Which Premier League team has the toughest start to the 2025-26 season?
There may be two months to go until the 2025-26 Premier League season gets underway, but the release of the fixture list has whetted the appetite of fans across the division.
Consisting of 38 rounds of matches over nine months, with each team playing their 19 rivals once at home and once away, the opening few games are often decisive in building momentum to set the tone for the campaign, or derailing it through diminishing confidence.
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These early matches alone will not define a season but they play a significant role in shaping its course, and naturally attract the attention on fixture-release day.
Liverpool's strong start last season provided Arne Slot's side with the platform to win the league but conversely, Crystal Palace won just one of their opening 13 league fixtures yet a turnaround in form saw them record a 12th-place finish and success in the FA Cup.
So, objectively, how tough is your team's start?
The Athletic has ranked every Premier League club's opening five matches, based on last season's final table. We've added in the three promoted sides, Leeds United (champions), Burnley (runners-up) and Sunderland (play-off final winners), as the 18th, 19th and 20th hardest teams to play respectively based on rankings.
We've added it up to give each team's start a 'difficulty value'. The higher the score, the harder it is. We've also removed the team concerned from their individual calculation (they can't play themselves), meaning opponents are ranked from one to 19. So playing Liverpool, last season's champions, is worth 19 points, while a fixture against play-off winners Sunderland is one point.
Ruben Amorim faces a definitive season at Old Trafford following a 15th-place finish and Europa League final defeat. United objectively face the toughest start to the 2025-26 campaign, playing three of last season's top four in the opening five fixtures.
A trip to Fulham and home game against newly-promoted Burnley are also up early for United, who can take solace that four of their opening five matches are in Manchester with the fixtures against Arsenal and Chelsea both coming at Old Trafford.
Fixtures: Arsenal, Fulham, Burnley, Manchester City, Chelsea
Total 'difficulty' value: 62
Arsenal will be aiming for the league title this season after so many second-place finishes, but an opening-day trip to Old Trafford and an away game at Liverpool in matchday three present immediate challenges that could see Mikel Arteta's side lose early ground. The visits of Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and Manchester City will each provide different stylistic challenges to test Arsenal's resolve.
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Fixtures: Manchester United, Leeds, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City
Total 'difficulty' value: 60
Champions Liverpool open the Premier League season with a Friday night match at home to Bournemouth but the following two matches, away to Newcastle and at home to Arsenal, both saw dropped points last season. An early Merseyside derby at home to Everton completes a testing opening run, but ensures a first trip to their rival's new home at Hill Dickinson Stadium is pushed back until the second half of the campaign.
Fixtures: Bournemouth, Newcastle, Arsenal, Burnley, Everton
Total 'difficult' value: 57
One of the surprise packages of 2024-25, Bournemouth won just one of their opening five fixtures last season and face another difficult start this time. However, after a daunting opening trip to Anfield, three of their next four games are at home while they have impressed in recent trips to Tottenham.
Fixtures: Liverpool, Wolves, Tottenham, Brighton, Newcastle
Total 'difficulty' value: 55
With Newcastle back in the Champions League, Eddie Howe's side will prioritise putting points on the board early with one eye on a congested mid-season run of games. Aston Villa and Liverpool are not what they would have had in mind to open the campaign, and could put pressure on tricky away trips to Elland Road and the Vitality Stadium.
Fixtures: Aston Villa, Liverpool, Leeds, Wolves, Bournemouth
Total 'difficulty' value: 54
Brentford arguably have more work to do than any other side before the start of the new season as they seek to replace head coach Thomas Frank and also hold on to their top talent, including Bryan Mbeumo. The new head coach opens with a testing trip to the City Ground, while there will be two early west London derbies at home to Chelsea and away to Fulham.
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Fixtures: Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Sunderland, Chelsea, Fulham
Total 'difficulty' value: 54
Leeds are back in the Premier League after a two-season absence and will be hoping to make up for lost time. Priority for Daniel Farke's side will be survival this season, but they will back themselves to utilise home advantage in early games against Everton and Newcastle. With the momentum of last season's 100-point tally behind them, they are likely to be a tricky early opponent.
Fixtures: Everton, Arsenal, Newcastle, Fulham, Wolves
Total 'difficulty' value: 57
All Evertonian eyes were going to be on their first game in their new stadium, which will come at home to Brighton & Hove Albion in the second matchday of the season. Three of their first five matches will be on the road, however, with an opening day trip to Elland Road and early Merseyside derby at Anfield representing a tricky start.
