The 2022/23 Premier League season will be pivotal both for new Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and the Red Devils as a team.
Having arrived from Ajax in the close-season off the back of winning the Dutch title, Ten Hag is the man who has now been tasked with reviving the fortunes of one of English football's fallen giants.
For so long the dominant force in the Premier League era under the great Sir Alex Ferguson, United have been overshadowed by their Manchester rivals City in recent years.
While Pep Guardiola's side have flourished, and head into the new season looking to complete a title three-peat, United have consistently underwhelmed.
Last season they finished sixth, a mammoth 35 points behind City and 13 off Tottenham in fourth place and a guaranteed UEFA Champions League spot. Wantaway Cristiano Ronaldo, for one, was far from impressed.
Ten Hag knows that his job likely depends on improving that this campaign. Here are some of the key dates in the English top-flight calendar for United and their new man in charge.
MORE: Premier League fixtures: Complete schedule, dates, times for every 2022/23 EPL match
When is Erik Ten Hag's first Man Utd game in the Premier League?
Erik ten Hag will have an immediate chance to show his side's progress in their first game of the new Premier League season.
United will take on Brighton — a team who thrashed the Red Devils 4-0 in May — on Sunday, August 7.
The former Ajax boss then takes his side to Brentford six days later, which presents a winnable first away fixture against one of the teams considered at risk of relegation during the 2022/23 Premier League season.
United lost 5-0 at home to Liverpool in 2021/22, and Ten Hag will lead his side against a fellow 'Big Six' team for the first time when Jurgen Klopp's men visit Old Trafford on August 22.
United host Arsenal in September and travel to Manchester City and Chelsea in October.
🔴 Erik ten Hag's firsts as Manchester United boss.#MUFC pic.twitter.com/5F0j1ri8oE
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Man Utd Premier League schedule 2022/23
In addition to the near month-long break for the FIFA World Cup (Nov. 14-Dec. 18), there will be two FIFA international breaks: Sept. 19-27, 2022 and March 20-28, 2023.
A total of 16 Premier League matchdays will be played before the FIFA World Cup break, and the remaining 22 following the World Cup.
| Match | Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Time (BST) | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun, Aug. 7 | Brighton | H | 2 p.m. | 9 a.m. |
| 2 | Sat, Aug. 13 | Brentford | A | 5:30 p.m. | 12:30 p.m. |
| 3 | Mon, Aug. 22 | Liverpool | H | 8 p.m. | 3 p.m. |
| 4 | Sat, Aug. 27 | Southampton | A | 12:30 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. |
| 5 | Thu, Sept. 1 | Leicester City | A | 8 p.m. | 3 p.m. |
| 6 | Sun, Sept. 4 | Arsenal | H | 4:30 p.m. | 11:30 a.m. |
| 7 | Sun, Sept. 11 | Crystal Palace | A | 4:30 p.m. | 11:30 a.m. |
| 8 | Sun, Sept. 18 | Leeds United | H | 2 p.m. | 9 a.m. |
| 9 | Sun, Oct. 2 | Manchester City | A | TBC | TBC |
| 10 | Sun, Oct. 9 | Everton | A | 7 p.m. | 2 p.m. |
| 11 | Sun, Oct. 16 | Newcastle United | H | 2 p.m. | 9 a.m. |
| 12 | Wed, Oct. 19 | Tottenham | H | 8:15 p.m. | 3:15 p.m. |
| 13 | Sun, Oct. 23 | Chelsea | A | 16:30 p.m. | 11:30 a.m. |
| 14 | Sun, Oct. 30 | West Ham | H | 4:30 p.m. | 11:30 a.m. |
| 15 | Sat, Nov. 5 | Aston Villa | A | 3 p.m. | 9 a.m. |
| 16 | Sat, Nov. 12 | Fulham | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 17 | Mon, Dec. 26 | Nottingham Forest | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 18 | Sat, Dec. 31 | Wolves | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 19 | Mon, Jan. 2 | Bournemouth | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 20 | Sat, Jan. 14 | Manchester City | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 21 | Sat, Jan. 21 | Arsenal | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 22 | Sat, Feb. 4 | Crystal Palace | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 23 | Sat, Feb. 11 | Leeds United | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 24 | Sat, Feb. 18 | Leicester City | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 25 | Sat, Feb. 25 | Brentford | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 26 | Sat, March 4 | Liverpool | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 27 | Sat, March 11 | Southampton | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 28 | Sat, March 18 | Brighton | A | 3 p.m. | 11 a.m. |
| 29 | Sat, April 1 | Newcastle United | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 30 | Sat, April 8 | Everton | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 31 | Sat, April 15 | Nottingham Forest | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 32 | Sat, April 22 | Chelsea | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 33 | Tue, April 25 | Tottenham | A | 7.45 p.m. | 2.45 p.m. |
| 34 | Sat, April 29 | Aston Villa | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 35 | Sat, May 6 | West Ham | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 36 | Sat, May 13 | Wolves | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 37 | Sat, May 20 | Bournemouth | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 38 | Sun, May 28 | Fulham | H | 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. |
MORE: When is Liverpool vs. Man United? Date, time, schedule for Premier League fixtures 2022/23
Erik Ten Hag record vs. the Premier League 'Big Six'
Ten Hag has faced three teams in the Premier League 'Big Six' already during his managerial career, establishing a respectable record while overseeing Ajax in two epic contests with top English teams.
Perhaps the most memorable was Ajax's remarkable 2018/19 UEFA Champions League semifinal against Tottenham, when his team impressively won 1-0 in London in the first leg, only to be knocked out in astonishing style.
Ajax built a 3-0 aggregate lead in the second leg in Amsterdam to put themselves firmly on course for a final against Liverpool before Lucas Moura's second-half hat-trick, completed in the 96th minute, gave Spurs victory on away goals.
An extraordinary group-stage game at Chelsea the following season saw Ajax go 4-1 ahead before the hosts earned a 4-4 draw, helped by Daley Blind and Joel Veltman's second-half dismissals within two minutes of each other.
Only an 86th-minute Michy Batshuayi goal had given Chelsea victory at the Johan Cruijff ArenA, and Ajax twice lost 1-0 to Liverpool in the group stage of the 2020/21 season.
PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM SCHEDULES 2022/23:
Arsenal | Aston Villa | Bournemouth | Brentford | Brighton
Chelsea | Crystal Palace | Everton | Fulham | Leeds
Leicester | Liverpool | Man City | Man United | Newcastle
Notts Forest | Southampton | Tottenham | West Ham | Wolves
Premier League 2022/23 TV channels, live streams
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| TV channel | Sky Sports, BT Sport | USA Network, Telemundo, Universo | — | — |
| Streaming | NOW TV, Sky Go, Amazon Prime | fuboTV, Peacock | fuboTV | Optus Sport |
UK: Matches are carried across Sky Sports and BT Sport streaming and TV platforms, with select matches on Amazon Prime.
USA: Select matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels can be streamed on fuboTV. The rest of the matches are streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.
Canada: Every Premier League game streams live and on demand exclusively via fuboTV.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream matches live and on demand on Optus Sport.