JOSE MOURINHO and Pep Guardiola won’t have long to wait before they face off for the first time in the English Premier League (EPL).

    The fixtures for the 2016-17 Premier League season, which starts on the weekend of Aug. 13-14, were announced Wednesday and the first Manchester derby — featuring Mourinho’s United and Guardiola’s City — will be played Sept. 10 at Old Trafford. That is in the fourth round of games.

    Mourinho was handed a trip to Bournemouth for his first league game in charge of United, while Guardiola’s first league game as City manager is at home to Sunderland.

    There was plenty of controversy and animosity when Guardiola and Mourinho went head-to-head while coaching Spanish powerhouses Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively, from 2010-2013, with incidents on and off the field.

    Leicester City will start the defense of its title away to promoted Hull City, while the highlights of the first round of fixtures are Arsenal-Liverpool and Chelsea-West Ham United, which will be current Italy coach Antonio Conte’s first game as Chelsea manager.

    Arsenal has the toughest start of all the likely title contenders, with its second game away to Leicester in a match between the top two from last season.

    Claudio Ranieri’s side also faces a tricky opening period, as after hosting Arsenal on Aug. 20, it has away trips to Liverpool and United in its first six fixtures.

    Mourinho will return to Stamford Bridge to play former club Chelsea on Oct. 22. West Ham’s first league match at its new home, the Olympic Stadium, will be against Bournemouth on Aug. 20.

    Two former Southampton bosses will trade blows on the pitch as Ronald Koeman’s first taste as Everton manager will be to host Tottenham Hotspur, coached by his predecessor at Saints, Maurico Pochettino. Only a year ago Koeman criticized Pochettino for ditching Southampton before his contract was up — only for Koeman to do the same thing when he took the Everton job Tuesday.

    (SD-Agencies)