Premier League opening day match packs: Opta stats & latest odds for opening weekend of Premier League fixtures

The Premier League returns on September 12 after just a short seven-week break, and there are some interesting looking games to go along with the stand-out tie of Liverpool v Leeds.

The Sky Bet Championship winners are back in the big time after 16 years and they'll know about it straight away as they tackle Jurgen Klopp's dominant champions.

Marcelo Bielsa will have a plan though, he always does, and many expect Leeds to give a decent account of themselves at Anfield - and the stats show us that the club have a fine opening day record.

Man City and Man Utd are both having the first week off after their runs to the latter stages of the Champions League and Europa League, while Wolves and Chelsea start on Monday having gone out of Europe a touch earlier.

• Leeds to face Liverpool on opening day
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• How do promoted teams get on in the Premier League?

Fulham and West Brom kick off their campaigns with home games, but tough ones against FA Cup winners Arsenal and top six side Leicester respectively.

Here's the top stats & odds for the opening fixtures of the new Premier League season..

Liverpool v Leeds United

Saturday September 12

Match odds: Home 1/4 | Draw 5/1 | Away 10/1

• Liverpool are unbeaten in their last eight games against Leeds in all competitions (W6 D2), since a 2-1 defeat in April 2001 in the Premier League.
• Leeds have lost their last three away matches against Liverpool in all competitions, with this the Whites’ first trip to Anfield since a 2-0 defeat in the League Cup in November 2016.
• Leeds have played more Premier League matches on MD1 without losing than any other team in the competition’s history (P12 W5 D7), while Liverpool have won six of their last seven games on opening day (D1), scoring 15 goals in their four under Jürgen Klopp (W3 D1).
• Mohamed Salah has scored in Liverpool's opening fixture for the last three years running, only Teddy Sheringham (four - 1992-95) has a longer streak.

Crystal Palace v Southampton

Saturday September 12

Match odds: Home 15/8 | Draw 11/5 | Away 6/4

• Crystal Palace have won just three of their 22 Premier League matches against Southampton (W3 D6 L13), with this the first time they’ve met on opening day.
• Southampton have won their last three away Premier League visits to Crystal Palace without conceding a single goal; the Saints have never won four consecutive away top-flight matches against an opponent.
• Although this is their first Premier League meeting on opening day, Crystal Palace and Southampton did meet on MD1 in 2007/08 in the Championship, with the Eagles winning 4-1 at St. Mary’s and James Scowcroft scoring a hat-trick.

Fulham v Arsenal

Saturday September 12

Match odds: Home 17/4 | Draw 3/1 | Away 8/13

• Fulham have lost each of their last five Premier League matches against Arsenal, conceding nine goals in their two defeats against the Gunners the last time they were in the top-flight in 2018/19 (1-5 home, 1-4 away).
• Arsenal and Fulham have only met on the opening day once previously in the top-flight, with the Gunners coming from behind to beat the Cottagers 2-1 on MD1 in 2007/08.
• Arsenal are looking to win on MD1 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2009/10 (three in a row), while Fulham have lost their opening day game in each of their last two seasons, losing 2-0 to Crystal Palace in 2018/19 and 1-0 to Barnsley last season.

Tottenham Hotspur v Everton

Saturday September 12

Match odds: Home 5/6 | Draw 13/5 | Away 16/5

• Spurs are unbeaten in each of their last 15 Premier League matches against Everton (W8 D7) since a 2-1 defeat back in December 2012 under André Villas-Boas.
• Everton have won just three of their 28 away Premier League matches against Tottenham (D8 L17), with all three wins coming in consecutive seasons between 2006/07 and 2008/09 – they are winless in 11 visits since November 2008 (D4 L7).
• This is the 11th time Spurs and Everton have met on MD1 of a top-flight season – three times more than any other fixture in top-flight history.

West Bromwich Albion v Leicester City

Saturday September 12

Match odds: Home 16/5 | Draw 3/1 | Away 3/4

• West Bromwich Albion have lost their last four Premier League home games against Leicester City – their longest ever losing streak at home to the Foxes.
• Leicester City have never won five consecutive away Premier League games against a single opponent, with their four straight wins versus West Brom their joint-best streak away from home in the competition (also vs Newcastle in January 2020).
• West Brom and Leicester City have both lost six times on the opening weekend of a Premier League season, although the Baggies have won their last two such matches and the Foxes are winless in four (D1 L3).

West Ham United v Newcastle United

Saturday September 12

Match odds: Home 21/20 | Draw 13/5 | Away 12/5

• West Ham have scored two or more goals in each of their last five Premier League games against Newcastle United; only versus Blackburn Rovers in March 2007 have they had a longer such scoring run against a team in the competition (7 games).
• Newcastle United have won nine away games against West Ham United – only versus Tottenham Hotspur (10) have they picked up more wins on the road in the competition.
• Newcastle United have lost 11 Premier League games on matchday one, only opponents West Ham United have lost more such matches in the competition’s history (13).

Brighton and Hove Albion v Chelsea

Monday September 14

Match odds: Home 17/4 | Draw 3/1 | Away 3/5

• Brighton have failed to win any of their six Premier League encounters with Chelsea, losing five times and scoring just two goals in the process (D1).
• Chelsea have never lost against Brighton in league competition, winning nine and drawing one. The Blues have faced Brighton more times without ever losing than they have against any other side in their league history.
• Chelsea have lost two of their last three season openers in the Premier League (W1), this after going 18 consecutive campaigns without defeat on the opening matchday between 1999-00 and 2016-17.

Sheffield United v Wolves

Monday September 14

Match odds: Home 11/4 | Draw 23/10 | Away 21/20

• Sheffield United have lost only two of their last 13 home games against Wolves in league competition (W7 D4 L2), winning each of the last two, including this exact fixture in the Premier League in 2019/20.
• Wolves are looking to avoid losing consecutive league games against Sheffield United for the first time since September 1996, losing 1-2 in both matches on that occasion.
• Sheffield United are yet to lose on the opening day of a Premier League season, winning two and drawing two.

Odds correct as of 1215 BST on 20/8/20

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