The Premier League season gets underway this Sunday, with Manchester City hosting Bournemouth and Aston Villa welcoming Brighton, according to ESPN’s live updates.
Manchester City’s lineup for the match at the Etihad includes defensive changes, with Marc Guéhi and Rico Lewis both starting, as reported by the club’s official website. Bournemouth, meanwhile, hand a Premier League debut to defender António Silva, per the club’s own team news announcement.
ESPN’s coverage notes that City are beginning their title defense at home, while Villa face Brighton in a separate fixture. BBC reports that Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has opted for a defensive setup against Bournemouth, though that reference appears to be a separate match from the one City are playing. Villa, for their part, are without striker Ollie Watkins for their opener, according to the same BBC report.
The Guardian is also providing live coverage of the City-Bournemouth clash, indicating significant media attention on the opening round of fixtures. Neither ESPN nor the other outlets cited have yet released full match reports, so details on goals, injuries, or final scores are not available at this time.
What to watch next: how City’s reshaped defense holds up against Bournemouth’s attack, and whether Villa can cope without Watkins against Brighton.
