When Southampton visit Manchester United at Old Trafford for Matchweek 2’s first fixture they will do so with a hat-trick in their sights.
The match, on Friday 19 August at 8pm BST and live on Sky Sports in the UK, was one that Saints won last season thanks to a late goal from new signing Charlie Austin, seven minutes into his debut for the club.
That marked their second successive league win at The Theatre of Dreams.
Claude Puel’s new side also have pleasant memories of their last match against Jose Mourinho, now the United manager.
Goals from Steven Davis, Sadio Mane and Graziano Pelle inflicted a 3-1 home defeat upon Mourinho’s Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in October last year.
Matchweek 2’s other fixtures for live broadcast also promise enthralling action.
Stoke City host Manchester City on Saturday at 12.30pm, a match the Potters won 3-0 last season with all their goals coming in the first half.
Leicester City v Arsenal, the 5.30pm kick-off on Saturday, was full of end-to-end football and seven goals last season as Arsene Wenger’s team became the only side to beat the eventual champions at the King Power Stadium, winning 5-2 thanks to an Alexis Sanchez hat-trick.
Sunday’s opening match will feature the first Wear-Tees derby in seven years as Sunderland welcome promoted Middlesbrough. When this fixture was last in the Premier League, two late goals from Michael Chopra gave the Black Cats the win.
West Ham United’s first league match in their new stadium is the day’s later kick-off.
Slaven Bilic’s men will be looking to avenge their thrilling 4-3 defeat by AFC Bournemouth almost exactly a year earlier, when Callum Wilson got a hat-trick for the Cherries.
