EPL Returns With Champions City At Burnley

The 2023-24 Premier League season kicks off on Friday as reigning champions Manchester City travel to a Burnley side led by a modern Blues legend.

Vincent Kompany won 10 major trophies as a City player but will be in the opposition dugout after leading the Clarets back to the top-flight in his first season as their manager.

After holding off the challenge of Arsenal to win their ninth top-flight title, City will be hoping to steal an early march on their rivals, many of whom have spent big this summer to try to close the gap.

On Saturday, the Gunners host Nottingham Forest, while Newcastle face Aston Villa in a contest between two sides making their return to European competition this campaign.

Sunday brings the debut of two new bosses as Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou takes his side to Brentford before Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea host Liverpool.

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Once again, Manchester City will head into a Premier League campaign as champions, having claimed their third title in a row in 2022-23.

Pep Guardiola’s side were pushed close by Arsenal, but their superiority eventually shone through. The league crown would comprise part of a Treble for the club, who also claimed the FA Cup and a first Champions League crown.

City put up some stunning numbers over the campaign, with the league title their fifth in the past six seasons, becoming the third team to achieve such a feat, along with Liverpool (1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984) and Manchester United (1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001).

They have lost a couple of important players in Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan but have replaced the latter with Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea and strengthened in the defence by recruiting the impressive Josko Gvardiol for £77m from RB Leipzig.