Premier League 2026-27 fixtures: When will the top...
Key takeaways
- Manchester City and Liverpool will hope to be hot on their heels, although both are facing the great unknown that a new manager brings.
- Both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur badly underachieved last season, finishing 10th and 17th respectively, and will be eager to set things right.
- Can Aston Villa balance Champions League football with another top-four charge?
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
Arsenal will head into the new campaign as reigning champions for the first time since 2004, knowing they will be the target -- the club everyone else is attempting to topple -- and will be under pressure to continue to improve and evolve.
Manchester City and Liverpool will hope to be hot on their heels, although both are facing the great unknown that a new manager brings. For City that is a particularly jarring concept as Pep Guardiola has finally departed, forcing them to start anew for the first time in a decade, and they have yet to confirm Guardiola's former assistant and ex-Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca as his replacement. Meanwhile, former Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is in a job at Anfield and is an exciting hire for the Reds, but he has it all to prove at the top level.
Both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur badly underachieved last season, finishing 10th and 17th respectively, and will be eager to set things right. But with new managers Xabi Alonso at Stamford Bridge and Roberto De Zerbi at Spurs, there's potential for the teams to close the gap quickly.