Fixtures: Leeds, Brighton, Wolves, Aston Villa, Liverpool
Total 'difficulty' value: 57
Having lost key players Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri, Vitor Pereira's side have work to do in the transfer market ahead of their opening game at home to Manchester City. Last season saw the side go winless in their first 10 matches, so a fast start this time will be imperative at Molineux.
Fixtures: Manchester City, Bournemouth, Everton, Newcastle, Leeds
Total 'difficulty' value: 57
Oliver Glasner's side did not win any of their first eight Premier League matches in 2024-25 and just one of their first 13, so there will be no panic if they do not fly out of the blocks this season. Their first three matches consistent of opponents who finished in last season's top seven, so there will be early tests of the feel-good factor at Selhurst Park once again.
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Fixtures: Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Sunderland, West Ham
Total 'difficulty' value: 51
Brighton will be the first visitors to Everton's new stadium on matchday two, but three home games from the first five and a short trip to Bournemouth should give Fabian Hurzeler's side enough ammunition to make a fast start to the season.
Fixtures: Fulham, Everton, Manchester City, Bournemouth, Tottenham
Total 'difficulty' value: 51
Having lost 22 league fixtures last season, the most for any team in the Premier League era without being relegated, Tottenham must hit the ground running under new head coach Thomas Frank. Outside of an early trip to Manchester City, where they won by four goals last season, they have opportunities for early points with two of their opening three at home, before testing trips to West Ham and Brighton.
Fixtures: Burnley, Manchester City, Bournemouth, West Ham, Brighton
Total 'difficulty' value: 48
Marco Silva's Fulham have been a model of stability in recent seasons, although outside hopes of European football tailed away in the closing weeks of 2024-25. Back-to-back early west London derbies against Chelsea and Brentford will be an early test of their ambitions this campaign.
Fixtures: Brighton, Manchester United, Leeds, Chelsea, Brentford
Total 'difficulty' value: 47
With European participation this season, Nuno Espirito Santo's side will be keen to make a fast start with their squad likely to be stretched with a heavy fixture load this term. It will be difficult to replicate their overperformance of 2024-25, with four London opponents to start.
Fixtures: Brentford, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Arsenal, Burnley
Total 'difficulty' value: 47
City won seven of their opening nine league matches last term before a sharp downturn in form over November and December derailed their season and killed off hopes of defending their title. Their value may underestimate the trickiness of this start, however, with Manchester United and Tottenham taking seven points from them last season, alongside an early game at Arsenal.
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Fixtures: Wolves, Tottenham, Brighton, Manchester United, Arsenal
Total 'difficulty' value: 46
The disappointment of missing out on Champions League qualification will be lingering at Villa Park, but an early home match against Newcastle, who just pipped them to that elusive top-five spot, could set the tone for the campaign.
Fixtures: Newcastle, Brentford, Crystal Palace, Everton, Sunderland
Total 'difficulty' value: 44
Chelsea's ambitions this season will be to close the gap to the league champions, having met their ambitions of Champions League qualification for this term. Four successive London derbies is a quirk to start their campaign before a trip to Old Trafford represents an early bellwether fixture.
Fixtures: Crystal Palace, West Ham, Fulham, Brentford, Manchester United
Total 'difficulty' value: 43
After an underwhelming 2024-25, the tone for Graham Potter's side's season may be set with an opening trip to Sunderland and home game against Chelsea, with quickfire London derbies against Spurs and Palace at the London Stadium to follow.
Fixtures: Sunderland, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham, Crystal Palace
Total 'difficulty' value: 42
Survival is the sole objective for Scott Parker's side this season, with a crunch home fixture against Sunderland in the second week potentially setting the tone for the campaign.
Fixtures: Tottenham, Sunderland, Manchester United, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest
Total 'difficulty' value: 41
Promotion play-off winners Sunderland have already lost Tom Watson and Jobe Bellingham to Brighton & Hove Albion and Borussia Dortmund respectively, so will prioritising a number of transfer incomings. They statistically have the most favourable opening set of fixtures, with a home fixture against last season's sixth-place Aston Villa the highest rated game in their opening five.
Fixtures: West Ham, Burnley, Brentford, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa
Total 'difficulty' value: 39
(Main image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
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