Arsenal faces Liverpool on opening day
Mourinho-Guardiola face off Sept. 10
LONDON — Champion Leicester City will begin its Premier League title defense with a trip to newly promoted Hull City on Aug. 13, according to the 2016-17 fixtures released Wednesday.
Claudio Ranieri’s side faces a tricky opening period in the new season, as it hosts Arsenal on Aug. 20, before away trips to Liverpool and Manchester United during its first six fixtures.
Last season’s runner-up Arsenal hosts Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool on the opening day, while newly appointed Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho starts his tenure with a trip to Bournemouth.
Pep Guardiola will make his league debut as Manchester City manager when his team hosts Sunderland, which narrowly avoided relegation last season.
Guardiola and Mourinho will renew their rivalry in the highly anticipated first Manchester derby at Old Trafford on Sept. 10.
Antonio Conte will begin his managerial career at Chelsea with a feisty London derby against West Ham United at Stamford Bridge, while Slaven Bilic’s men begin a new era at the Olympic Stadium on Aug. 20 against Bournemouth.
Mourinho will return to his old stomping grounds when Chelsea hosts Manchester United on Oct. 22, a week after the Portuguese’s former club host Leicester City.
Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur begin its league challenge against Everton, which named Ronald Koeman as its manager Tuesday.
Arsenal will host Spurs in the first north London derby on Nov. 5 while the other eagerly anticipated derby clash, between Merseyside clubs Liverpool and Everton, takes place at Goodison Park on Dec. 17. Burnley will mark its return to England’s top-flight by welcoming Swansea City, while Middlesbrough hosts Stoke City.
Full list of opening day
fixtures on Aug. 13: Arsenal vs. Liverpool; Bournemouth vs. Manchester United; Burnley vs. Swansea City; Chelsea vs. West Ham United; Crystal Palace vs. West Bromwich Albion; Everton vs. Tottenham Hotspur; Hull City vs. Leicester City; Manchester City vs. Sunderland; Middlesbrough vs. Stoke City; Southampton vs. Watford.
Ibrahimovic in Olympics squad
Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been picked for Sweden’s provisional squad for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
The Swedish football federation announced a 35-man squad Wednesday, which will be trimmed to 22 for Rio where Sweden plays Nigeria, Colombia and Japan in Group B.
Sweden’s under-21 boss Hakan Ericson, who manages the Olympic football team, says the chances that Ibrahimovic will be part of the final squad are “not so great but there is still a hope.” The 34-year-old Ibrahimovic, currently playing for Sweden in the European Championship, is one of three players over 21 allowed for the Olympic team.
