Hull vs Manchester United prediction!
Carrick has been a revelation as coach of the Red Devils. The move was met with some scepticism at first, as Carrick had previously been in charge of Middlesbrough, leaving them in 10th place in the Championship. But he immediately won the fans over, denting crosstown rivals Man City’s title hopes with a 2-0 home win in his first match in charge.
Manchester United under Michael Carrick (2025-26 season)
| Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Points Per Match | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 2.29 | 33 | 18 |
Of course, a ‘new manager bounce’ with very low expectations for half a season is very different from taking a team through a full campaign, and one that now includes European football. The expectations will be much higher for Carrick this time around, and it will be fascinating to see how his team does.
Alonso and Arbeloa face off in the ‘Canned-by-Madrid’ derby
- Date: 24 August, 20:00 BST
- Venue: Craven Cottage, London
- Player to watch: Joao Pedro
A London derby to kick off the season is in store for Fulham and Chelsea, and it's certainly a fixture that isn't short on storylines.
Not only is this the first competitive fixture for both managers in charge of their respective clubs, but there’s an additional layer here considering where these two were roughly eight months ago.
Alonso was sacked by Real Madrid, perhaps somewhat harshly, despite a 24W-4D-6L record across all competitions.
Chelsea have spared no expense this summer with a complete squad overhaul that includes no fewer than nine first-team additions. Even with that kind of reinforcement, many of the top online bookmakers are still pricing Chelsea to finish around fifth place.
On the other side of the dugout is Alvaro Arbeloa, who takes over at Fulham following the departure of Marco Silva to Benfica. Arbeloa was named as Alonso's successor with Los Blancos, but was sacked following the end of the 2025-26 season. The Cottagers, however, have backed the former right back with a three-year deal until the summer of 2029.
Also this weekend
- Ipswich vs Sunderland
- Everton vs Crystal Palace
- Nottingham Forest vs Leeds
- Brentford vs Tottenham
- Manchester City vs Bournemouth
- Brighton vs Aston Villa
