Chelsea face Burnley in Premier League Opener
Chelsea will begin their title defence at home to Burnley when the 2017-18 Premier League season kicks off on the weekend of 12-13 August.
Newly promoted Newcastle host Tottenham, while Brighton welcome Manchester City and Huddersfield visit Crystal Palace.
Spurs’ first game at Wembley will be against Antonio Conte’s champions on the second weekend of the season.
The league season is set to finish on Sunday, 13 May 2018 – a week earlier than last season – with the World Cup finals in Russia starting on 14 June.
The English Football League fixtures will be released on Wednesday, 21 June, and Scotland’s fixtures two days later.
Opening exchanges
Questions have been raised about Tottenham’s potential to perform at Wembley after a miserable run of results there in last season’s Champions League, and Mauricio Pochettino’s side will have a tough first test at their temporary home.
The last time Spurs visited the national stadium was in the FA Cup semi-final, a game they lost 4-2 to this season’s first visitors – Chelsea.
But it could prove a tricky opening few weeks for the defending champions too, with Chelsea hosting Everton (26 August), visiting 2015-16 winners Leicester after the international break and then welcoming Arsenal (16 September).
Arsene Wenger’s Gunners have a chance to show their top-four credentials in week three when they visit Liverpool.
Another early indicator in the race for the Champions League places comes in the following round of games, with Liverpool travelling to Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City.
Europa League winners Manchester United do not face another Champions League qualifier until they visit Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool on the weekend of 14-15 October, BBC reports.
