The opening weekend of the Premier League season will teach us more about the 20 sides in action than any amount of pre-season friendlies, leading to wonderfully kneejerk reactions across the country.
But if you need to feel like there's a little bit more on the line, then feast your eyes on the extremely important and oft talked-about all-time Premier League opening day league table to see where your team ranks.
This weekend could see the leaders overturned and the bottom side rising up as far as mid-table, which is tremendously exciting for all of us!
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Premier League all-time opening day league table
| Club | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | 32 | 21 | 6 | 5 | 38 | 69 | 2.16 |
| Chelsea | 32 | 20 | 8 | 4 | 37 | 68 | 2.13 |
| Liverpool | 32 | 17 | 10 | 5 | 29 | 61 | 1.91 |
| Manchester City | 26 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 22 | 48 | 1.85 |
| Arsenal | 32 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 27 | 58 | 1.81 |
| Ipswich Town | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1.6 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 32 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 50 | 1.56 |
| Wolves | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 1.56 |
| Newcastle United | 28 | 11 | 5 | 12 | 2 | 38 | 1.36 |
| Bournemouth | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1.33 |
| Brentford | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 4 | 1.33 |
| Everton | 32 | 10 | 12 | 10 | -6 | 42 | 1.31 |
| Leicester City | 16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 20 | 1.25 |
| Aston Villa | 32 | 9 | 10 | 13 | -6 | 37 | 1.16 |
| Brighton | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 1.14 |
| Fulham | 17 | 4 | 7 | 6 | -2 | 19 | 1.12 |
| West Ham United | 27 | 7 | 9 | 11 | -9 | 30 | 1.11 |
| Nottingham Forest | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | -7 | 12 | 1.09 |
| Southampton | 24 | 6 | 8 | 10 | -11 | 26 | 1.08 |
| Crystal Palace | 14 | 3 | 5 | 6 | -6 | 14 | 1 |
Manchester United have the best point per game record on the opening day, winning 21 and losing just five of their 32 curtain-raisers since the Premier League began in 1992.
Three of those losses have come in the past ten seasons, however, and all at home: to Swansea in 2014, to Crystal Palace in 2020, and to Brighton in 2022. This year they get the Premier League season under way by hosting Fulham on Friday evening.
Chelsea lost their place at the top of the opening-day table last year when they drew with Liverpool, and face a tough task getting back on top of the pile: they kick off by hosting reigning champions Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.
Crystal Palace meanwhile have the most dismal record on Premier League opening days: just a point per game.
They have won just three out of 14: away to Fulham in 2018, at home to Southampton in 2020 (the aforementioned win at Old Trafford was Man U's first game but not Palace's, because of covid weirdness), plus last year's win away to Sheffield United.
A win for Palace away to Brentford on Sunday could lift them away from the bottom of this very particular league table, though, with Southampton, Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Fulham, Brighton, Aston Villa and Brentford all potentially in catching distance.
Premier League opening weekend fixtures
- Manchester United v Fulham
- Ipswich Town v Liverpool
- Arsenal v Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Everton v Brighton and Hove Albion
- Newcastle United v Southampton
- Nottingham Forest v Bournemouth
- West Ham United v Aston Villa
- Brentford v Crystal Palace
- Chelsea v Manchester City
- Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur
Sam Boswell, spokesperson of BetVictor, said: “The new Premier League season is an exciting time for all fans across the division, with each team starting from a level playing field.
“Hopes will be high for many, and Manchester United supporters should take confidence from their previous performances on the first game of the season – no team since 1992 has earned more points on Gameweek 1.
“Traditional powerhouses Chelsea and Liverpool have proved a tough nut to crack first up too but for Crystal Palace and Southampton, they will need to buck the trend of past performances to make a quick start to the 2024-25 campaign.”
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