The new Premier League season starts on August 11, but champions Manchester City will be in action a little earlier.
The fixtures for the 2018/19 top-flight campaign will be released on June 14 but several clubs have competitive commitments before the opening weekend.
Burnley’s qualification for the Europa League by finishing seventh in the Premier League means their first game will be on July 26, when they enter the tournament at the second qualifying stage. They will discover their opponents on June 19, five days after the Premier League fixtures are announced, and will face them for a second time on August 2.
Manchester City could add a first Community Shield medal to Pep Guardiola’s trophy cabinet when they face either Manchester United or Chelsea at Wembley on August 5, depending on who wins the FA Cup final.
The Sky Bet EFL will already have begun by then, with the first game of the season for the Championship, League One and League Two pencilled in for August 3.
Because of the changes to Champions League qualification, all four teams who qualified – Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham and Liverpool – will kick-off in the group stage, which get underway on September 18-19. They will find their three group-stage opponents on August 30, when the draw is made in Monaco.
Liverpool could end up in the UEFA Super Cup too, if they can get past Real Madrid in the Champions League final, with the one-off clash at the A Le Coq Arena in Tallinn on August 15.
Arsenal and Chelsea will join Burnley in the Europa League, albeit in the group stage, with the draw on August 31 and the first group game on September 20.
skysports.com
