The new Premier League season kicks off this weekend with a full schedule of fixtures running from Friday to Monday. Liverpool will get things started when they welcome Bournemouth to Anfield on Friday night (11pm UAE). Here we look ahead to what should be another successful season for the Merseyside club.
Prospects
Liverpool head into the new campaign having powered to a record-equalling 20th English top-flight crown last season, finishing 10 points clear of second-placed Arsenal.
They were the division's top scorers and also had the second meanest defence as Arne Slot enjoyed a spectacular first season in charge after replacing the super successful Jurgen Klopp.
But the joyous celebrations were quickly overshadowed first by the victory-parade attack on fans in Liverpool city centre and then the tragic death of Portuguese attacker Diogo Jota in July after a car accident in Spain. It will be an emotional opening game of the season against Bournemouth at Anfield as players and fans pay tribute to a much-loved player.
The starting XI against the Cherries will have a fresh look with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz having left for pastures new, while more than £260 million has been spent on bringing in the likes of Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike.
If Slot manages to blend these additions into a team that already includes proven Premier League stars such as Virgil van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah, then there is little doubt Liverpool will be there or thereabouts in the title race once again.
Last five finishes
- 2024/25: 1st
- 2023/24: 3rd
- 2022/23: 5th
- 2021/22: 2nd
- 2020/21: 3rd
First five fixtures
- August 15: Bournemouth (H)
- August 25: Newcastle United (A)
- August 31: Arsenal (H)
- September 14: Burnley (A)
- September 20: Everton (H)
The manager
Arne Slot: Had big boots to fill when he replaced Klopp last summer but managed it with remarkable ease, leading Liverpool to the title. But whereas that title-winning side was very-much Klopp-built, this campaign has the stamp of Slot after a busy summer in the transfer market – both arrivals and departures.
Slot will have a new full-back partnership to bed in with new boys Frimpong and Kerkez replacing one of the all-time great Premier League pairings in Trent Alexander-Arnold (sold to Real Madrid) and Andrew Robertson (demoted to second choice).
It will be a similar story attacking wise with Florian Wirtz and Huge Ekitike added to the ranks while Luis Diaz has left for German champions Bayern Munich.
As well as defending the domestic title, the Dutchman will be looking for improvement in the Champions League with the Merseysiders having only gone beyond the quarter-finals once in six seasons.
Star signing
Florian Wirtz: The £100m attacking midfielder looked a Rolls-Royce player during his debut in the Community Shield defeat to Liverpool, combining well with Ekitike to set up his fellow new boy's opening goal at Wembley.
Has a Kevin De Bruyne-like aura about him with his ability to pick a pass, while his stats at Bayer Leverkusen – 57 goals and 47 assists in 140 games – suggest he will be a major contributor to the Liverpool scoring chart.
Xabi Alonso, his coach at Leverkusen, described Wirtz as “one of the top players in the world” while also comparing him to the great Lionel Messi. “Why is Messi so good? Because he knows how and when to play simple passes,” said the Spaniard. “It's not always about making the most brilliant move, but the best and smartest. Florian can do that. That's why he's so good.”
Key player
Mohamed Salah: The frenzied transfer speculation that followed the Egyptian around last season should be over after Salah signed a new contract in April.
Liverpool will be hoping he has not lost any of his hunger after agreeing the bumper two-year deal and that his underwhelming Community Shield performance against Palace is merely a preseason blip.
The 33-year-old will be aiming for a repeat of last season's exploits that saw him win the Premier League Golden Boot and Playmaker awards for scoring the most goals (29) and providing the most assists (18).
Across all competitions, Salah's 34 goals was the second highest tally in his eight seasons at the club, bettered only by the 44 he notched in his first campaign on Merseyside.
Hot prospect
Rio Ngumoha: Already the second youngest player to start for Liverpool – he was 16 years, 135 days old when he played in the FA Cup game against Accrington Stanley in January – England youth international winger Ngumoha has just enjoyed an impressive preseason that saw him assist against AC Milan and goal against Yokohama F. Marinos.
He followed that up in the friendly against Athletic Club, scoring one and assisting another in the first five minutes.
Ngumoha, who turns 17 this month, received a standing ovation from the Anfield crowd after his second-half substitution against the Spanish side. Will be interesting to see whether he can force his way into Slot's first-team plans.
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20profile
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Results
2.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner Lamia, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
3pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m
Winner Jap Al Afreet, Elione Chaves, Irfan Ellahi.
3.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m
Winner MH Tawag, Bernardo Pinheiro, Elise Jeanne.
4pm Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 2,000m
Winner Skygazer, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
4.30pm The Ruler of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh250,000 1,700m
Winner AF Kal Noor, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
5pm Sharjah Marathon (PA) Dh70,000 2,700m
Winner RB Grynade, Bernardo Pinheiro, Eric Lemartinel.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh810,000
MATCH INFO
AC Milan v Inter, Sunday, 6pm (UAE), match live on BeIN Sports
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
Man of the match Harry Kane
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
