A simulated opening day Premier League fixture list has handed Manchester United and Liverpool challenging starts to the season.
The official fixture list is released by the Premier League at 9am on Thursday. Prior to that, there's always speculation about which teams each side will face first - with opponents you'd rather avoid first up if at all possible.
Of course, teams play each other twice over the 38 games, but getting your campaign off to a good start can be vital as the 2023/24 season progresses.
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The only thing that appears to be certain at this stage is that Liverpool will play their opening day game away. They requested as such to the authorities due to redevelopments that will be ongoing at Anfield.
When the fixtures are released by the computer, broadcasting and policing considerations will then have to be taken into account by the Premier League for any rescheduling.
But ahead of the 9am release, a supercomputer has predicted opening day fixtures for each of the 20 teams in the division.
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Premier League 2023/24 opening day fixtures simulated
The Sun's supercomputer has 'ran the numbers', so to speak, and made its prediction on who each team will be facing on the first weekend of the season, which will begin on Friday, August 11 or Saturday, August 12.
The immediate standout fixture from the simulation sees treble-winning Manchester City taking on newly-promoted Burnley, who are managed by City legend Vincent Kompany, at the Etihad Stadium.
In the last meeting between the two sides - an FA Cup quarter-final tie earlier this year in Manchester - City won 6-0, but Burnley will be hoping for better fortunes in their Premier League clash against Pep Guardiola's side.
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Liverpool, meanwhile, travel to Brighton, while Arsenal face a trip to Bramall Lane to take on newly-promoted Sheffield United.
And the other newly-promoted side Luton, who are playing Premier League football for the first time, take on Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The other standout fixture, meanwhile, sees Manchester United travelling to London to take on Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea.
While the Blues struggled throughout the most recent season - United thrashed them 4-1 at Old Trafford last month - Pochettino will hope to rebuild his squad for a renewed push in the upcoming campaign.
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Here is the full list of simulated fixtures:
- Chelsea vs Manchester United
- Sheffield United vs Arsenal
- Manchester City vs Burnley
- Brighton vs Liverpool
- Tottenham vs Luton
- Everton vs Wolves
- Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest
- West Ham vs Fulham
- Brentford vs Crystal Palace
- Bournemouth vs Newcastle
Topics: Premier League, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Burnley, Manchester City
Ryan Smart