Happy schedule release day Manchester United supporters- let the football arguments and over-analysis begin! The most successful club, at least historically, will have to hit the ground running, once the England top flight kicks off in a couple months. Its been a a full decade now since Manchester United last won the Premier League title, and upsetting City is going to be difficult.
The fixture computer was not exactly nice to them, as their first two road games take them to North London: at Tottenham Hotspur on Aug. 19, and at Arsenal FC on Sept. 2.
The curtain raiser/first home game is August 14 against Wolverhampton Wanderers, a side that has been a tricky proposition for United in recent years. And their fifth match of the season is against Brighton & Hove Albion, who swept them in league play this past season.
Now on to the so-called big ones. The first Manchester derby of the season comes at home, and it will be October 28. Hopefully, for the sake of the Red Devils and their fans, they should be in “mid-season form” by then.
The reverse fixture on the road is on March 2, and they are catching the Cityzens at a good time. That’s because City travels to Anfield the next weekend, for a clash at Liverpool on March 9.
And ah yes, Liverpool, the biggest game in England, or as some call it, the Northwest England Derby. We have to wait until well in the season for this one. The Anfield edition is December 16 while the Old Trafford chapter is not until April 6.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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