SATURDAY
Bournemouth v Aston Villa
Max Gradel and Lee Tomlin are in line for their Bournemouth debuts. Manager Eddie Howe expects a challenging team selection for the Cherries’ maiden top-flight encounter and has nine summer signings to choose from in his squad. Sylvain Distin, the former Newcastle, Manchester City and Everton defender, is among those who could make his competitive bow.
Tim Sherwood will assess several of his new players before deciding whether to hand them their Villa debuts. Jordan Amavi, Jordan Ayew, Jose Crespo, Rudy Gestede, Jordan Veretout, Idrissa Gueye and Micah Richards could all make their bows but Sherwood wants to ensure they are up to speed. Jores Okore is out with a knee injury, but is Sherwood’s only definite absentee.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Match odds: H 1-1 A 27-10 D 12-5
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear)
Chelsea v Swansea
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho does not know whether Diego Costa will be fit after missing last Sunday’s Community Shield loss to Arsenal with a recurrence of the hamstring problem which has persistently plagued him in recent seasons. Radamel Falcao and Loic Remy are vying for the starting spot if Costa is unavailable. Mourinho has no further concerns.
Swansea manager Garry Monk has a fully-fit squad to choose from. Bafetimbi Gomis has been troubled by a hamstring injury but the French striker played in the Swans' final pre-season game against Deportivo La Coruna last weekend and reported no reaction. Ghana forward Andre Ayew is poised to make his debut against the champions following his move from Marseille, but fellow summer signings Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Franck Tabanou and Eder could all start on the bench.
Last season: Swansea 0 Chelsea 5, Chelsea 4 Swansea 2
Match odds: H 1-3 A 8-1 D 4-1
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)
Everton v Watford
Defender John Stones and winger Kevin Mirallas are expected to be available for Everton. But while that pair look to have put ankle knocks behind them, and midfielder Tom Cleverley is set to make his debut after joining from Manchester United, there are doubts over two forwards — fellow summer recruit Gerard Deulofeu and striker Romelu Lukaku, both having had hamstring issues. Tony Hibbert (knee), Darron Gibson (abductor), Muhamed Besic, Steven Pienaar and Aiden McGeady (all hamstring) definitely miss out.
Watford will be without suspended defender Miguel Britos and new goalkeeper Giedrius Arlauskis, while midfielder Almen Abdi is a doubt with a knee injury. A late decision will be taken on Dutch signing Steven Berghuis (leg), but Joel Ekstrand remains sidelined with the cruciate knee injury he sustained in March.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Match odds: H 4-6 A 4-1 D 14-5
Referee: Mike Jones (Cheshire)
Leicester v Sunderland
Claudio Ranieri will take charge of Leicester for the first time and will assess new boys N’Golo Kante and Yohan Benalouane. The pair joined this week and the Italian needs to check if they are up to speed. Christian Fuchs and Shinji Okazaki are available and could make their debuts against the Black Cats after joining before Ranieri’s appointment, while captain Wes Morgan is available after playing in Jamaica’s Gold Cup campaign.
Sunderland new boy Yann M'Vila is not expected to figure in his side's opener. The France international, signed on a season-long loan from Russian side Rubin Kazan, is struggling for match fitness after a limited amount of training time with his new team-mates. Black Cats boss Dick Advocaat hopes Steven Fletcher will return to partner Jermain Defoe up front after missing the final friendly against Hannover last week, but Wes Brown is a major doubt.
Last season: Sunderland 0 Leicester 0, Leicester 0 Sunderland 0
Match odds: H 10-11 A 16-5 D 9-4
Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire)
Man Utd v Tottenham Hotspur
David de Gea has been left out of Manchester United’s squad because manager Louis van Gaal says the goalkeeper has been affected by speculation regarding his future. It seems Sergio Romero or Sam Johnstone will make their first appearance for the club in De Gea’s absence. Midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger and defender Marcos Rojo are unavailable as they lack match fitness.
Hugo Lloris will undergo a late fitness test before Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino makes a decision on whether to start him. The goalkeeper only returned from a fractured wrist in midweek during Spurs' 2-0 friendly victory over AC Milan. Striker Roberto Soldado and midfielder Ryan Mason also face late fitness tests. Winger Andros Townsend remains a doubt and striker Emmanuel Adebayor, who is yet to complete his proposed transfer to Aston Villa, is unlikely to feature. Defenders Toby Alderweireld, Kevin Wimmer and Kieran Trippier are available to make their debuts.
Last season: Man Utd 3 Tottenham Hotspur 0, Tottenham Hotspur 0 Man Utd 0
Match odds: H 8-13 A 9-2 D 14-5
Referee: Jon Moss (W Yorkshire)
Norwich v Crystal Palace
Norwich will head into their opener without summer signing Youssouf Mulumbu after the midfielder had an operation on a fractured metatarsal. Full-back Martin Olsson continues to recover from shoulder surgery following the Sky Bet Championship play-off final victory at Wembley, while forward Kyle Lafferty (knee) is also not yet fit. New signings Andre Wisdom and Robbie Brady could both be included in the squad.
