10 key Premier League dates for Liverpool as Arne Slot’s side begin to map out title defence | OneFootball

Liverpool fans can now begin marking dates in the diary over the next 12 months after the Premier League fixtures for the 2025/26 season were announced this morning.

The Reds will begin the defence of their title with the visit of Bournemouth to Anfield on Friday 15 August, the first time that we’ve commenced a top-flight campaign with a home match since 2020/21 (when we were also defending champions).

Obviously most of LFC’s fixtures will be moved for TV coverage over the coming months, but with the provisional dates now released, let’s look at some of the standout fixtures for Arne Slot’s side as they seek to retain their crown.

Liverpool v Bournemouth (15 August)

The Reds kick off their Premier League title defence with a home fixture against Bournemouth, a game which could have an added narrative if – as seems highly likely – Milos Kerkez leaves the south coast club for the reigning champions in the meantime.

It’s a long-overdue home game to begin the season for Liverpool, and if Kopites are looking for narratives, we also began with an Anfield fixture on a Friday night (Norwich) when we romped to the title in 2019/20!

Liverpool v Arsenal (30 August)

Arsenal visited Anfield on the third-last weekend of the 2024/25 campaign – this time around, the fixture takes place on the third gameweek of the season.

For both teams it represents a big opportunity to lay down an early marker in the title race. Liverpool will be determined to assert their superiority over the team who pushed them the hardest last term, while the Gunners will be out to land an early blow on the side who finished 10 points clear of them at the summit.

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Liverpool v Manchester United (18 October)

Man United may have finished 14 places behind Liverpool last season with exactly half of the Reds’ points tally, but we’ve seen in recent years that the league table isn’t the most accurate guide as to how this fixture plays out.

The Red Devils have surprisingly drawn on their two most recent visits to Anfield, and Ruben Amorim will be approaching a year in charge by the time the sides meet in mid-October.

Manchester City v Liverpool (8 November)

Liverpool’s first visit to a likely title rival next season takes them to the Etihad Stadium just before the November international break, with the Reds having won 2-0 away to Man City on their previous visit in February.

Our record away to Pep Guardiola’s side in recent years hasn’t been pleasant, but if Slot can mastermind a second successive win in this fixture, it could send out a huge statement in the title race.

Arsenal v Liverpool (7 January)

Last season’s top two meet in an early 2026 showdown which could have a significant bearing on the title race, with Liverpool seeking a first league win at the Emirates Stadium in four years.

The timing of this fixture isn’t ideal for the Reds, who’ll be without Mo Salah due to the Africa Cup of Nations unless Egypt are surprisingly eliminated in the group stage.

Liverpool v Manchester City (7 February)

Liverpool’s final match against a top-three side from 2024/25 will be out of the way by mid-February, the month in which the Reds effectively accrued an insurmountable lead last season.

Guardiola has only won once at Anfield in his nine years in charge of Man City, and that was in 2021 when fans weren’t allowed to attend during the global pandemic. It’s a record that Slot will be striving to maintain when this potentially titanic showdown rolls around!

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Everton v Liverpool (18 April)

We’ll have to wait until the final six weeks of the season for the first Merseyside derby at Everton’s new home ground, unless the two teams are drawn together at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in a domestic cup tie before then.

Liverpool have endured plenty of frustration away to their neighbours over the past decade, and depending on how delicately the title race is poised by mid-April, they mightn’t be able to afford any slip-ups on Bramley-Moore Dock.

Manchester United v Liverpool (2 May)

An away fixture against Man United is always massive, and a trip to Old Trafford in May is potentially season-defining.

A 3-0 romp away to the Red Devils was Slot’s first statement result as Liverpool head coach last year, and a similar scoreline on our next visit to the home of our fiercest rivals would feel enormous.

Liverpool v Chelsea (9 May)

Some of Chelsea’s late-season visits to Anfield in previous years have been haunting for the Reds, and it’s not unthinkable that Enzo Maresca’s side could be a direct positional rival by the time this fixture comes around in May.

Depending on where the two teams are in the table at that point, it has the makings of an immense showdown.

Liverpool v Brentford (24 May)

For the eighth time in 10 years, Liverpool’s final-day Premier League fixture is at Anfield, but this time it isn’t Crystal Palace or Wolves providing the opposition.

It’ll instead mark Caoimhin Kelleher’s return to Merseyside as Brentford make the trip from London, and Kopites will be hoping that, for the second year in a row, our final top-flight game of the campaign is immediately followed by a trophy presentation in L4!