The opening round of the season also contains a match
between two of the league’s so-called “Big Six” as Chelsea — with a new manager
on board in Mauricio Pochettino — hosts Liverpool.
City’s trip to Turf Moor will start the season on Aug. 11 —
and on a Friday night — and it’s laden with narrative because of the presence
of Kompany, who spent 11 years (2008-19) at the club and has a statue outside
the team’s Etihad Stadium.
Kompany, who was City captain for eight years and won four
Premier League titles, led Burnley back into the top division in his first
season as a manager in English soccer.
He has already faced City as a Burnley manager and it didn’t
turn out to be such a happy occasion, with his team getting thrashed 6-0 in the
FA Cup quarterfinals in March.
City’s early season schedule looks relatively benign — the
champion also plays promoted Sheffield United and host Fulham and Nottingham
Forest in its first six games — before a tough-looking October when City plays
Arsenal (Oct. 7) and Manchester United (Oct. 28) away either side of hosting
Brighton.
Arsenal, which ran City surprisingly close in the title race
last season, begins the campaign with matches against Nottingham Forest,
Crystal Palace and then Fulham.
Arsenal is in the Champions League for the first time in six
years, with its first two group games in Europe coming immediately ahead of
Premier League matches against Tottenham and Man City.
The first league game for new Tottenham manager Ange
Postecoglou is a London derby at Brentford, while Manchester United is at home
to Wolverhampton on Aug. 14.
Luton will play its first top-flight match since 1992 away
to Brighton. The following week, Kenilworth Road will become the smallest
ground to host a Premier League game when Burnley visits.
The other promoted side is Sheffield United, which starts
the season at home to Crystal Palace. -AP
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