Man City begin bid for Premier League history, Liverpool face Chelsea test

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND: Manchester City kick off the new Premier League season at Burnley on Friday to begin their bid to become the first side to ever win four consecutive English top-flight titles.

Arsenal appear best-placed to capitalize if City’s grip on the English game is to come to an end and will expect to get off to a flier at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Liverpool and Chelsea face an early test of how they will bounce back from disappointing seasons when they face off at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

AFP Sport looks at the pick of the action from the opening weekend of the Premier League campaign.

City are still riding the wave of euphoria from the end of last season as they added the club’s first ever Champions League to go with Premier League and FA Cup glory.

The summer has not been without its challenges for Pep Guardiola as captain Ilkay Gundogan departed to Barcelona and the offer in Saudi Arabia was too much for Riyad Mahrez to turn down.

City have also had to fight to retain Kyle Walker and Bernardo Silva, while Croatian duo Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol are only two new arrivals in the transfer market so far.

Guardiola’s opposite number in the dugout on Friday already has a statue outside the Etihad from his playing days, but Vincent Kompany has quickly established himself as one of the brightest coaching talents on the continent.

The former Belgian captain turned around a club in crisis during his first season at Turf Moor to return Burnley to the Premier League with seven games to spare.

The Clarets are a very different proposition to the side that punched above their weight to survive for six seasons in the top flight under Sean Dyche between 2016 and 2022.

Inspired by Guardiola,