Manchester City Schedule 2015-16: Premier League Fixtures Released

Manchester City will begin their 2015-16 Premier League campaign with a tricky fixture against West Brom at The Hawthorns.

Manuel Pellegrini's side finished second last season, eight points behind champions Chelsea, and they will play host to Jose Mourinho's team at the Etihad Stadium in the second match of the season on Aug. 15, per the official Premier League website.

Date	Opponent	H/A
August 8	West Brom	A
August 15	Chelsea	H
August 22	Everton	A
August 29	Watford	H
September 12	Crystal Palace	A
September 19	West Ham	H
September 26	Tottenham	A
October 3	Newcastle	H
October 17	Bournemouth	H
October 24	Manchester United	A
October 31	Norwich	H
November 7	Aston Villa	A
November 21	Liverpool	H
November 28	Southampton	H
December 5	Stoke City	A
December 12	Swansea	H
December 19	Arsenal	A
December 26	Sunderland	H
December 28	Leicester	A
January 2	Watford	A
January 13	Everton	H
January 16	Crystal Palace	H
January 23	West Ham	A
February 2	Sunderland	A
February 6	Leicester	H
February 13	Tottenham	H
February 27	Newcastle	A
March 1	Liverpool	A
March 5	Aston Villa	H
March 12	Norwich	A
March 19	Manchester United	H
April 2	Bournemouth	A
April 9	West Brom	H
April 16	Chelsea	A
April 23	Stoke City	H
April 30	Southampton	A
May 7	Arsenal	H
May 15	Swansea	A

City started the last campaign with a 2-0 win away at Newcastle United. Pellegrini's side followed this with victory over Liverpool, but then lost their third match against Stoke City.

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

City's objectives for the season should be competing to take Chelsea's crown while maintaining their presence in cup competitions. Most notably, the side must improve in the Champions League after annual struggles on the continent since receiving investment from Sheikh Mansour.

Argentinian striker Sergio Aguero finished five goals ahead of Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane last season, topping the scoring chart with 26 strikes. He remains City's most important player—a continued match-winner across all fronts—and vital to the side's potential success.

Maintaining the presence of powerhouse midfielder Yaya Toure—who was linked with a move to Inter Milan, as reported by Simon Jones of the Daily Mail—should also be seen as pivotal to City's hunt for silverware.

Notable dates for the season include both Manchester derbies, which will go ahead on Oct. 24 at Old Trafford and Mar. 19 at the Etihad.

Pellegrini will be hoping to employ a more exciting and lethal brand of football, having watched on as his side struggled through important matches last season.

City should be considered the next most likely team beyond Chelsea to take the title, having won the trophy twice in the last four years.