Manchester City's Visit to Newcastle Only Big Opening Day Match as PL Announce Fixtures for 2014/15 Season

Barclays Premier League has finally announced the fixtures for the 2014/15 season, with the new campaign set to kick off on 16 August.

The only big game in the first week of the Premier League is defending champions Manchester City's trip to Newcastle United. The defending champions will then host last season's runners-up Liverpool on 23 August, before travelling to Stoke City a week later.

After a gap of 10 days (probably due to international fixtures), City's next two games are key to their title defence as they will play two difficult back-to-back games against London sides Arsenal (away) and Chelsea (home) on 13 and 20 September respectively.

The Citizens will play the season's first Manchester derby on 1 November at the Etihad.

Liverpool, on the other hand, will start their new campaign with a home game against Southampton, who will be hoping to be even more impressive under new boss Ronald Koeman this season.

The Reds will then travel to the Etihad to face City, before heading to the north of London to face Tottenham Hotspur on 30 August.

While Liverpool will play their first Merseyside derby on 27 September at Anfield, they will travel to Old Trafford to face their archrivals Manchester United on 13 December.

Arsenal will begin their 2014/15 campaign with a home game against Crystal Palace.

The Gunners then travel to Goodison Park to face Everton on 23 August, before taking on newly promoted Leicester City at the King Power Stadium a week later.

Arsenal's first big fixture of the new season is a home match against defending champions City on 13 September.

And after a trip to Villa Park on 20 September, Arsene Wenger's side have two back-to-back London derbies against Tottenham Hotspur (home) and Chelsea (away) on 20 September and 4 October respectively.

United, who were very disappointing in the Premier League last season, have been handed an easy set to fixtures up front, and do not face any major sides till 25 October.

The Red Devils kick off their new campaign with a home game against Swansea City, before travelling to Sunderland on 23 August. They then play three back-to-back games against newly promoted sides Burnley (home), Queens Park Rangers (away) and Leicester City (home) on 30 August, 13 and 20 September respectively.

United then face West Ham (home), Everton (home) and West Brom (away) in their next round of fixtures, before finally hosting Chelsea on 25 October. They then compete in their first Manchester derby at Etihad on 1 November.

Chelsea will start off their new campaign with two easy games against newly promoted sides Burnley (away) and Leicester City (home) on 16 and 23 August.

The Blues then travel to Everton on 30 August, before hosting Swansea City a couple of weeks later.

Jose Mourinho's men play their first major game against City at the Etihad on 20 September. They then host Aston Villa on 27 September, before competing in their first London derby against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on 4 October.

After facing Crystal Palace in another London derby on 18 October, the Blues travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United a week later. And after yet another London derby against QPR on 1 November, Chelsea travel to Anfied to face Liverpool.