Stats and facts for 2016/17 Premier League openers

Simon Wilkes
Jose Mourinho: Tricky trip to Bournemouth on opening day

Jose Mourinho: Tricky trip to Bournemouth on opening day

Following Wednesday’s announcement of the 2016/17 Premier League fixtures, we look at the stats behind the opening-day games which will take place on August 13-14.

Bournemouth v Manchester United

• The Cherries have won just one of their last four opening day matches at Dean Court, losing two (D1).
• Bournemouth have kept just one clean sheet in their last six opening day matches – 4-0 versus Huddersfield in August 2014 when Callum Wilson scored a brace.
• Wayne Rooney has scored more goals on the opening weekend than any other player currently playing in the Premier League (6).
• Only Chelsea (51) have won more points from PL season openers than Manchester United (49).
• Four of Manchester United’s five opening day defeats in the Premier League have come away from home.
• Jose Mourinho has won six and drawn one of his previous seven Premier League opening matchday fixtures.
• These two teams faced each other in the final match of the 2015-16 Premier League season. There are only 88 days between that match and the opening day of the season (13/08/2016).
• Manchester United suffered a 1-2 defeat away at Bournemouth in the Premier League last season.

Arsenal v Liverpool

• Arsenal have shipped as many goals in their last three matches on the opening weekend as they had in their previous 12 combined (6).
• The Gunners have lost just two of their last 15 home games on opening day (W10 D3), although those defeats have come in the last three attempts.
• Only Chelsea (51) and Man Utd (49) have won more points from opening weekend matches in the Premier League than Liverpool (46).
• Liverpool have won three consecutive opening weekend PL games for the first time since a run of five between 1998 and 2002.
• Arsenal have lost just one of their last nine Premier League meetings with Liverpool (W4 D4 L1).
• Liverpool have only won one of their last 16 Premier League away trips to Arsenal (W1 D7 L8) and have collected just eight points in 10 games at the Emirates Stadium.
• Olivier Giroud has scored four goals in his last four Premier League meetings with Liverpool.
• Liverpool v Arsenal has seen more hat-tricks than any other fixture in Premier League history (5).
• Liverpool have scored more Premier League goals than any other team in 2016 so far (41).

Burnley v Swansea City

• A newly promoted side hasn’t won on the opening weekend of a Premier League campaign since August 2012 when West Ham beat Aston Villa (1-0).
• The Clarets have found the back of the net in 17 of their last 18 opening day matches, failing to score against Stoke in the Premier League in 2009/10.
• Burnley’s defeat to Chelsea in 2014 was their first loss at Turf Moor in a season opener since 2003 vs Crystal Palace.
• The Swans have won just two of their last 10 season openers in the top four tiers, with both wins arriving in the Premier League.
• There have been 21 goals scored in Swansea’s five previous Premier League matches on the opening weekend, an average of 4.2 per game.
• This will be the ninth occasion in the last 10 seasons that Swansea have opened their league campaign away from home.
• Swansea have won four of their last five league meetings with Burnley (W4 D0 L1), including two 1-0 wins over Burnley in the 2014-15 Premier League season.

Chelsea v West Ham United

Antonio Conte: Manager renown as a strict disciplinarian

• Chelsea have won 14 and lost none of their last 17 Premier League curtain-raisers.
• The Blues have won more points than any other Premier League side on the opening weekend of action (51 points).
• Chelsea are unbeaten in each of their last 13 season opening fixtures played at Stamford Bridge (W10 D3).
• No side has lost more Premier League games on the opening weekend than the Hammers (9 – level with Spurs).
• West Ham have won five of their last seven Premier League season openers, losing the other two.
• This will be the first time that these two sides have met on the opening weekend of a Premier League season since 2000-01 – a game that Chelsea won 4-2 at Stamford Bridge.
• Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 10 Premier League meetings with West Ham United at home (W7 D3) and have not lost at home to them in the league since September 2002 (2-3).

Crystal Palace v West Bromwich Albion

• The Eagles have lost four of their last five opening day matches, though did win last season against Norwich (3-1).
• Crystal Palace have won only one of their last eight season openers held at Selhurst Park (D4 L3) – 3-2 versus Leicester in 2010.
• Of all current Premier League teams to have played three or more opening weekend matches, WBA have the lowest win rate, winning one of their 10 previous games (10%).
• The Baggies have lost three and drawn two of their five away games on the opening weekend.
• Palace have won just three of their last 13 home matches in the league against West Bromwich Albion (W3 D6 L4).
• Of clubs still in the Premier League, Crystal Palace have won the fewest points in 2016 (11).

