Champions kick off Sky coverage

Arsenal’s home game against newly-promoted Birmingham will kick off Sky Sports’ live coverage of the 2002-03 FA Barclaycard Premiership season.

The champions will begin their defence at Highbury in Ford Super Sunday on August 18.

Manchester United, looking to bounce back after last season’s disappointing third place, can be first seen the following Friday, August 23, when they travel to Stamford Bridge to play Chelsea.

Manchester City boss Kevin Keegan will welcome his former club Newcastle to Maine Road in front of the cameras on Saturday, August 24.

Sky Sports have a record 38 games already scheduled for the first half of the campaign, with every club being seen at least once by the end of October.

Other notable dates include September 15 for Birmingham City versus Aston Villa, the first Birmingham derby for 16 years, while the Manchester derby returns to Maine Road on November 9.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s side travel to Liverpool on December 1, and then host Arsenal on December 7.

FA Barclaycard Premiership games to be shown live on Sky Sports up to January 2003:

August

Sun 18 Arsenal v Birmingham City

Fri 23 Chelsea v Manchester Utd

Sat 24 Manchester City v Newcastle

Wed 28 Fulham v West Ham

September

Sun 1 Chelsea v Arsenal

Mon 2 Liverpool v Newcastle

Tue 10 Arsenal v Manchester City

Sat 14 Leeds v Manchester Utd

Sun 15 Birmingham v Aston Villa

Mon 16 Tottenham v West Ham

Sun 22 Newcastle v Sunderland

Mon 23 Fulham v Chelsea

Sat 28 Leeds v Arsenal

Mon 30 West Brom v Blackburn

October

Sun 6 Liverpool v Chelsea

Mon 7 Manchester Utd v Everton

Sun 20 Charlton v Middlesbrough

Mon 21 Aston Villa v Southampton

Sun 27 West Ham v Everton

Mon 28 Bolton Wanderers v Sunderland

November

Sun 3 Charlton v Sunderland

Mon 4 Newcastle v Middlesbrough

Sat 9 Manchester City v Manchester Utd

Sun 10 Sunderland v Tottenham

Sun 17 West Ham v Manchester Utd

Sat 23 Manchester Utd v Newcastle

Sun 24 Charlton v Blackburn

December

Sun 1 Liverpool v Manchester Utd

Mon 2 West Ham v Southampton

Sat 7 Manchester Utd v Arsenal

Sun 8 Tottenham v West Brom

Sun 15 Sunderland v Liverpool

Mon 16 Bolton v Leeds

Sun 22 Liverpool v Everton

Mon 23 Manchester City v Tottenham

Thur 26 Middlesbrough v Manchester Utd

Sun 29 Arsenal v Liverpool

January

Wed 1 Newcastle v Liverpool