Manchester United, under the leadership of manager Ruben Amorim, enters the match with the ambition of restoring the Red Devils’ glory after disappointing seasons, most recently a 15th-place finish in the Premier League table last season.

Under the home-field advantage, United are looking to secure their first three points. However, the team has suffered a severe blow with the injury of Moroccan full-back Noussair Mazraoui, which could disrupt Amorim’s defensive plans against Arsenal.

On the other hand, Arsenal, under the leadership of Mikel Arteta, is looking to make a strong start in their quest to achieve the title they have missed for two decades. They have bolstered their squad with stars such as Martin Zubimendi and Swedish striker Victor Gjokeres, who is looking to prove himself in the Premier League after a mixed experience.

Arsenal has finished second in the Premier League for the past three seasons, and Arteta is hoping for a better season.

According to the global website Transfermarkt, history is on the Red Devils’ side. The two teams have met 223 times previously, with United winning 95 matches, Arsenal 80, and 48 draws. The Reds have scored 353 goals, compared to 324 for the Gunners, with Wayne Rooney remaining the all-time top scorer between the two sides.

Date, kick-off time:
Manchester United vs Arsenal is scheduled for a 4:30pm BST kick-off on Sunday, August 17, 2025.

The match will take place at Old Trafford.

The Blues are back in domestic action after being crowned world champions in mid-July, as goals from Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro sunk Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final.

Following that, they took just three weeks off before returning for pre-season at Cobham, winning two friendlies in quick succession against AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen.

A range of new signings could make their competitive debuts on Sunday. Jamie Gittens, Estevao, and Jorrel Hato are all yet to contest an official match for the Blues, while Liam Delap and Pedro both appeared at the Club World Cup.

For Crystal Palace, the high of winning the FA Cup and qualifying for the Europa League was promptly followed by demotion to the Conference League for a violation of multi-club ownership rules, which was held up on appeal.

They launched their 2025-26 season with silverware, though, beating Liverpool on penalties to claim the Community Shield.

Off-pitch, transfer dealings have been limited. Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi have both been at the centre of swirling speculation but are set to remain in south London for Palace’s season opener. There have been just two arrivals in the form of former PSV goalkeeper Walter Benitez and Ajax full-back Borna Sosa.

Date, kick-off time and venue
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace is scheduled for a 2pm BST kick-off on Sunday, August 17, 2025.

The match will take place at Stamford Bridge.

Villans had a phenomenal home track record last season; the home side will look to continue to carry the same momentum going into the fresh season. Unai Emery’s side started their preseason preparations with two consecutive defeats, but they soon bounced back and lost just one game in their last six outings, wrapping up their preseason with a 2-0 victory over Villarreal.

They finished last season with the same points as Newcastle but missed out on a UEFA Champions League spot on goal difference. As the new season gets underway, Villa will be determined to push themselves for an even better finish this time.

Newcastle United, meanwhile, will be pushing for a strong start this season after stealing a Champions League spot last season. Eddie Howe’s side had a poor time in their preseason campaign, failing to win a match in their six friendlies they played.

The Magpies also faced challenges in their summer preparations, struggling to finalize key transfers and dealing with multiple injuries to their star players.

The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch the match, kickoff times, and the latest lineup news.

What time does Aston Villa vs. Newcastle kick off?
This Premier League clash takes place at the Villa Park in Birmingham, England, and kicks off on Saturday, August 16 at 12:30 p.m. local time (BST).

Liverpool will seek to soothe their sorrows after losing the Community Shield to Crystal Palace by winning the opening match. Meanwhile, the visiting team will seek to deepen the wounds of Mohamed Salah and his teammates by leaving Anfield with at least a draw.

In a stunning surprise, Crystal Palace, nicknamed the “Eagles of London,” won the Community Shield for the first time in their history after defeating Liverpool 3-2 on penalties at Wembley Stadium, after the match ended in a 2-2 draw after regulation time.

During the penalty shootout, Mohamed Salah failed to score the first penalty, despite his excellent penalty takers, and missed the target, resulting in Liverpool’s first title of the season.

Date, kick-off time and venue
Liverpool vs Bournemouth is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off on Friday, August 15, 2025.

The match will take place at Anfield.

Predicted Arsenal lineup
Formation | 4-3-3

Kepa Arrizabalaga

Ben White – Cristian Mosquera – Jacob Kiwior – Lewis Skelly

Martin Zubermendi – Martin Odegaard – Mikel Merino

Trossard – Havertz – Saka

Predicted Tottenham lineup
Formation | 4-3-3

Brandon Austin

Ben Davies – Micky van de Ven – Luka Vuškovic – Pedro Porro

George Abbott – Pape Matar Sarr – Yves Bisomba

Son Heung-min – Richarlison – Mohammed Kudus

Date, kick-off time and venue
Arsenal vs Tottenham is scheduled for a 12.30pm BST kick-off today, Thursday, July 31, 2025.

The match will take place at the Kai Tak Sports Park, Hong Kong.

