Premier League season kicks off with Liverpool vs. Bournemouth in what figures to be a three-team race
Happy Premier League opening weekend! England's top flight is officially back in action on Friday as a new edition of the title and relegation races begin, while clubs across Europe also resume play with a mix of league and cup matches. I'm Pardeep Cattry with the latest as the European club season officially gets underway.
📺 Footy fixAll times U.S./Eastern
Friday, Aug. 15🇪🇸 La Liga: Girona vs. Rayo Vallecano, 1 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+🏴 EPL: Liverpool vs. Bournemouth, 3 p.m. ➡️ USA Network
Saturday, Aug. 16🏴 EPL: Aston Villa vs. Newcastle United, 7:30 a.m. ➡️ USA Network🏴 🏴 EFL: Wrexham vs. West Brom, 7:20 a.m. ➡️ Paramount+🇪🇸 La Liga: Mallorca vs. Barcelona, 1:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN2🇩🇪 DFL-Super Cup: Stuttgart vs. Bayern Munich, 2:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+🇪🇺 Inter vs. Olympiacos, 2 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network🇺🇸 NWSL: Kansas City Current vs. Orlando Pride, 4 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS 🇺🇸 MLS: Minnesota United vs. Seattle Sounders, 8:30 p.m. ➡️ FS1🇲🇽 Liga MX: Toluca vs. UNAM, 11 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network
Sunday, Aug. 17🏴 EPL: Manchester United vs. Arsenal, 11:30 a.m. ➡️ NBC🇮🇹 Coppa Italia: AC Milan vs. Bari, 3:15 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+🇺🇸 NWSL: Gotham FC vs. Houston Dash, 4 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
⚽ The Forward Line🏆 Liverpool kick off new season in what may be a three-team raceThe Premier League returns with a healthy number of new faces in new places, in large part because England's elites spent their summer refreshing their squads with the hopes of winning the title. Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal were among the most aggressive teams in the transfer window and seem like the three teams most likely to vie for first place as the only three teams with a double-digit percentage chance to pull off the feat, per Opta's supercomputer.
There is, of course, the small matter of which one of these three will actually make it across the line. There is a compelling argument in favor of each of those three, as well as a reasonable case to make as to why each of them will fall short. At this stage, Opta favors Liverpool – the reigning champions have a 28.5% chance of repeating, though Arsenal sit at 24.3% and City at 18.8%. James Benge is inclined to agree, writing that the Reds have just enough to outdo the others in his prediction of the Premier League standings.
- Benge: "Much will depend on whether the form of their two great veterans hold. If Liverpool are leaving two defenders back, but one of them is a Virgil van Dijk something like his prime, their defense will be good enough. Meanwhile, if Mohamed Salah is even 95% of the player he was last season – with Wirtz, Ekitike and perhaps Alexander Isak easing the burden on him – then this will be the best attack in the sport. Liverpool may have lowered their floor but their ceiling come April and May could be irresistible."
Arsenal, meanwhile, hope that they, at long last, have put together all the pieces they need to climb out of second place after three seasons of finishing as the runners-up. Martin Zubimendi will be counted on to anchor the midfield, but after becoming one of Europe's best defensive teams, all eyes will be on the Gunners' attack. Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres have been enlisted to make up for their desperate need for a true goal scorer last campaign, with Gyokeres perhaps a make-or-break player in their title hopes. He returns to England after an unsuccessful spell with Brighton and Hove Albion but made a prolific pit stop in the Championship with Coventry City before his buzzworthy stint with Sporting Lisbon. The tallies are impressive, but the jury is still out on how well Gyokeres will actually take to the Premier League, or at least how quickly he will.
As for Manchester City, Pep Guardiola is attempting to chart a redemption arc after the team's first trophyless season in nine years but there is uncertainty about what their ceiling is. Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders will be helpful new additions and Rodri's return to fitness is a big plus but there's a newness to this version of City, and that's without considering the reports linking them to moves for Paris Saint-Germain's Gianluigi Donnarumma and Real Madrid's Rodrygo. They may be cooking up something special in Manchester but whether or not it comes together right away is a different question entirely.
All Episodes Now StreamingThe race for the top spots is always as compelling as the competition to avoid relegation, especially so after all three promoted sides went straight back down last season. The odds do not favor this season's new arrivals – the Opta supercomputer has each of Burnley, Leeds United and Sunderland returning to the Championship.
Sunderland are perhaps the most fascinating promoted team of the group, recruiting ex-Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka and breaking their transfer record to sign versatile 21-year-old midfielder Habib Diarra from Strasbourg in the hopes of avoiding the drop. The Black Cats' first season in the top flight since 2016-17, though, will mark the return of one of the Premier League's most exciting rivalries – the Tyne-Wear Derby. Former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer described it as a game that is quick to circle on the calendar, with the next edition of the rivalry coming in December at Sunderland's Stadium of Light.
- Shearer: "As a player, [the Tyne-Wear derby] is one of the first fixtures that you look out for because they're great games to play obviously, only if you come away with the right result. You get away with a little bit more in terms of how competitive you can be, and as a fan, you want the bragging rights. It's a great occasion to look forward to, and Newcastle played them in the FA cup and got the right result, but to have a home and away fixture against your local rival is great for the area."
The good news for them, though, is that they are not the only teams that could be contenders for the last three spots on the table this season. Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United lost key players over the summer and did not do enough to replace them, which may throw them in the mix with the newly promoted side and set up a relegation race that might just be more competitive than the title race.
📺 What We're Watching💪 How do all 20 Premier League teams rank in our power rankings?
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💰 The Back Line💵 Best bets- Premier League future💰 The pick: Wolves to be relegated (+300): A team that would've been relegated in previous seasons, Wolves haven't done enough to get away from the relegation zone. If the defense is as poor as it was last campaign, Vitor Pereira is in for a long season without Matheus Cunha. -- Chuck Booth
- Premier League future💰 The pick: Manchester City to win the league (+350): When a step back for City is finishing third, that shows just how inevitable Pep Guardiola's side are when it comes to challenging for honors. Rayan Cherki is a massive addition, and if City can unlock his full potential, they'll be off and running. -- Chuck Booth
For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don't miss out on CBSSports.com's betting home page.
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