Opta League Focus: Premier League Opening Day Records

The 2011-12 Premier League season will kick off on Saturday, with the reigning Champions Manchester City beginning their campaign with a home game against newly-promoted side Southampton.

At the start of their title-winning campaign last term, Manchester City faced a newly-promoted Swansea City side at the Etihad Stadium, winning 4-0 and will be looking to increase their current 29-game unbeaten run at home in the Premier League this time around.

The Saints don’t have the greatest record on Premier League opening days, having won just one of their previous 13 matches to kick off the season (D6, L6) and will have to be at their very best to avoid defeat again.

The best side in Premier League history on the opening day are, unsurprisingly, Manchester United. The Red Devils have won more times on the PL opening day than any other side (13), while they have lost just three times in their first game during the 20 years of the competition.

United kick off their league season with a Monday night match against Everton – a side that have defeated the Red Devils only once in their last 14 Premier League meetings. Something to bear in mind for this meeting is that Manchester United have been two goals ahead going into the final 10 minutes on two occasions in the last two seasons, but have thrown that lead away and drawn come full-time.

While it could be said that Manchester United’s opening fixture is a tricky encounter at Goodison Park, it’s worth remembering that the Red Devils earned more points away from home than any other team in the 2011-12 Premier League (42).

Brendan Rodgers will be hoping to begin life as Liverpool manager with a bang, but will have to do oversee something that the Reds have not managed in three seasons – win their opening day game in the Premier League.

The Reds have drawn two and lost one of their last three matches on the opening weekend of Premier League action and have a poor recent record against their opponents, West Brom; losing two of their last three meetings in the league. However, Brendan Rodgers was successful against the Baggies, both home and away, as Swansea boss in 2011-12.

West Brom are yet to win an opening weekend Premier League fixture (D2, L4) and have scored just twice in those six matches, so Rodgers could be forgiven for thinking that he’s been given a kind fixture to start his Premier League career at Liverpool.

If you’re wanting to have a flutter on goalscorers on the opening weekend of the Premier League, some players who would be a good bet to net would be Darren Bent and Wayne Rooney.

Darren Bent will be looking to make up for his injury disappointment last season, especially with new manager Paul Lambert at the helm. Bent has scored 14 goals in 22 PL appearances in the month of August (0.63 a game), and has scored five times in seven Premier League games versus opening weekend opponents West Ham.

Wayne Rooney finished the 2011-12 season with 14 goals in his last 14 Premier League appearances, and considering his record in the month of August; his former side Everton will have to be wary of him. The England international has netted 10 goals in his last nine Premier League matches in August and will be looking to add to this tally on the opening weekend.