The new Premier League season gets started on a Friday night yet again this year as Liverpool host Bournemouth, live on talkSPORT. 

The reigning champions are kicking off the new top-flight campaign later this week as their title defence begins at Anfield.

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Reigning champions Liverpool are aiming to defend their titleCredit: Getty

Arne Slot heads into his second season in charge and he will be hoping his flurry of summer spending leads to further success. 

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Liverpool were beaten in the Community Shield by Crystal Palace last weekend at Wembley, so they will hope that the result doesn’t stay in their minds. 

On the other hand, Bournemouth will be hoping it does, as Andoni Iraola looks to build on what was an impressive 2024/25 campaign as his side finished ninth.

The Premier League opener will take place on Friday, August 15 at 8pm, as it was selected and moved for TV coverage.

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For the last five years, the first game of the new season has been played on a Friday night, live on Sky Sports, like Manchester United vs Fulham was last campaign. 

Kick-off at Anfield is set for 8pm.

talkSPORT will have exclusive live coverage of the action presented by Adrian Durham.

Commentary will come from Joe Shennan and former England striker Dean Ashton. 

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To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.

You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

talkSPORT.com will also be running a live blog with updates of all the action.

Premier League opening weekend schedule

Friday, August 15

Liverpool vs Bournemouth - 8pm, live on talkSPORT

Saturday, August 16

Aston Villa vs Newcastle - 12:30pm, live on talkSPORTBrighton v Fulham - 3pmSunderland vs West Ham - 3pmTottenham Hotspur vs Burnley - 3pmWolves vs Manchester City - 5:30pm

Sunday, August 17

Chelsea vs Crystal Palace - 2pmNottingham Forest vs Brentford - 2pmManchester United vs Arsenal - 4:30pm

Monday, August 18

Leeds United vs Everton - 8pm, live on talkSPORT

The new season is here and that only means one thing - Mohamed Salah is chasing history. 

Salah broke record after record last campaign, and he’s already aiming to take a step closer to setting yet another one in the opening game. 

The Egyptian has scored an incredible 105 Premier League goals at Anfield, putting him third in the all-time list of goals scored at a single stadium.

One more would see him equal Sergio Aguero on 106 and move him to within eight of the current record of 114 held by Thierry Henry at Highbury. 

There’s a high chance that Salah does find the net too, as he’s scored more Premier League goals against Bournemouth than any other player (11).

And no player has ever scored (9) or contributed to more goals (14) on the top flight’s opening weekend than the Liverpool superstar.

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Liverpool have won 11 of their last 12 Premier League games against Bournemouth, with the exception being a 1-0 away loss in March 2023.Bournemouth have taken just one point from 24 available away against Liverpool in the Premier League (W0 D1 L7), losing their last six visits to Anfield by an aggregate score of 23-2.Liverpool haven’t lost their opening league game in any of the last 12 seasons (W9 D3), since a 3-0 loss at West Brom in 2012-13.

It’s the longest current run without defeat on MD1 of any Premier League side.New Liverpool signing Florian Wirtz (10 goals, 12 assists) was one of only six players to register double figures for both goals and assists in the big-five European leagues last season.

The Reds’ record signing could also become the third German player to score on his Premier League debut, after Jürgen Klinsmann in August 1994 and Ilkay Gündogan in September 2016.Bournemouth won 2-0 against Leicester in their final game of 2024-25, but haven’t won consecutive Premier League matches since January (vs Newcastle and Nottingham Forest).

Liverpool’s summer signings will all make their competitive debuts at Anfield, with British-record arrival Florian Wirtz hoping to light up the Premier League. 

Jeremie Frimpong and Hugo Ekitike both scored at Wembley on Sunday and will likely start again, along with former Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez. 

Ryan Gravenberch is suspended for the opener after a red card in the final game of last season, while Alexis Mac Allister may be fit enough to start. 

Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez will miss out through injury. 

As for the Cherries, they’ve been decimated this summer, losing four of their starting back five from last campaign. 

Adrian Truffert and Djordje Petrovic have come in to replace Kepa and Kerkez and are both expected to be in from the off at Anfield.

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Ekitike and Frimpong are among the Reds signings set for their Premier League debutsCredit: GettyBournemouth haven’t lost their opening league match in any of the last seven seasons (W3 D4) since a 1-0 loss at West Bromwich Albion in 2017-18.After winning the league with a 5-1 win against Spurs in April, Liverpool failed to win any of their last four Premier League games in 2024-25 (D2 L2).

The Reds haven’t gone five without a win since between December and January in 2020-21 (D3 L2).In 33 previous Premier League campaigns, the reigning champions have lost their opening match of the season on just three occasions (W26 D4).

However, all three of these have come in the last nine campaigns (Leicester v Hull in 2016-17, Chelsea v Burnley in 2017-18 and Man City v Spurs in 2021-22).

Despite losing in the Community Shield, Slot was pleased to see both Ekitike and Frimpong score their first goals for Liverpool.

He said: “I think it’s always nice to score a goal - not only for him, also for Jeremie Frimpong - if you start your career at a new club.

“He had a good impact but he is also an example of a player who came, I think, one-and-a-half to two weeks ago, at the end of our Asian tour. 

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“So for me, with only three or four days before the Friday game, it wouldn’t be smart to play him for 90 minutes because.

“So, if he gets an injury at this moment of time, that would be a big risk for the Bournemouth, Newcastle and Arsenal games.
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