Alex Keble, Adrian Kajumba, Ben Bloom and Adrian Clarke pick the Premier League matches they are most looking forward to in 2024/25
Three fixtures most looking forward to
Alex Keble
The two most interesting teams in the Premier League next season are Manchester United, who have backed Erik ten Hag but will want good results soon, and Liverpool, hoping to avoid a post-Jurgen Klopp slump as Arne Slot takes charge.
Both teams have a fairly straightforward opening two rounds of 2024/25 – before a high-stakes match at Old Trafford that neither manager can really afford to lose.
Just to put even more pressure on this fixture, it’s the last match before the first international break of the season.
The loser will have two weeks to stew.
The first meeting between the title contenders of the last two years comes even earlier than in 2023/24, when Arsenal laid down a marker with a 1-0 win at Emirates Stadium last October.
Pep Guardiola’s side might struggle for motivation after winning four titles in a row, handing Arsenal the advantage early in the campaign, but against Arsenal is the fact that they will have travelled to Tottenham Hotspur the weekend before.
Incredibly, having gone to Villa Park on the second weekend, Arsenal play away to three of last year’s top five within the first five weeks. Can they really survive that onslaught to take something at Etihad Stadium?
If Arsenal, Man City, and Liverpool are again the three clubs challenging for the Premier League title, then the final meeting between them will be on 10 May and Matchweek 36.
None of them have anything to worry about in the two rounds that follow, meaning that if we get a three-horse race, the title will effectively be decided when Arsenal visit Anfield.
A draw could give Man City the advantage, suggesting both Liverpool and Arsenal will go for it right to the final whistle.
Adrian Kajumba
This is especially interesting from a Chelsea and Enzo Maresca perspective. Chelsea were seemingly heading in the right direction but still opted to replace Mauricio Pochettino with Maresca, another one of Guardiola’s managerial proteges.
Maresca’s style is inspired by Guardiola’s and, having worked under him at Man City, the Italian might know of any possible weaknesses that could be exploited.
I am looking forward to seeing firstly how he fares against Guardiola but also how his distinct style that got Leicester City promoted from the Championship, translates to Chelsea.
Arsenal did almost as much as they could themselves to deny Man City a fourth successive title, taking four points off Pep Guardiola’s side.
Still, though, Man City were not to be denied. If four points proved insufficient, Arsenal will now have to go for all six.
The next instalment in their tussle with Man City at home will be especially intriguing. City midfielder Rodri said that Arsenal coming to Etihad Stadium and being happy with a point should not be enough and that his side would not be similarly happy with a draw against their main title rivals.
Mindful of how tight the 2023/24 title race was and how important the direct battles can be, will Arsenal’s approach in the away match now change?
Man City have been so dominant in the Premier League derbies in the last few years, winning five of the last six.
Then along came United’s surprise FA Cup final win over their city rivals in May. Did that mark the start of the tide turning again?
It will be fascinating to see if Man Utd can replicate what they produced at Wembley and also what impact being outwitted in such a showpiece occasion has on Guardiola and his side.
Ben Bloom
The first showdown between last year’s two leading title challengers could not come at a more testing time, with both sides playing their opening UEFA Champions League match earlier in the week and Arsenal facing a big north-London derby against Spurs the week before.
What a few days for Mikel Arteta’s side, especially. So much will have been revealed just five league matches into the season.
A fascinating encounter due to the potential occupants of the two dugouts. We know that (barring an incredibly early managerial departure) Maresca will be at the Chelsea helm, having been lured to Stamford Bridge by the hope of bigger things after guiding Leicester back to the top flight.
Leicester’s manager is currently unknown but could well be former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper. Points to prove galore.
The penultimate Matchweek of the season features a face-off between the two sides who spent much of the previous campaign battling for the final Champions League spot.
They will both have their sights set on the top four again, and this fixture could prove decisive at a crucial point in the season.
Last year, these two clubs ran out of steam for the run-in, with Spurs winning only two of their last seven matches and Villa going winless in their final four.
Adrian Clarke
This classic match-up always has a serious edge to it, but the renewal of Ten Hag’s rivalry with Dutch compatriot Slot adds a fresh, orange-coloured twist this time around.
They have two wins apiece from four meetings in the Eredvisie, and luckily, we won’t have to wait long to see which man nudges in front on their head-to-head, with a late August contest at Old Trafford pencilled in the diary.
It will be our first opportunity to see how Slot’s tactical tweaks fare against a rival Premier League giant, and after finishing a lowly eighth last campaign, United’s head coach would dearly like to earn a morale-boosting early-season victory.
I am expecting plenty of mind games ahead of this clash, and for each head coach it feels like there is a lot at stake. For different reasons, they must make a positive impression.
In early November we’ll get our first glimpse of this season’s "High Line Derby" and it can’t come around soon enough!
These two sides produced a couple of exciting matches in 2023/24, and on the back of a top-four duel that eventually saw Villa book their place in the Champions League at Spurs’ expense, it also feels like it could be a key match in the context of this campaign.
Come the end of the season, I don’t think these two teams will be far apart.
Ange Postecoglou’s side are a terrific watch, with attacking football very much the priority. We know Unai Emery is a touch more pragmatic, but the way he pushes his back four up to the halfway line has made them tremendously exciting to follow too.
In boxing they say, "styles make fights" and that’s the case here between two evenly matched sides, happy to take their chances with "risk v reward" strategies.
The Gunners may have had to settle for second place again last season, but their rivalry with Guardiola’s Man City is warming up very nicely. These two will head into the new campaign as the most likely teams to walk away with the title.
Arsenal will know they have to beat the champions at least once, possibly twice, to end up in top spot so their encounter at Emirates Stadium on the first weekend of February, promises to be of colossal importance.
