Premier League 2019/20: Man City start title defence at West Ham as Man United face Chelsea on opening weekend

Premier League champions Manchester City will start their bid to retain their title at West Ham United when the new season begins. They travel to London on August 10 for a game that starts at 3.30pm UAE time. City are looking to become the first side since Manchester United in 2001 to win a hat-trick of Premier League titles. 2018/19 runners-up Liverpool start the season on August 9 when they face newly promoted Norwich City at Anfield. Liverpool have not won the championship since 1990 and came agonisingly close last season as they scored 97 points and still missed out to City by a single point. The big game of the opening weekend is Manchester United up against Chelsea on August 11 at Old Trafford. Chelsea finished third last season, while United's poor end to the campaign consigned them to sixth spot. Other noticeable fixtures on the opening weekend see Watford play host to Brighton and Hove Albion for the second successive season, while Sheffield United's first Premier League game in 11 years is at Bournemouth. Aston Villa, the other side promoted from the Championship, begin their campaign at Uefa Champions League runners-up Tottenham Hotspur. Tottenham and Arsenal fans will not have long to wait for the season's first North London derby, with the sides meeting at the Emirates Stadium on August 31. Other notable dates include Liverpool's trip to Manchester United on October 19 and the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium on December 7. City and Liverpool - last season's top two - meet at Anfield on November 9 with the return at the Etihad scheduled for April 4, subject to TV confirmation. The season will end on May 17 when City host Norwich, Liverpool are at Newcastle, Tottenham go to Crystal Palace and Chelsea host Wolverhampton Wanderers. City are the favourites to retain the title, following an unprecedented clean sweep of English titles in 2018/19. Pep Guardiola's men do not face any teams who finished in the top half last season in their final six matches, following the visit of Liverpool. In contrast, the European champions travel to Arsenal and host Chelsea before a visit to Newcastle in their final three games of the campaign. For the first time in Premier League history, the clubs will get a short mid-season break in February. Over a two-week period, there will be only five matches on one weekend, with the other five games taking place the following weekend, ensuring that each team gets one week off. Sheffield United, who have returned to the Premier League for the first time since 2007, are the early favourites for the drop. Above is a gallery of the leading games to watch over the coming season. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows, or if using a mobile device, simply swipe.

Premier League 2019/20: Man City start title defence at West Ham as Man United face Chelsea on opening weekend

Liverpool kick off 2019/20 Premier League season with a home match against newly-promoted Norwich City on August 9