Manchester City have now found out who they will face on the opening weekend of the 2022/23 Premier League season.
Pep Guardiola's reigning English top-flight Champions will be looking to retain their Premier League crown for the third time under the Catalan coach, as they look towards winning their third consecutive league title.
The 2022/23 season is expected to be as hotly-contested as ever, with Liverpool set to strengthen significantly following their acquisition of Benfica and Uruguay star Darwin Nunez, and the newly-bought Chelsea set to splash their new funds in the summer market on various positions within the squad.
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For Manchester City, they have already secured the groundbreaking signing of Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland, complimented by the addition of breakthrough River Plate and Argentina striker Julian Alvarez - in a double signing that could have major benefits on the goalscoring output of Pep Guardiola's team.
City will be looking to start the campaign with a fast and successful start, and following the release of the complete 2022/23 Premier League fixture list, it has now been confirmed that the Etihad Stadium side will take on West Ham United on the opening weekend of the new season at the London Stadium.
The opening game for Pep Guardiola's side will take place on Sunday 7th August with kick-off currently scheduled for 16:30 BST. The opening weekend clash will also be broadcast live on Sky Sports, it has been confirmed.
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In the two meetings against the Hammers last season, Manchester City beat David Moyes' side 2-1 in the North-West, before being held to a 2-2 draw on the penultimate matchday of the season.
Prior to kicking-off the new campaign against West Ham, Pep Guardiola's side will first of all take on Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool side in the traditional curtain-raiser to the new season, as they face off in the Community Shield at the alternative venue of the King Power Stadium at the end of July.
City edged the Merseyside club to the Premier League title last season, after coming from 0-2 behind on the final day of the season, to win 3-2 with just minutes to spare, in one of the most dramatic finishes to an English top-flight season in recent memory.
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It also remains to be seen how many more new signings Manchester City will have secured by the time the new season comes around, it is widely understood that the relevant officials at the club have shortlisted a number of names to focus on before the window shuts at the end of August.
Two of their primary targets include Leeds United's Kalvin Phillips - with an official approach expected to be made across the next few days and weeks, as well as Brighton & Hove Albion's Marc Cucurella.
Topics: Football, Manchester City, Premier League, West Ham United
Freddie Pye