To mark the occasion, which officially starts the anticipation for the new campaign, we’ve picked out a few matches to look out for in the calendar, including the opening game, festive fixtures and a first top-flight meeting with the newest member of the division…
A familiar foe on day one
City begin with a home fixture (on Saturday 14 August, 2021) for the first time since 2019/20, when Wolverhampton Wanderers were the opponents for the opening day game on Filbert Way.
The two sides played out a 0-0 stalemate that day and Wolves will once more be the earliest visitors to King Power Stadium for the maiden encounter of the campaign, with their new manager Bruno Lage set to be in the visiting dugout for the first time in a competitive fixture.
The Foxes came out on top in the corresponding fixture in 2020/21, winning 1-0 courtesy of a first-half penalty from Jamie Vardy. Leicester remained unbeaten against their Midlands counterparts after a goalless draw in the reverse fixture at Molineux in February 2021.
A trip to the capital first up on the road
Brendan Rodgers’ side will travel to London Stadium to take on West Ham United for the Foxes’ opening away fixture of the season on Saturday 21 August, 2021.
Last in the capital tackling the Hammers in April, it was the home side who claimed a narrow 3-2 victory, while David Moyes’ outfit also took three points from their latest trip to King Power Stadium.
Both teams will be competing in the UEFA Europa League in 2021/22 after finishing fifth and sixth respectively in last season’s final Premier League standings.
Meeting the Bees in the Premier League
Brentford’s promotion via the Sky Bet Championship Play-Offs sees the west Londoners become the 50th team to compete in the Premier League since its inception in 1992. On Saturday 23 October, 2021, the Bees will welcome Leicester to the Brentford Community Stadium.
While that clash will be their first-ever Premier League clash, the pair have already met once at Brentford’s new home, however, during last season’s Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round. Rodgers’ men were victorious in that tie, winning 3-1 and going on to lift the coveted trophy at Wembley.
In fact, this will be the third season running that the two sides have encountered each other, following a meeting at the same stage of the competition in 2019/20, a game also won by the Foxes, 1-0.
Visiting the champions on Boxing Day
A fixture date in the calendar every football fan is keen to look out for is 26 December. This year, it will involve an away meeting with the Premier League champions, Manchester City. On paper, a daunting trip for the Foxes, but their recent record against Pep Guardiola's men is decent.
While Leicester overcame the Citizens in 2018, also on Boxing Day, courtesy of goals from Marc Albrighton and Ricardo Pereira, they will also take heart from their most recent visit to Etihad Stadium, which produced one of the performances of the season last September.
A Jamie Vardy hat-trick, alongside further goals from James Maddison and Youri Tielemans, set the away side up for a 5-2 triumph over the eventual champions, a scarcely believable scoreline.
A New Year cracker
New Years’ Day, meanwhile, involves a return to King Power Stadium to tackle another of the three promoted teams – Norwich City.
The Championship’s champions have spent five of their last 10 seasons in the Premier League and will be aiming to spend more than one campaign back at the top table of English football.
The last meeting with the Canaries on Filbert Way came during the 2019/20 Premier League, ending in a 1-1 draw on 14 December, 2019. Finland forward Teemu Pukki, still a key member of Norwich’s attack, opened the scoring, cancelled out by Tim Krul’s own goal.
The final day
The curtain will come down on the 2021/22 season in May, a month which is scheduled to involve three Premier League fixtures, including Everton (H) and Watford (A).
The last of those is a clash against Southampton at King Power Stadium on Sunday 22 May, 2022, a fixture City earned all three points in during 2020/21, courtesy of a 2-0 success.
Leicester were unbeaten in all three meetings with the Saints last season, including the FA Cup Semi-Final clash at Wembley in April, which finished 1-0 to the Foxes thanks to Kelechi Iheanacho’s strike.
Playing at home on the final day for the fourth season running, City will be hoping for a better result than the last three – which have included one draw and two losses.