Barcelona is counting on its star-studded squad, including the talented Lamine Yamal, Brazilian Rafinha Diaz, young midfielder Pedri, and new signing Marcus Rashford.

This is in addition to the experience of German coach Hansi Flick and the high morale of the Catalan team’s players after successfully achieving the domestic treble (La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Super Cup) against their traditional rivals, Real Madrid.

On the other hand, FC Seoul is seeking to exploit the home advantage and the fans in the upcoming match against Barcelona to pull off a major upset.

FC Seoul vs Barcelona kick-off time

The friendly between FC Seoul and Barcelona will be played at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, United States.

It will kick off at 4 am PT / 7 am ET on Thursday, July 31, in the US.

The Reds have been in the Far East for over a week and Saturday saw them take on AC Milan in a friendly, suffering a 4-2 loss at the Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong.

Arne Slot’s side touched down in Japan on Sunday to embark on the second leg of their summer tour and preparations are underway for the J.League World Challenge showdown.

Yokohama are struggling domestically this season. Currently in the J1 League relegation zone and three points from safety, ultimately their focus will be on survival even if a meeting against Liverpool provides a welcome distraction.

That said, they have found form in recent weeks, recording back-to-back wins over rivals Yokohama FC and Nagoya without conceding a single goal.

Date, kick-off time and venue
Liverpool vs Yokohama FM is scheduled for a 11.30am BST kick-off today, Wednesday, 30 July, 2025.

The match will take place at the Nissan Stadium.

Liverpool finished last season as Premier League champions, while Milan finished eighth in the Italian league.

Liverpool vs AC Milan prediction:
Milan, for large spells, gave a good account of themselves against Arsenal but lacked a cutting edge in attack. That was to be expected with no senior centre-forward named in the tour squad.

Coming up against a Liverpool team that are top-heavy in attack will represent a different task for the Serie A giants entirely.

Of course, the result is not important as Slot will be using this fixture to build up match fitness for his player and also experiment with formation and personnel. Still, the Reds should have too much quality.

Liverpool to win, 3-0.

Date, kick-off time:
Liverpool vs AC Milan is scheduled for a 12.30pm BST kick-off today, Saturday, July 26, 2025. The match will take place at the Kai Tak Stadium, Hong Kong.

The Gunners, who are expected to mount a Premier League title challenge next season, are in Asia this summer for a three-game tour and first up is a return to Singapore for a showdown with the Italian giants.

Mikel Arteta’s side have been extremely busy in the summer transfer window thus far which means fans in Singapore could see three of the four new recruits in action as well as a number of talented youngsters.

Meanwhile somewhat of a rebuild at Milan is taking place. Max Allegri is back in charge after the club failed to qualify for Europe and he has overseen the sale of Theo Hernandez to Al Hilal.

It’s a first meeting between the two sides since a friendly in Dubai back in December 2022 when the two teams were preparing to resume their respective league campaigns following the winter World Cup.

Date, kick-off time and venue
Arsenal vs AC Milan is scheduled for a 7.30pm kick-off local time which is 12.30pm BST in the UK today, Wednesday, July 23, 2025.

The match will take place at the National Stadium in Singapore.

PSG secured their place in the final, which will be held at MetLife Stadium, after a resounding 4-0 victory over Real Madrid in the semi-final.

Chelsea, meanwhile, secured a thrilling 2-0 victory over Brazilian club Fluminense, with new signing João Pedro scoring in the semi-final, setting up a fiery final against Paris Saint-Germain.

This is the third time Chelsea has reached the final of the Club World Cup, having previously reached the final of the 2012 edition in Japan, losing 1-0 to Brazilian club Corinthians thanks to a goal from Peruvian Paolo Guerrero.

Chelsea booked their place in the Club World Cup final for the second time in the 2021 edition held in the UAE, winning the title with a thrilling 2-1 victory over Brazilian side Palmeiras.

Chelsea hopes to equal Bayern Munich and Corinthians’ record of two Club World Cup titles each, while Real Madrid holds the record for most titles with five.

Date, kick-off time and venue
Chelsea vs PSG is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off on Sunday July 13, 2025.

The match will take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Chelsea vs PSG prediction
There will be plenty of nervous hand-wringing in the Chelsea camp ahead of the Club World Cup final. PSG are formidable opposition at the best of times, and showed not even the faintest signs of weakness as they mercilessly picked Real Madrid apart. Chelsea have their work cut out for them.

In a positive for the Blues, they seem to have improved steadily in each of their matches at the tournament, but their run to the final has been nowhere near as challenging as their opponents.

It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to pick out a weakness in PSG. They are rock solid at the back, fluid in midfield, ruthless in attack. Donnarumma is arguably the best goalkeeper in the world at the moment, and the squad’s depth is an embarrassment of riches.

Chelsea will have to be at their absolute best if they are to come away from the final with silverware in hand. Even that, though, may not be enough.

PSG to win, 3-1.