+ Swedish super talent may debut
Lucas Bergvall is new in Tottenham. During the preseason, the 18-year-old has gotten a lot of playing time. In the last training match – against German giant Bayern München – Bergvall was substituted in and set up his compatriot Dejan Kulusevski for a goal in the 2–3 loss.
+ Isak goes for new success season
Alexander Isak had an enormous season last year with 21 goals in 30 league matches in Newcastle and finished third in the top scorer list. This despite injuries that plagued the autumn season. Now the Swede is injury-free and is expected by several experts to be able to threaten again to become the league's top scorer.
+ 13.30 match changes platform
All matches with a 13.30 kickoff on Saturday will be broadcast on Prime Video and not on Viaplay. The reason is that the rights holder Nent, which owns Viaplay, has sold 10 percent of the PL broadcast program to Amazon.
The first match to be broadcast on Prime Video is newcomer Ipswich against Liverpool.
+ Reigning champion awaits its verdict
Manchester City dominates English football – but at the same time, there are several question marks around what the club did between 2009–2018. The four-time champions in the last four years are being investigated by the Premier League for breaking the league's rules on 115 points.
According to British media, the investigation of City will begin in September and the verdict may come before the season is over. Fines? Point deductions? Nothing at all? It remains to be seen.
+ Coach carousel – several top teams have new coaches
Dutchman Arne Slot has gotten the tough task of succeeding successful Jürgen Klopp after eight years in Liverpool.
Chelsea has also changed coaches and brought in Italian Enzo Maresca from Leicester. The Italian has, like Mikel Arteta in Arsenal, previously been part of Pep Guardiola's coaching staff in Manchester City.
Besides them, West Ham (Julen Lopetegui), Brighton (Fabian Hürzeler), and Leicester (Steve Cooper) also have new coaches for the season.
+ 31-year-old German makes history
German Fabian Hürzeler replaces Roberto De Zerbi in Brighton and the 31-year-old is the youngest permanent head coach in Premier League history.
I'm a young man, but not a young coach, he says to AP.
Last season, Hürzeler led St. Pauli to promotion to the German top division.
+ Aston Villa makes CL debut – does it affect league play?
Aston Villa's successful season last year resulted in a fourth place and thus qualification for the Champions League. The club won the European Cup in 1982 but has never played the tournament since it changed its name in the 1992–1993 season.
The question is how the European cup play affects the team in the league play? In the same situation last season, Newcastle had a hard time handling the two competitions and had to settle for a seventh place in the league.
+ Semi-automated referee assistance introduced
This season, semi-automated assistance for offside decisions is being introduced. The purpose of the new technology is to speed up the decision-making process.
According to tests, it will on average shorten VAR decisions by about 30 seconds. The technology was used in the World Championship in Qatar 2022 and has also been tested in the Champions League.
Corrected: In an earlier version, there were errors regarding the studio on Prime Video.
Friday: Manchester United–Fulham (21.00).
Saturday: Ipswich–Liverpool (13.30), Arsenal–Wolverhampton, Everton–Brighton, Newcastle–Southampton, Nottingham–Bournemouth (all 16.00), West Ham–Aston Villa (18.30).
Sunday: Brentford–Crystal Palace (15.00), Chelsea–Manchester City (17.30).
Monday: Leicester–Tottenham (21.00).
