Liverpool's quest for a first Premier League title begins on Friday afternoon when the reigning European champions host Norwich City. Last season, the Reds came agonizingly close to ending a 29-year-wait for a top-flight title but eventually surrendered to Manchester City.
Despite amassing 97 points—the highest total in English top-flight history for a second-placed team—Jurgen Klopp's men were pipped to the post by City, who successfully defended its title.
Pep Guardiola's team will launch its bid to become the first team to win the Premier League title in three consecutive seasons on Saturday, when it faces West Ham United in London.
The defending champions have signed Rodri from Atletico Madrid for a club record fee, further bolstering an already talented midfield, but the loss of Vincent Kompany is expected to be sorely felt.
The Belgian was a pivotal figure in City's transformation from also-ran into a Premier League force and his influence will be missed both in the locker room and on the field.
Aside from City and Liverpool, Tottenham has signed Tanguy Ndombele for a club-record fee, but Mauricio Pochettino has been left frustrated by a lack of further signings.
Elsewhere, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have all bolstered their squads but don't look to have done enough to close the gap with the top two.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming season.
When does the Premier League start?
The 28th season of the Premier League gets underway on Friday, August 9, when Liverpool host Norwich City at Anfield.
Six games are scheduled for Saturday, when defending champions Manchester City travel to London to face West Ham United in the day's early kick-off.
Three games complete the schedule on Sunday, with Manchester United hosting Chelsea at Old Trafford to round off the first week of action.
TV coverage
NBC Sports retained broadcasting rights for the Premier League and it will offer a number of different options to fans wanting to keep up with the actions. A certain number of games will be broadcast on NBC and NBCSN, while others will be available only to NBC Sports Gold subscribers, who can choose between two different passes.
The Matchday Pass will give viewers access to 140 games broadcast live exclusively, while the Premier League Pass will have all 380 Premier League games available on demand along with additional content.
Live stream
Live stream will be available via NBC Sports website, NBC Sports Gold and the NBC Sports app. Live stream for selected games will also be available via fuboTV.
Matchday 1 TV schedule (All times ET)
Friday, August 9
- Liverpool vs Norwich City—3 p.m., NBCSN
Saturday, August 10
- West Ham United vs Manchester City—7:30 a.m., NBCSN
- Crystal Palace vs Everton—10 a.m., NBCgold
- Burnley vs Southampton—10 a.m., NBCgold
- Watford vs Brighton—10 a.m., NBCgold
- Bournemouth vs Sheffield United—10 a.m., NBCSN
- Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa—12:30 p.m., NBC
Sunday, August 11
- Leicester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers—9 a.m., CNBC
- Newcastle United vs Arsenal—9 a.m., NBCSN
- Manchester United vs Chelsea—11:30 a.m., NBCSN
Odds
City is odds-on favorite to retain the title. According to Vegas Insider, the defending champions are 1/2 to make it a hat-trick of titles this season, while Liverpool is 5/2 and Tottenham is 16/1.
Manchester United and Chelsea are both 25/1, while Arsenal is a 40/1 shot.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he was a news and business reporter at International Business Times UK. Dan has also written for The Guardian and The Observer.
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