English Premier League: Battle Royale begins

London: Manchester United open the new Premier League season at home against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday looking for signs that they are ready to mount a sustained assault on Chelsea’s title.

Last season’s equivalent fixture, a 3-0 home win on March 15, proved the belated catalyst for a run of form that ensured Louis van Gaal ended his first season as manager with United back in the Champions League places.

But with some £77 million having been spent on new players including Memphis Depay, Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger, United have set their sights a little higher.

“(Last season) we could see that we were getting better gradually, but we just needed that consistency in our performances and then, obviously, in results,” captain Wayne Rooney said.

Saturday’s lunchtime game at Old Trafford will give United’s fans a clearer idea of how their team will line up this season, with Rooney expected to lead the line as a lone striker in a 4-3-3 formation.

Tottenham finished fifth last season, six points below fourth-placed United, and will hope to make a more convincing case for Champions League qualification despite a relatively quiet transfer window.

Chelsea begin their title defence at home to Swansea City, who will be looking to repeat their sensational opening-day exploits from last season, when they won 2-1 against United at Old Trafford.

Chelsea finished eight points above second-place Manchester City, the outgoing champions, in May, but manager Jose Mourinho believes this season’s title race will be a much tighter affair.

Arsenal, bolstered by the arrival from Chelsea of goalkeeper Petr Cech, begin their season with a home fixture against London rivals West Ham United, who now have their former defender Slaven Bilic at the helm.

City travel to West Bromwich Albion on Monday, while Liverpool, sixth last season, start out at Stoke City, where they were dealt a humiliating 6-1 defeat on the campaign’s final day.