Everton v Tottenham Hotspur
• The Toffees have picked up just six wins from their previous 23 opening weekend matches in the Premier League (D9 L8).
• Everton have drawn their last three opening day matches 2-2, with Ross Barkley scoring two of their six goals in this run.
• Everton have drawn more games on the opening weekend than any other team in Premier League history (9).
• Tottenham’s last three Premier League matches on the opening day have finished 1-0, with two of those games ending in wins for the Lilywhites.
• Tottenham have scored just 23 goals in their 23 games played on the opening weekend of a Premier League season.
• No Premier League team has lost more games on the opening weekend than Spurs (9) – level with West Ham.
• Everton are winless in their last seven Premier League meetings with Tottenham Hotspur (W0 D4 L3).
• This will be the first time that these two teams have met on MD1 in a Premier League season since 2002-03; a game that ended 2-2 at Goodison Park.
• Ronald Koeman has won just one of his four Premier League games against Spurs (W1 D1 L2), but this was in their last meeting in May (Spurs 1-2 Southampton).

Hull City v Leicester City

• Hull City have won three of their last four season openers, keeping a clean sheet in each win (L1).
• The reigning Premier League champions have never lost the opening game of their title defence in the competition’s history (W19 D4).
• The Foxes have won only two of their 10 previous season openers in the Premier League (D5 L3).
• Leicester are unbeaten in their last five curtain-raisers in the top four tiers, winning four.
• Hull are winless in their last five league meetings with Leicester City (D2 L3).
• The Tigers haven’t scored in any of their last three league games against Leicester City, including both Premier League matches in 2014-15.

Manchester City v Sunderland

Pep Guardiola: Thumbs up to Sunderland at home

• Man City are unbeaten in their last seven Premier League opening weekend fixtures (W6 D1), including winning each of the last five.
• Man City have yet to lose a Premier League season opener played on home soil (W3 D5).
• Four of Sunderland’s last six season openers in the Premier League have ended level (L2).
• All four of the Black Cat’s opening day Premier League wins have been by a 1-0 scoreline.
• Three of those four wins came at the Stadium of Light, while the solitary away win was in 2009 vs Bolton at the Reebok Stadium.
• Man City have won their last four Premier League meetings with Sunderland.
• Sunderland have never won away at Manchester City in the Premier League (W0 D2 L10).
• Pep Guardiola has won the opening league game of the season as a manager in each of his last six seasons (three for Barcelona, three for Bayern) – he lost his first league game as Barcelona boss (0-1at Numancia), however.
• Sergio Aguero is the top scoring player in the Premier League so far in 2016 (17 goals).

Middlesbrough v Stoke City

• Middlesbrough have won just two of their 14 previous season openers in the Premier League, including in their last campaign in the top-flight vs Tottenham (2-1) in 2008/09.
• Indeed, they’ve never won on the opening weekend of a Premier League season as a newly-promoted team (D2 L1).
• Since the aforementioned match against Spurs, Middlesbrough have won just one of their last seven opening weekend league games (D3 L3).
• Stoke’s only previous win on the opening day of a Premier League season came against Burnley in 2009.
• Stoke are winless in their last six Premier League opening weekend matches, losing four (D2).
• The Potters have lost three of their four away season openers in the Premier League (D1).
• Boro have won just four of their last 15 league meetings with Stoke City (W4 D3 L8).
• Of the teams to be in the 2016-17 Premier League season, Stoke City have conceded the most Premier League goals in 2016 so far (36).

Southampton v Watford

• Southampton have won just 11.8% of their opening day matches in the Premier League; of current Premier League teams to play more than three openers, only WBA (10%) have a lower win rate.
• This will be Southampton’s first season opener at home in the league since 2011-12.
• Watford haven’t won any of their three previous season openers in the Premier League (D1 L2).
• The Hornets are unbeaten in their last nine matches on opening day, winning five.
• Troy Deeney has scored in two of Watford’s last three season openers.
• Southampton are unbeaten in their last five league meetings with Watford (W3 D2 L0).
• Watford haven’t scored in any of their last four league games versus Southampton.
• The Hornets managed just one shot on target in 180 minutes of Premier League action against Saints in 2015-16.
• Only Leicester City (42) have won more Premier League points in 2016 than Southampton (39).