Premier League fixtures 2022-23: Ten Hag faces tough task, Man City kick off at West Ham

The fixture schedule for the 2022-23 Premier League season was released on Thursday, with champions Manchester City starting at West Ham and the Erik ten Hag era at Manchester United beginning with a home match against Brighton, kicking off a tough-looking run to start his new job.

City clinched the 2021-22 title in extraordinary fashion on the final day, coming from 2-0 down to beat Aston Villa 3-2 and edge Liverpool in a thrilling race. Pep Guardiola's side are vying to become the first Premier League team to win the trophy three seasons in a row since Manchester United in 2009 and their campaign starts at the London Stadium, before hosting newly promoted Bournemouth.

The first meeting between last season's top two comes on Oct. 15 when Guardiola's men visit Anfield, with the corresponding fixture set for April 1. Jurgen Klopp's side kick off their campaign against newly promoted Fulham at Craven Cottage.

— Premier League 2022-23: Full fixture list — When does the 2022-23 season start across Europe? — 2022-23 preseason schedules: Where the top clubs are headed

Manchester United endured a nightmare 2021-22 season, finishing with their lowest points tally of the Premier League era. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked midway through the campaign and Ralf Rangnick took over on an interim basis, only to leave the club this summer before the end of his two-year advisory role.

Ten Hag is the latest man trying to stop the rot at Old Trafford and he has a difficult start to life at United, with a home match against Liverpool the club's third game of the season, on Aug. 20. In that fixture last season, Solskjaer's side suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in their history when Liverpool won 5-0.

United's first 10 matches of