It seems like only a few weeks have been passed since Chelsea FC were officially crowned the champions of the 2014 2015 Premier League, but it's already time to start speculating about what the 2015 2016 season might bring. On June 17th, the English Premier League opening day fixtures 2015 - 2016 were released, and there are some fun match-ups in the bunch. Read on for our full rundown of what to expect when competitive play commences on Saturday, August 8th.

The Easy Calls

As with any year, most of the Premier League's biggest football clubs won't face any substantial challenges in their opening day fixtures. Barclay's Premier League officials have done a good job of "spreading the wealth," as it were, with their top football teams.

That spreading of the wealth will give EPL followers a lot of different matches to focus on during day one, but it also means that there are a few "easy calls" among this year's opening day fixtures.

Case in point is the match-up between Chelsea and Swansea City. The wearers of the Swansea jersey had a solid enough season in 2014 2015, finishing in eighth place and winning more games (16) than they lost (14). But Swansea have never beaten Chelsea in a Premier League fixture, and considering the Blues' status as defending champions (not to mention the fact that they will have the home field advantage), this one should be an easy win for the Stamford Bridge squad.

Expect a similarly one-sided bout between Manchester City and West Bromwich Albion. Man City may be starting the season off as the away team, but they've also won their last seven Premier League fixtures against West Bromwich Albion, including three away games. In other words, expect a victory here for the Sky Blues.

2014 2015's third-placers, Arsenal, can also expect a win on August 8th. They've been drawn against West Ham United for week one, and will get to play the game on their home turf at Emirates Stadium. The Gunners have won 25 of their 39 fixtures against West Ham over the years-including the last nine. They will aim to go 10 in a row in August.

Room for Speculation

While those three football matches are fair bets, there's a bit more room for speculation elsewhere on the opening day schedule.

One particularly intriguing fixture will pit Manchester United (home) against Tottenham Hotspur (away).
Both teams had strong runs last season, with Man United coming back from a dismal 2013 2014 run to record a fourth place finish, and with Tottenham's Harry Kane standing out as the season's breakout star. Historically, United have the advantage, having won the majority of the teams' head-to-head EPL games. But the Red Devils also lost their week one match last year (against Swansea City), and Tottenham seem to be on the rise as of late. Pick up a Spurs home jersey 2015 2016 from Soccer Box to root for the underdogs!

Another match of interest is the battle between Newcastle United (home) and Southampton (away). Based on last season alone, the advantage belongs to Southampton. Newcastle only narrowly avoided relegation in 2014 2015, and while Southampton dipped a bit from their early-season promise, they still finished the year in seventh. However, these teams are historically just about even in terms of head-to-head battles (Newcastle have won 12 and Southampton 13). Plus, with a new manager at the helm (Steve McClaren), Newcastle could surprise.

We're also looking forward to seeing the new Liverpool on August 8th. The soccer squad will take on Stoke City on opening day-the same team that trounced them 1-6 on the final day of the 2014 2015 campaign. The Reds will also be in the away team slot, and won't have longtime captain Steven Gerrard guiding them anymore. Win or lose, the result here will tell us a lot about Liverpool's 2015 2016 prospects.

Are you ready for the Premier League opening day fixtures?