Chelsea opens with Swansea, as EPL releases 2015/2016 fixtures

Champions, Chelsea, will begin their title defence with a home game against Swansea, while Arsenal will entertain West Ham in the opening weekend of the 2015/2016 English Premiership.

In the fixtures released yesterday by the Barclays Premier League, all the matches of the opening weekend with hold on Saturday, August 8 by 3.00 p.m.

Aside the Chelsea versus Swansea game and the Arsenal against West Ham fixture, other interesting fixtures include an Old Trafford clash between Manchester United and Tottenham and Stoke versus Liverpool, as well as West Brom against Manchester City.

New comers, Bournemouth will begin life in the Premiership with a tie against Aston Villa, Norwich is pitched against Crystal Palace, just as Watford will be away to Everton.

Also in the opening day action will be Newcastle, who will be up against Southampton and Leicester City entertaining Sunderland.

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace has released Super Eagles’ striker, Shola Ameobi, who only joined the team during the January transfer window, and Brede Hangeland.

They join Glen Johnson, released by Liverpool and Abou Diaby (dropped by Arsenal) in the job market.

Other notable players released by their clubs include Darren Bent and Ron Vlaar of Aston Villa, Everton’s Distin Sylvain, Leicester City’s Matt Upson and Micah Richards of Manchester City.

Joe Barton, Richard Dunne, Rio Ferdinand, Karl Henry, Bobby Zamora and Shaun Wright-Phillips were all released by Queens Park Rangers, just as Sunderland dropped Wes Brown, West Brom freed Youssouf Moulumbu and West Ham parted with Carlton Cole and Juusi Jaaskelainen.