Leicester City begin their Premier League title defence away at newly-promoted Hull City
7th May 2016 - Barclays Premier League - Leicester City v Everton - Leicester celebrate winning the title - Photo: Simon Stacpoole / Offside.
The 2016 Premier League champions, Leicester City, will begin their title defence at newly-promoted Hull City on the opening day of the 2016/17 season, following the release of the fixture list on Wednesday morning.
The Foxes, who finished ten points above second-placed Arsenal last term, then host the Gunners in their first match of the campaign at the King Power Stadium.
Meanwhile, the opening day fixture that catches the eye is Arsene Wenger’s men’s meeting with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool at the Emirates, while the first Manchester derby comes on September 10, when Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola, the new managers at Manchester United and Manchester City respectively, clash at Old Trafford.
West Ham will play their first league match at the Olympic Stadium against Bournemouth on August 20, while Mourinho will return to Stamford Bridge for the first time to face Antonio Conte’s Chelsea on October 22.
The other promoted teams, Burnley and Middlesbrough, also have opening day home fixtures to look forward to, against Swansea City and Stoke City respectively.