Arteta’s men were unbeaten against the division’s traditional "Big Six" in 2023/24, and within that mini-league they shut out City home and away.
Playing a brand of slightly more cautious football than usual, Arsenal successfully nullified the champions. Can they repeat the trick? Or will the title favourites find a new way to break them down?
A win for Arsenal in this fixture, backing up last season’s 1-0 triumph, would certainly kickstart the run-in brilliantly for them. Defeat might tough to come back from.
This has the feel of a HUGE match.
Best match of opening weekend
Alex Keble
It’s hard to look past the headline fixture on Sunday of the opening weekend, when we get a first look at Maresca in the new "impossible job" of English football. He couldn’t have been given a more difficult start.
But City don’t always start strong, and with Guardiola’s future uncertain – not to mention motivation a new problem for the four-time champions – Chelsea definitely stand a chance.
Adrian Clarke
Maresca’s Premier League managerial debut couldn’t be tougher, but at least the new Chelsea head coach will see some familiar faces on the opening weekend.
Taking on his former club and mentor so early on in his tenure may not have been top of the Italian’s wish list, but he will at least know Guardiola’s tactical mind inside out from their time working together at Etihad Stadium.
Masterminding a Matchweek 1 upset against him would also be the perfect way to introduce himself to Blues fans at Stamford Bridge.
Style-wise, Maresca will want Chelsea to play in a very similar way to the champions, so we should see plenty of easy-on-the-eye football.
Adrian Kajumba
Ipswich’s return to the Premier League after 22 years away and via back-to-back promotions from League One is a great story.
A fixture against one of England's biggest clubs should be some occasion to welcome Premier League football back to Portman Road.
This will also be the first chance to see what Ipswich will bring to the Premier League and an indicator of whether Kieran McKenna's side can continue playing the same expansive and attacking brand of football that they did on their way to both promotions.
Ben Bloom
With a nod to Chelsea v Man City, which promises to be a brilliant early clash, Liverpool’s visit to Portman Road will undoubtedly be the romantic’s choice on the opening weekend.
McKenna’s side are one of the most intriguing promoted clubs in many years and it will be fascinating to see how they fare.
An immediate encounter with Premier League heavyweights - who, themselves, have their first new manager since 2015 - will prove unmissable.
Best Boxing Day match
Alex Keble
Newcastle United and Aston Villa are likely to be direct rivals in the hunt for Champions League football, making this the standout fixture.
Last Boxing Day, Villa were 2-0 up at Old Trafford before losing 3-2 in undoubtedly the best match of that day, while Emery’s side were also beaten 5-1 at St James' Park on the opening weekend.
That suggests Villa will again be entertaining on Boxing Day.
Adrian Kajumba
Newcastle and Villa served up a pair of exciting encounters last season, both won by Newcastle and producing 10 goals across the two matches.
If the pattern continues, a Boxing Day treat will be served up by two teams who have challenged towards the top of the table in the last two seasons.
Ben Bloom
Many of those in attendance (certainly in the away end) when Chelsea host Fulham, might claim to be at Boxing Day’s biggest match, but it is not a fixture to stir much emotion outside of a small part of west London.
The match between Newcastle and Villa promises greater intrigue and entertainment, between two sides with recent Champions League credentials and similarly lofty ambitions. Will they both be in the top-four mix when Santa Claus comes?
Adrian Clarke
I grew up in Suffolk as a Junior Blue Ipswich fan, so I am thrilled to see them back in the top flight.
For me, it will be lovely to see the Tractor Boys in the flesh on Boxing Day at Emirates Stadium, facing the club I used to play for back in the '90s.
I was there on Ipswich’s only visit to the ground in 2011, when the Gunners won 3-0 in a League Cup tie, and although a repeat could be on the cards, McKenna’s side have amazing resilience and character, so I would never write them off.
I sense Ipswich will try to take the fight to the big boys in 2024/25, so this one could be a Christmas cracker.
Best match on final day
Alex Keble
Ipswich v West Ham - 25 May
Ipswich could engineer a great escape. Between 21 December and 26 February they face all of last season’s top eight in the space of 11 matches, which you’d think would put them in a bad position going into the home stretch.
But they potentially have four relegation six-pointers in a row to the end the season, with Everton (A), Brentford (H), and Leicester (A) before they host West Ham at Portman Road.
It could all come down to that final day in front of their own fans.
Adrian Kajumba
It's a toss-up between the match at Old Trafford and Southampton v Arsenal. The first has the potential to be significant for both sides in the battle for European football.
Meanwhile, I am tipping Arsenal to win the Premier League. If the race goes to the wire for a second successive season, history will be made and Arsenal get their hands on the Premier League Trophy for the first time since 2004 at St Mary’s.
Ben Bloom
Predicting the state of play at the end of May next year requires a crystal ball, but it would be no surprise if this match proved critical at both ends of the table.
Arsenal will firmly expect to be in the title hunt, while many believe there is a fair chance Southampton could find themselves battling to avoid relegation. It would appear highly unlikely that nothing is at stake in this encounter at St Mary’s.
Adrian Clarke
Could this match at St Mary's be a shoot-out, where the hosts need a point or three to escape relegation, while at the same time Arsenal require a victory to land their first Premier League crown in 21 years? Perhaps.
Looking into the crystal ball this far in advance, it is hard to tell which matches will matter most on Matchweek 38, but I can see a scenario where the Saints have safety in their own hands come the final day. I believe they can be competitive under Russell Martin.
Having been so close in the last two seasons, it’s not outlandish to imagine Arteta’s men being in the mix again in late May either.
If the Gunners do need a win on the south coast to secure the title, they won’t want to look at their recent record at St Mary’s. Arsenal have won on only two of their last seven visits.
The eyes of the world could be on this contest in just under a years' time.
