Wetin You Need to Know About the Opening Week of the 2025/26 Premier League Season
The 2025/26 Premier League season don land with plenty gbedu, and na on Friday, August 15, 2025, e go kick off with one sweet match between defending champions Liverpool and Bournemouth for Anfield.
Dis new season dey bring plenty tori, from new players wey clubs don sign to records wey fit break or new ones wey fit happen.
For dis article, we go yarn about the opening week matches, the new boys wey join squads, and the records wey dey on the line, all in sweet pidgin wey go make you feel am well-well.
Opening Week Match Previews
The Premier League don drop all the fixtures for the opening weekend, and e be like say we go see some serious action from August 15 to August 18, 2025. Make we run through the matches one by one, with small tori about wetin to expect.
1. Liverpool vs Bournemouth (Friday, August 15, 8:00 p.m. WAT)
Champions Liverpool go open the season against Bournemouth for Anfield.
Liverpool dey hot after dem win the title last season with 10-point gap over Arsenal. Dem don add heavyweights like Florian Wirtz (£116m from Bayer Leverkusen) and Hugo Ekitike (£79m from Eintracht Frankfurt) to their squad, so dem dey ready to flex muscle.
Bournemouth, wey finish ninth last season, no go be small meat, but e go hard for dem to face Liverpool wey dey unbeaten in their last 12 opening-day matches and don win their last five home openers.
Mohamed Salah, wey don already score nine opening-day goals (the highest in Premier League history), fit become the first player to hit double figures if e score against Bournemouth. Expect Liverpool to start strong with 3-1 win.
2. Aston Villa vs Newcastle United (Saturday, August 16, 12:30 p.m. WAT)
Dis one na big match for Villa Park. Both teams battle for Champions League spot last season, but Newcastle pip Villa to fifth place with better goal difference.
Villa, under Unai Emery, don show say dem strong for pre-season, with one fine 4-0 win against AS Roma. Newcastle, wey no win any pre-season game yet, go need to wake up fast.
Villa don keep their key players like Ollie Watkins, and dem go wan use home advantage to start well. Newcastle sign Anthony Elanga (£55m from Nottingham Forest), so dem go hope say e fit bring some fire. Dis match fit end 2-2, as both teams dey equally hungry.
3. Brighton vs Fulham (Saturday, August 16, 3:00 p.m. WAT)
Brighton dey enter their eighth season for Premier League and dem don spend big to sign 18-year-old Charalampos Kostoulas, their third most expensive signing ever. Dem wan push for European football again.
Fulham, under Marco Silva, don hold their key players and dey look to climb higher than their mid-table finish last season. Dis game go be tight, but Brighton fit edge am 2-1 because of their home form and new attacking options.
4. Nottingham Forest vs Brentford (Saturday, August 16, 3:00 p.m. WAT)
Nottingham Forest, wey shock everybody by qualifying for European football last season, go face Brentford wey dey under new management. Brentford lose their star man Bryan Mbeumo to Manchester United (£71m) and their coach Thomas Frank to Tottenham.
New boss Keith Andrews don bring in Caoimhin Kelleher and Jordan Henderson, but dem still dey find their rhythm. Forest fit use their home advantage and new confidence to win 2-0.
5. Sunderland vs West Ham (Saturday, August 16, 3:00 p.m. WAT)
Sunderland dey back for Premier League after eight years, and their first game na against West Ham for Stadium of Light.
As newly promoted team, Sunderland don spend well to strengthen their squad, but West Ham, wey dey under Julen Lopetegui, go wan show say dem fit challenge for top half. Sunderland no win their opening match in their last seven Premier League seasons, so West Ham fit carry the day with 2-1 win.
6. Tottenham Hotspur vs Burnley (Saturday, August 16, 3:00 p.m. WAT)
Tottenham, now under Thomas Frank, go start their new era without Son Heung-min, wey don move to MLS. Dem sign Mohamed Kudus (£55m from West Ham) to add flair.
Burnley, wey come back to Premier League after finishing second in the Championship with 100 points and only 16 goals conceded, go be tough to break down. But Spurs fit win 2-1 with their attacking power.
7. Wolves vs Manchester City (Saturday, August 16, 5:30 p.m. WAT)
Manchester City, wey finish fourth last season, don bring in new players like Rayan Ait Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders, and Rayan Cherki to support Pep Guardiola’s plan to win back the title.
Wolves, under Vitor Pereira, get the easiest start based on Opta Power Rankings, but facing City no be beans. City don win their last three games against Wolves and fit win 3-1 for Molineux.
8. Chelsea vs Crystal Palace (Sunday, August 17, 2:00 p.m. WAT)
Chelsea, wey win the Club World Cup with 3-0 against PSG, dey come with plenty swagger.
