Premier League English

Postecoglou and his team to face away test at Brentford in EPL

Former Celtic gaffer Ange Postecoglou’s will be cutting his milk teeth in the Premier League away to Brentford.

Postecoglou’s first official EPL match in charge of Spurs kicks off at 2pm on Sunday, August 13 at the Brentford Community Stadium, with an anxious Spurs team expected to go all out to improve on last year’s disappointing campaign, missing out on Champions League for the new season.

It will be a tricky test for the former Socceroos and Celtic boss as Brentford have proved a difficult proposition at home, one of their victories coming against European treble winners Manchester City whom they happened to beat twice last season.

The Pep Guardiola-managed City will begin their bid for a record fourth consecutive league title away to Vincent Kompany’s Burnley.

The Sky Blues will visit Turf Moor to face their former captain’s newly promoted side on the evening of Friday, August 11 to raise the curtain on the 2023-24 campaign.

It will be the second time Kompany, who won the title on four occasions as City skipper, will have faced his old side as a manager, with City running out 6-0 winners at the Etihad in March’s FA Cup quarter-final.

Premier League debutants Luton will play their first top-flight fixture since 1992 away to Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton on Saturday, August 12, having to wait until the following weekend for their first home game when Kenilworth Road will become the smallest ground to host a fixture in the competition for the visit of Burnley.

The other promoted side Sheffield United kick off their season with a home game against Crystal Palace.

The outstanding fixture of the opening weekend will be at Stamford Bridge where Mauricio Pochettino begins life as Chelsea manager against Liverpool on August 13, with both sides looking to bounce back after disappointing campaigns.

Arsenal, following an anticlimactic conclusion to last season’s title challenge, open at home to Nottingham Forest in Saturday’s lunch time game, with fellow Champions League qualifiers Newcastle hosting Aston Villa that evening.

Manchester United begin against Wolves at Old Trafford on Monday, August 14.

Bournemouth begin their campaign at Europa Conference League winners West Ham, while Everton, looking to avoid a third straight relegation scrap, start at home to Fulham.

The first north London derby of the campaign sees Spurs visit Arsenal on September 23 (with the return on April 27) while Man City travel to the Emirates on October 7 for a meeting of last season’s top two.

October 28 at Old Trafford will bring the first Manchester derby since City matched United’s treble-winning feat of 1999 (United go to the Etihad on March 2), with the champions hosting Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool on November 25.

Pochettino will take his new side to face his old one when Chelsea visit Tottenham on November 4.

Mikel Arteta is unlikely to be impressed with Arsenal’s schedule, with the club’s first two Champions League fixtures in six years coming immediately ahead of games against Tottenham and City.