Palace must decide who will start in goal. A finger injury has ruled the long-serving Julian Speroni out of the Eagles’ opening three matches, so either Wales keeper Wayne Hennessey or new signing Alex McCarthy will be given the chance to succeed the Argentinian. Morocco forward Marouane Chamakh is unavailable because of a hamstring injury and will also miss Palace’s next fixture, against Arsenal, but expensive summer signings Yohan Cabaye and Connor Wickham are both expected to make their debuts.
Last season: No corresponding fixture
Match odds: H 29-20 A 15-8 D 9-4
Referee: Simon Hooper (Wiltshire)
SUNDAY
Arsenal v West Ham
England midfielder Jack Wilshere will miss Arsenal’s opener as he faces four weeks on the sidelines after suffering a hairline fracture to his left fibula. Alexis Sanchez, who only recently returned to training after his Copa America exploits for Chile, is also out while Danny Welbeck and Tomas Rosicky are both unavailable through injury.
Slaven Bilic has an almost fully fit squad to choose from. The Croatian left a number of key players in London as the Hammers crashed out of the Europa League at the hands of Astra Giurgiu, but most are in line to return at the Emirates Stadium. Loanee Carl Jenkinson is unavailable against his parent club. Strikers Enner Valencia and Andy Carroll (both knee) are definite absentees, with Bilic ruling the roost over the remainder of his squad over the weekend.
Last season: Arsenal 3 West Ham 0, West Ham 1 Arsenal 2
Match odds: H 2-7 A 9-1 D 9-2
Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire)
Newcastle v Southampton
Newcastle boss Steve McClaren is weighing up whether to hand starting roles to new boys Aleksandar Mitrovic and Chancel Mbemba. The pair are still settling into life on Tyneside and may have to make do with a place on the bench, while captain Fabricio Coloccini is also a major doubt after missing most of pre-season with an Achilles problem. McClaren has a number of players struggling to recover from injury, with the likes of Cheick Tiote, Emanuel Riviere and Paul Dummett all unlikely to feature.
Southampton pair Jordy Clasie and Shane Long will be assessed after missing Thursday’s 2-0 Europa League win at Vitesse Arnhem due to a hamstring injury and illness, respectively. Saints manager Ronald Koeman may also miss the match as a ruptured Achilles likely requires an operation, while Ryan Bertrand, Gaston Ramirez, Florin Gardos and Fraser Forster are absent.
Last season: Newcastle 1 Southampton 2, Southampton 4 Newcastle 0
Match odds: H 15-8 A 6-4 D 11-5
Referee: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire)
Stoke v Liverpool
Stoke will be without captain Ryan Shawcross, but striker Bojan Krkic is in line to make his first competitive appearance in seven months. The Potters this week revealed centre-back Shawcross required surgery on a troublesome back issue and will miss at least two months of the campaign, with fellow defender Marc Wilson (ankle) also unlikely to face the Reds having not trained all week. Bojan returned to action this summer following his long-term knee problem and could even be selected from the start by boss Mark Hughes, who expects new signing Ibrahim Afellay to feature but could be without Marko Arnautovic due to a thigh strain.
Liverpool will be without Joe Allen after the midfielder was ruled out for three to four weeks with a hamstring problem. The other definite absentees are striker Daniel Sturridge (hip) and defender Jon Flanagan (knee), who are expected to return in early September and just prior to Christmas respectively. The likes of summer recruits Christian Benteke, Danny Ings, Roberto Firmino, James Milner and Nathaniel Clyne are poised for Reds debuts, while it remains to be seen whether forwards Mario Balotelli and Fabio Borini — who both look set to leave the club — are involved.
Last season: Stoke 6 Liverpool 1, Liverpool 1 Stoke 0
Match odds: H 11-5 A 5-4 D 11-5
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)
MONDAY
West Brom v Man City
West Brom defender Joleon Lescott is a doubt after missing two days of training this week with an undisclosed injury, but manager Tony Pulis is hopeful he will return to face his former club. Rickie Lambert, James McClean and James Chester stand by to make their debuts but any loan deal for Arsenal’s Serge Gnabry will go through after the registration deadline and he will be unavailable for the game when he signs.
Manchester City will be without new signing Fabian Delph and defender Gael Clichy. Midfielder Delph is still suffering from the hamstring injury suffered on debut in a pre-season friendly against Real Madrid a fortnight ago while Clichy has an ankle problem. City have no other fitness concerns, with striker Sergio Aguero and playmakers David Silva and Samir Nasri having overcome the sickness bug that affected them in midweek.
Last season: Man City 3 West Brom 0, West Brom 1 Man City 3
Match odds: H 9-2 A 6-10 D 3-1
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)