Dem don spend over £250m on players like Joao Pedro (£60m from Brighton) and Jamie Gittens (£52m from Borussia Dortmund).
Crystal Palace, wey win the FA Cup last season, go be tough with Eberechi Eze leading their attack, but Chelsea no lose to Palace in their last 15 Premier League games. Expect Chelsea to win 2-0.
9. Manchester United vs Arsenal (Sunday, August 17, 4:30 p.m. WAT)
Dis na the blockbuster match of the weekend for Old Trafford.
Manchester United, wey finish 15th last season (their worst ever), don sign Bryan Mbeumo (£71m) and Matheus Cunha (£62.5m) to boost their attack.
Arsenal, wey finish second for three straight seasons, bring in Viktor Gyokeres (£63m) and Martin Zubimendi (£60m) to finally win the title. Both teams dey under pressure, but Arsenal fit win 2-1 because United never beat dem in their last six matches.
10. Leeds United vs Everton (Monday, August 18, 8:00 p.m. WAT)
Leeds, wey win the Championship last season, dey back for Premier League and go face Everton for Elland Road. Everton, under David Moyes again, dey play their first season under new ownership and dey hope to avoid relegation wahala. Leeds don spend well to strengthen their squad, and dem fit win 2-1 with home crowd support.
New Additions to Squads
The transfer window for 2025/26 don see plenty big moves, with clubs spending billions to strengthen their teams. Here na some of the key signings wey go shake things up:
– Liverpool: Dem don splash £250m on players like Florian Wirtz (£116m, Bayer Leverkusen), Hugo Ekitike (£79m, Eintracht Frankfurt), Jeremie Frimpong, and Milos Kerkez. These additions go make their attack and defense even more dangerous.
– Arsenal: Mikel Arteta don finally get a top striker in Viktor Gyokeres (£63m, Sporting Lisbon) and add Martin Zubimendi (£60m, Real Sociedad) to control midfield. These signings fit be the key to end their 21-year title drought.
– Manchester United: After their worst season, dem sign Bryan Mbeumo (£71m, Brentford) and Matheus Cunha (£62.5m, Wolves) to give Ruben Amorim a new-look attack. Dem also dey chase Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig.
– Chelsea: Enzo Maresca’s team don add Joao Pedro (£60m, Brighton) and Jamie Gittens (£52m, Borussia Dortmund) to their squad, making dem serious title contenders.
– Tottenham: Thomas Frank inherit Mohamed Kudus (£55m, West Ham) to replace Son Heung-min, wey don move to MLS.
– Newcastle: Anthony Elanga (£55m, Nottingham Forest) go bring speed to their wings.
– Brentford: Without Mbeumo and Thomas Frank, dem sign Caoimhin Kelleher and Jordan Henderson to stabilize things.
– Brighton: Charalampos Kostoulas, an 18-year-old, na their big signing to push for Europe.
Records Wey Fit Break or Make
The opening week dey set to make history with plenty records on the line:
1. Mohamed Salah’s Opening-Day Record: Salah don score nine opening-day goals for Liverpool, the most in Premier League history. If e score against Bournemouth, e go be the first player to reach double figures for opening-day goals.
2. Liverpool’s Unbeaten Run: Liverpool no lose any of their last 12 opening-day matches and don win their last five at home. Another win go extend dis record.
3. Manchester United’s Home Opener Streak: United dey start their ninth straight season with a home game, a Premier League record. Beating Arsenal go make am sweeter.
4. Sunderland’s Opening-Day Struggles: Sunderland no win their opening match in their last seven Premier League seasons. Dem go hope to break dis jinx against West Ham.
5. Chelsea vs Crystal Palace: Chelsea no lose to Palace in their last 15 Premier League games. Another win go keep dis streak alive.
6. Burnley’s Defensive Record: Burnley concede only 16 goals in 46 Championship games last season. If dem keep clean sheet or concede few goals against Spurs, dem fit set a new benchmark for promoted teams.
Conclusion
The 2025/26 Premier League opening week na one big party wey go set the tone for the season.
From Liverpool wey wan defend their title to Arsenal and Chelsea wey dey chase glory, and newly promoted teams like Sunderland, Leeds, and Burnley wey dey fight to stay up, every match get im own drama.
New signings like Wirtz, Gyokeres, and Mbeumo go bring fresh fire, while records like Salah’s opening-day goals and Liverpool’s unbeaten streak dey wait to be broken or extended.
As the season start, all eyes go dey on the pitch to see who go shine and who go struggle. Make we siddon, grab our popcorn, and enjoy the gbedu wey Premier League dey bring!