Liverpool begin Premier League title defence against Bournemouth, Arsenal visit Man Utd
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Crystal Palace - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - May 25, 2025 Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk lifts the trophy as he celebrates with teammates after winning the Premier League REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo
Liverpool will begin their Premier League title defence when they host Bournemouth at Anfield on August 15 while last season's runners-up Arsenal visit Manchester United two days later, England's top flight said on Wednesday.
Manchester City, who are eyeing a seventh Premier League title under Pep Guardiola after finishing third in the last campaign, take a trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers for their season opener on August 16.
Chelsea welcome FA Cup winners Crystal Palace to Stamford Bridge on August 17, a day after Thomas Frank has his first Premier League game in charge of Tottenham Hotspur when they host promoted Burnley.
Spurs sacked Ange Postecoglou after they finished one place above the relegation zone, despite the Australian leading them to the Europa League title for their first major trophy in 17 years.
Last season's surprise package Nottingham Forest will host Brentford and League Cup champions Newcastle United take a trip to Aston Villa on August 16.
Another promoted side Sunderland welcome West Ham United the same day, and Leeds United host Everton two days later.
The new season begins with the one fixture on August 15 and concludes on May 24, 2026. REUTERS
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an hour ago
- Straits Times
Alexander Zverev eases into Halle second round after coming to aid of injured spectator
Germany's Alexander Zverev came to the aid of a woman in the crowd after part of an advertising hoarding fell on spectators during the opening set. PHOTO: EPA-EFE Alexander Zverev eases into Halle second round after coming to aid of injured spectator BERLIN - Alexander Zverev's hunt for an elusive grasscourt title began with a clinical 6-2 6-1 victory over Marcos Giron in the first round of the Halle Open on June 18 in a match interrupted by an advertising hoarding falling on spectators. During the opening set, a section of an advertising hoarding came crashing down from the upper tier onto spectators below, forcing the chair umpire to stop play. Zverev immediately procured an ice pack for a woman who pressed it against her neck and the players waited patiently while tournament organisers scrambled to provide medical assistance. Organisers said the 62-year-old did not suffer any major injuries and was able to leave the stadium after the initial shock, but she was taken to hospital as a precaution. They added that drumming against the boards may have caused the screws to come loose. 'There has never been anything like this in our 32-year tournament history. We deeply regret the incident,' tournament director Ralf Weber said in a statement. On court, Zverev finished the match with 23 winners in the 79-minute contest where Giron struggled to match the power of the German's first serve and had no answer when his opponent's returns found all corners of the court. World number three Zverev, still nursing the disappointment of Sunday's Stuttgart Open final defeat by Taylor Fritz, showed no mercy with the home fans firmly behind the towering second seed who has finished runner-up twice in Halle. 'It was a great match for me, I thought it was quite high level. Maybe he wanted to play a bit better than he did, but all in all I felt like I didn't let him play that well, which was important for me,' Zverev said. Thunderous serve Giron held his own early in the opening set with some deft touches and drop shots, but his resistance crumbled against Zverev's thunderous serve, with the German finishing with 10 aces. The opening set's final game became an unexpected epic as Giron saved four set points before Zverev finally secured it after 54 minutes of play. Any hopes of a comeback quickly evaporated as Zverev reeled off seven consecutive games to take a 3-0 lead in the second set as Giron's shoulders slumped. Giron's double-fault count also increased at the wrong time and the German pounced to break before serving out the set. 'I feel like when he's on top of the ball, when he's allowed to play, it's very difficult with him because he moves quite well. He can control the rally quite well, so I had to take that away,' Zverev added. Earlier, eighth seed Karen Khachanov dispatched Belgium's Zizou Bergs 7-5 6-3 despite a nasty fall on the grass. Third seed Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas are in action in the last 16 later. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Serie A chief blames illegal streaming for Italy's decline
FILE PHOTO: The new logo of Serie A football league is displayed during an event to celebrate a deal between Eni biofuel unit Enilive and Italy's football league to sponsor the country's top championship Serie A in Rome, Italy July 3, 2024. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo has pointed to illegal streaming and the resulting lack of TV revenue as a factor behind Italy's struggles to nurture homegrown talent as the Azzurri strive to return to the World Cup for the first time since 2014. Once a permanent fixture at the World Cup, four-times world champions Italy find themselves in dire straits having missed out on the last two editions and at risk of missing out on a third after losing their first qualifier against Norway. Italian authorities recently intensified efforts to counter online piracy, which is costing billions of euros to broadcasters and sports leagues globally as they try to protect the value of their broadcast rights. TV rights make up the bulk of revenue for Serie A teams and De Siervo said "there is still a mountain to climb" after they lost revenue to the tune of 300 million euros ($345.15 million) last year. "Many question why our national team is in this situation and why there is a lack of talent, one reason being the losses due to piracy," De Siervo said at an event on the fight against piracy. "All the money that is lost every year is not invested in the youth teams and in the growth of our young players, a major issue that has led our national team to face many difficulties. "In addition to this, the age-old facilities do not allow the clubs and the system to obtain high revenues. This has to be changed and this law goes in the right direction." De Siervo said if they continue to lose revenue, Italy and Serie A could tumble down UEFA's coefficient rankings. "We are already far behind the Premier League and the Spanish LaLiga," he added. "If we continue like this, we will finish behind the Germans and we will end up being at the bottom of the table (of Europe's top five leagues) together with the French." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Zverev eases into Halle second round after coming to aid of injured spectator
FILE PHOTO: Jun 4, 2025; Paris, FR; Alexander Zverev of Germany during his match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia on day 11 at Roland Garros Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images/File Photo REUTERS Zverev eases into Halle second round after coming to aid of injured spectator Alexander Zverev's hunt for an elusive grasscourt title began with a clinical 6-2 6-1 victory over Marcos Giron in the first round of the Halle Open on Wednesday in a match interrupted by an advertising hoarding falling on spectators. During the opening set, a section of an advertising hoarding came crashing down from the upper tier onto spectators below, forcing the chair umpire to stop play. Zverev immediately procured an ice pack for the injured fans to use and waited patiently while tournament organisers scrambled to provide medical assistance. Reuters has contacted the organisers for comment on the status of the injured fans. The courtside announcer later said a woman who was injured was 'okay'. On court, Zverev finished the match with 23 winners in the 79-minute contest where Giron struggled to match the power of the German's first serve and had no answer when his opponent's returns found all corners of the court. World number three Zverev, still nursing the disappointment of Sunday's Stuttgart Open final defeat by Taylor Fritz, showed no mercy with the home fans firmly behind the towering second seed who has finished runner-up twice in Halle. "It was a great match for me, I thought it was quite high level. Maybe he wanted to play a bit better than he did, but all in all I felt like I didn't let him play that well, which was important for me," Zverev said. Giron held his own early in the opening set with some deft touches and drop shots, but his resistance crumbled against Zverev's thunderous serve, with the German finishing with 10 aces. The opening set's final game became an unexpected epic as Giron saved four set points before Zverev finally secured it after 54 minutes of play. Any hopes of a comeback quickly evaporated as Zverev reeled off seven consecutive games to take a 3-0 lead in the second set as Giron's shoulders slumped. Giron's double-fault count also increased at the wrong time and the German pounced to break before serving out the set. "I feel like when he's on top of the ball, when he's allowed to play, it's very difficult with him because he moves quite well. He can control the rally quite well, so I had to take that away," Zverev added. Earlier, eighth seed Karen Khachanov dispatched Belgium's Zizou Bergs 7-5 6-3 despite a nasty fall on the grass. Third seed Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas are in action in the last 16 later. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
