 Welcome back. Time to talk sports right here on the breakfast. The 2022-23 Premier League fixtures have been released and the dates of all 380 matches have been made known. It's a very juicy set of games we're looking forward to in the biggest league in the world, the English Premier League. The kickoffs are for 3pm for Saturdays and on bank holidays unless otherwise stated and of course we're told that the fixtures are subject to change. So the match is expected to start in kickoff here. The Premier League season, the first game is on Friday night for Arsenal fans like myself. That's London there be a tricky one, a way to Crystal Palace. Last time the team was there they didn't do too well. On Saturday the 6th of August the second set of matches still in that first round it will be Ellie Kickoff, Foham vs Liverpool, Bournemouth back in the Premier League versus Aston Villa, Leeds vs Wolves, Leicester City vs Brentford, Newcastle vs Nottingham Forest, Spurs vs Southampton and in the late kickoff 530 we'll see Everton vs Chelsea. The opening weekend is rounded off on Sunday with two games Manchester United vs Brighton by 2pm and West Ham vs Manchester City by 4.30pm. It seems to be a juicy one as well. I'd like to bring it I guess Monday. Thomas who is a season sports journalist. Monday good morning to you and nice to have you on Friday. Good morning. Coffee is nice to be here as well. How are you doing? Very good, very good. I want you to give me a sense of your excitement ahead of next season even though we are some weeks away. I'm sure you can't wait. Simply I can't wait. As you rightly stated, the biggest football league in the world. English football happens to be the most exciting one actually. Sometimes it feels like the scripts are written but you can't completely write a script of an entire season and we saw what happened in the last season. The drama, the very chaos when of course Manchester City were treading by two goals in the first 45 minutes and they had to come back to win three goals to two. This is what we need for English football. I simply can't wait to see the first few pictures but I worry if teams like Manchester United are ready for the next season. I worry if teams like Arsenal are ready for the next season. That's the question right now because according to reports yesterday Arsenal were very busy in the transfer markets and the likes of Manchester United are still in the same topic with the same talks with Paul Popper. The same talks with Paul Popper who is very close to joining event two. I mean there's this particular documentary where Paul Popper said that Manchester United offered him nothing but according to reports God bless the soul of the late Minerala. Minerala actually stopped Paul Popper from accepting £300,000 a week offer that Manchester United placed to him and quite unfortunate now that he's going to be earning £140,000 with Juventus but it's all about English football right now and I simply can't wait for the next season. I'm tipping the likes of Arsenal to make it to the top four and maybe Manchester City win the title again. Alright, interesting. I hope at least your prediction comes true as a national fan. We'll look at some of the transfer activity before we're done but looking at the first weekend of the fixtures it seems that a juicy one. Do you think this is the best with the league could have started off with a Crystal Palace hosting Arsenal on Friday night at the start of the Premier League? Alright, that game, you're an Arsenal fan. I'm an Arsenal fan too and as an Arsenal fan we know what it means playing against Crystal Palace at the cell host spot. The last Arsenal play there was on a Monday where Arsenal lost three goals to Neal. I mean that was the beginning of the trouble that made the Gunners follow the top four position. It's certainly going to be tricky but the most tricky one is going to be for me Brighton playing against Manchester United away from home. Erickton Hans first few games as a Manchester United coach is always certainly going to be difficult. We also have a very tricky affair where Everton will take on Chelsea at the Merseyside stadium. Everton, I mean a site that did their very best to escape relegation. I don't think they will want to try out relegation battle again so they will want to start the season on the black note on a very good note by beating Chelsea and I see again maybe Manchester United will lose on the first day but aside I'm very sure we on the first day are Liverpool because they're taking on a newly promoted side Fulham and for the first time the top right side is taking on a newly promoted team for the fourth consecutive season and that happens to be Liverpool. They take on Fulham last season I think they took on Norwich City in their first game or was it Leicester I can't remember but they are always used to getting very very very lucky fixtures in the first start of the season. Easy fixtures you would say. How do you think the new entrance so I would call it return ease to the Premier League will fare next season looking at Fulham who have from the habit of becoming the new Norwich City down this season up the next season down the next season and all that you have AFC Bournemouth who had a good run they went down and are back and then you have Nottingham Forrests who are former giants who have working from the dead how do you think these three teams will fare in the coming season and not forgetting Fulham as well the biggest boys just like I said the roller coaster are going back coming back back and forth Fulham are the merchants for that they love going to an English Premier League season and returning the next season to the championship but I think they are going to be better because they already been criticized as a team that people are already sure of them returning to the championship next season but I don't think it's gonna be business as usual for Fulham they have the likes of Mitchell Beach and they are looking to get more players to make sure they are all departments are solid the goalkeeper department they're in talks with Arsenal's number two goalkeeper Bird Leno so you can see that they are already making some great signings for next season for Nottingham Forrests the first time they were playing in their top five in since 1999 so they'll be looking forward to remaining in the Premier League for at least three four years before we talk of them being really gated I don't think it's gonna be business as usual and I'll swole the chair is almost I can remember their first the last time they returned to the season they were a little bit of a very tricky side it's certainly not gonna be business as usual so maybe we might get to see signs that have not been really gated in the long world the likes of maybe Southampton the likes of Everton they might also be in the relegation battle but for the new sites I think they're ready for battle and let's just get to wish them luck and get to get ready for an exciting season ahead. Which of these three you think will stay up? Fullham will stay up. Fullham will stay up. Nottingham Forrests will stay up. I'm not sure of Bournemouth. Alright, alright, alright. Interesting and at the end of the first weekend who would you think will be on top of the Premier League table? Will Arsenal remain there? Of course they're already on top before the league even starts alphabetically. Well, if Arsenal get a win, alphabetically they have an advantage so I think Arsenal will be finished on top of the log at the first match of the season. It may not be the same Arsenal we saw last season. Yep, it will not be. They are very close to signing variable cases. They are very close to signing Fabio Viera from Porto. So these are quality signings that will of course help keep Arsenal in the top flight and also as well as in the top four and maybe they get to return to UEFA Champions League football in the start of the 2024 campaign or 2023 campaign and the 2024 campaign. Alright, now what I'm sure we'll have you talk some transfer gossip on the programme sometime in the future and then we'll build up to the new season. Monday Thermals is always a pleasure having you as usual with your excellent analysis. Thanks for your time. Kofi Bartels, have a fantastic time. Alright, alright, gone as for life, right? I mean if you take it off, media houses in Nigeria, most of the media personalities are Arsenal fans. I don't know why. My name is Kofi Bartels. That's been our package this week on the breakfast. Our return next week of course with more. We will return next week with more on the programme. Don't forget to follow us online at Plus City Africa. Have a fantastic weekend. Good morning.