The stats you need to know ahead of your club's 2015/16 season opener

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How many free-kicks did Memphis Depay score last season? Who won 11 penalties for his side? And what's ominous about Monday night's clash between West Brom and Man City?

Arsenal vs West Ham

  • Arsenal have lost just 1 of their last 14 Premier League fixtures on the opening weekend, winning 9 (D4).
  • West Ham won on their last trip to Highbury in 2005/06 and on their first trip to the Emirates in 2006/07 but have not won at Arsenal in the league since (D1 L6).
  • Petr Cech has posted the best saves to shots ratio (minimum 50 saves) of any goalkeeper in the Premier League over the last three seasons (78%).
  • Dimitri Payet created the most chances in the top five European leagues in 2014/15 (135).
  • West Ham scored 15 headed goals in 2014/15, second only to West Brom (16), while Arsenal conceded the highest proportion of goals to headers (36%).
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Bournemouth vs Aston Villa

  • The last two teams to gain promotion to the top flight for the first time (Reading and Hull) have both opened with a home win.
  • Aston Villa have never beaten a newly promoted Premier League side on opening day (D1 L2).
  • Only 14 players have made more Premier League appearances than Bournemouth new boy Sylvain Distin (457).
  • Bournemouth had more shots (573) and shots on target (268) than any other Championship side last season.
  • Callum Wilson was awarded 11 penalties in 2014/15; 6 more than any other player for an English league side.
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Chelsea vs Swansea

  • In 23 Premier League seasons, the defending champion has never lost their opening game (winning 20 and drawing 3).
  • Chelsea are unbeaten in 12 opening-day matches at Stamford Bridge, last losing to Blackburn in 1993 (W10 D2).
  • Diego Costa has scored more Premier League goals against Swansea than any other player (5) despite only playing twice against the Welsh side.
  • 18% of the goals conceded by Garry Monk’s side in the top-flight last term came against the Blues (9/49).
  • John Terry has never been substituted off in the Premier League by Jose Mourinho (175 starts, completed 90 minutes 174 times and been sent off once).
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Everton vs Watford

  • Everton have conceded more goals on the opening weekend than any other Premier League side (35).
  • Watford’s last defeat on the opening weekend of a season was back in 2006/07 vs Everton.
  • Watford were one of only two teams (along with Blackburn) in the top four tiers to see two players reach 20 goals last season (Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney).
  • Ighalo scored with 20 of his 36 shots on target in the Championship last term.
  • Hornets keeper Heurelho Gomes made 62 punches in the second tier last season; 12 more than any other stopper.
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Leicester vs Sunderland

  • The Foxes have scored exactly 2 goals in 6 of their last 7 matches on the opening day, including in the Premier League last term vs Everton.
  • The last Sunderland manager to win a Premier League game on the opening weekend was Steve Bruce vs Bolton in 2009/10 (D4 L1 since).
  • Leicester haven't beaten Sunderland since November 2001, when Ade Akinbiyi scored the game’s only goal.
  • From the start of April until the end of last season, Leicester won more points than any other Premier League side (22).
  • Dick Advocaat currently has the best win percentage of anyone to manage Sunderland in the Premier League (33.3%).
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Man United vs Tottenham

  • Harry Kane won his team 24 points with his goals last season, more than any other player.
  • Wayne Rooney has scored more goals on the opening weekend than any other current Premier League player (6).
  • Manchester United are the only team to lose on the opening weekend but go on to win the title (did so in 1992/93, 1995/96 and 2012/13).
  • Memphis Depay scored 7 direct free-kick goals last season; more than any other player in the top five European leagues or the Eredivisie.
  • New Tottenham signing Kieran Trippier made more open play crosses than any other Premier League player last season (234).
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Newcastle vs Southampton

  • Saints have been drawn away from home in each of their last 6 season openers in the Premier League, winning just 1 of the previous 5 (D1 L3).
  • Southampton have won their last 3 league games against Newcastle, scoring 10 and conceding just 1.
  • A Southampton player has scored a brace in each of these 3 wins (Eljaro Elia and Graziano Pelle last season, Jay Rodriguez in 2014).
  • The Magpies have only managed 1 clean sheet in their last 16 top-flight clashes against the side from Hampshire.
  • On the other hand, Newcastle have scored in 14 of their 15 Premier League home games against Saints, drawing a blank in a 0-1 defeat in 1997.
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Norwich vs Crystal Palace

  • Norwich are winless in their last 12 opening day matches in league competition (D6 L6).
  • Crystal Palace have lost their last 4 season openers.
  • No Championship midfielder scored more goals last term than Bradley Johnson (15) – level with Matt Ritchie and Bakary Sako.
  • Norwich faced fewer opposition shots than any other team in the regular Championship season last term (439).
  • Palace had the fewest direct free-kick attempts in the Premier League last season (13) but scored the joint-most (4, level with Tottenham).
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Stoke vs Liverpool

  • Stoke vs Liverpool will be the first fixture in Premier League history to be played in consecutive games at the same venue.
  • Liverpool have only drawn a blank 3 times on the opening weekend of a Premier League campaign (1992/93, 2005/06, 2012/13).
  • Liverpool have been shown more yellow cards on the opening weekend than any other team in Premier League history (44).
  • Roberto Firmino has recorded 21 assists over the last 2 seasons, more than any other Brazilian in the top 5 European leagues.
  • The Potters have scored in their last 11 home league games; only Chelsea (19) can boast a longer current run.
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West Brom vs Man City

  • West Brom have kept 10 clean sheets in 18 league games under Tony Pulis.
  • Both of Fernando’s 2 Premier League goals and 1 of his 2 assists have come against West Brom.
  • David Silva has scored in 3 of his last 4 appearances against the Baggies.
  • West Brom scored the most headed goals in the Premier League last season (16).
  • The eventual Premier League title-winning team has started their season on Monday night in each of the past 5 seasons.
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Gregg Davies
Gregg Davies

Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.