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Patrick Vieira will reunite with former club Arsenal to kick off the 2022-23 Premier League season when Crystal Palace welcome the Gunners to Selhurst Park.
There is plenty of business to be done between now and the start of the campaign but fans of top-flight clubs are already starting to get excited after the fixtures were confirmed on Thursday.
We take a look at some of the games from the opening weekend.
Gunners bring up curtain once again
Arsenal travelled to Brentford to get last season underway and they are involved in the opening fixture again this time around after being handed a Friday night trip to Crystal Palace.
The Gunners made a woeful start to 2021-22, losing each of their first three games without scoring a single goal.
Palace also had to wait until their fourth outing to pick up a win, although they did draw two of their first three.
The South Londoners proved more than a match for Arsenal during their two meetings last season, drawing 2-2 at the Emirates and winning 3-0 at Selhurst Park but have a history of being slow starters.
The Eagles have won their opening top-flight match in only five of their previous 22 seasons and could be there for the taking.
Recent meetings between the pair at Selhurst Park have provided goals with seven of the last eight games seeing at least three.
Reds handed another date with new boys
Liverpool have been partnered with a newly promoted side for the fourth successive season.
The Reds will be eager to get up and running quickly and a trip to Fulham offers them a perfect opportunity to achieve that.
After winning the Championship, the Cottagers will be brimming with confidence but a home clash with Jurgen Klopp’s formidable side could bring them crashing back down to earth very quickly.
Fabio Carvalho has completed a switch from Fulham to Liverpool this summer and could be a contender to register against his former employers if given some game time.
The hosts avoided defeat in their two meetings with Liverpool in 2020-21 but repeating that feat looks unlikely.
Champions head to the capital
Manchester City face a difficult trip to West Ham to begin their title defence.
With Erling Haaland added to the ranks, goals could be on the agenda with the Norwegian ace likely to be keen to get off the mark immediately.
Last season’s league encounter at the London Stadium was full of drama as City came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 and would have left with all three points had Riyad Mahrez not missed a late penalty.
Spurs seeking to pile further misery on Saints
Of the current top-flight clubs, Southampton are on the longest winless run in Premier League openers — drawing four and losing four.
Correcting that record this time around could prove difficult as they head to Tottenham in one of five games lined up at 3pm on August 6.
Spurs have won six of their last nine opening-day fixtures, with one of those successes being a 1-0 home win over City last term.
Ten Hag tenure begins at home
Manchester United kicked off last season in emphatic style by dispatching rivals Leeds 5-1 at Old Trafford.
They are back on home soil for their first outing of 2022-23 with new boss Erik ten Hag in the dugout for the visit of Brighton.
The clash will be the first time United have opened a top-flight season against the Seagulls.
They have won all of their last eight home meetings with the South Coast outfit, including a 2-0 victory last term.
