The 2024-25 Premier League fixtures are out, and we’ve analyzed the schedule to see which teams face the easiest and toughest starts to the new season.
The release of the Premier League fixtures signals the beginning of the new season, sparking excitement among fans for the upcoming campaign. Supporters of newly promoted clubs can highlight significant dates, especially away matches against top teams. While TV coverage often changes these schedules, the anticipation remains high.
A strong start is crucial for a successful season. For teams predicted to struggle, a positive beginning could be decisive. Historically, 96 teams have won their first two Premier League games, with only three being relegated in those seasons: Wolves in 2011-12, Hull in 2016-17, and West Brom in 2017-18.
When is the first Premier League match of the 2024-25 season?
Manchester United vs Fulham (Friday 16 August)
Notably, just one of the last 11 Premier League champions lost their opening game – Manchester City in 2021-22, who fell 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur.
This season, reigning champions Man City will face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Last season, Man City dropped four points to Chelsea, including a thrilling 4-4 draw in November. This marks the first time since 1971-72 that Chelsea starts a top-flight campaign against the reigning champions, having lost 3-0 to Arsenal at Highbury that season.
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Premier League Matchday 1 Fixtures: 2024-25
Manchester United vs Fulham (Friday 16 August)
Arsenal vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (Saturday 17 August)
Everton vs Brighton & Hove Albion (Saturday 17 August)
Ipswich Town vs Liverpool (Saturday 17 August)
Newcastle United vs Southampton (Saturday 17 August)
Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth (Saturday 17 August)
West Ham United vs Aston Villa (Saturday 17 August)
Brentford vs Crystal Palace (Sunday 18 August)
Chelsea vs Manchester City (Sunday 18 August)
Leicester City vs Tottenham Hotspur (Monday 19 August)
The First Five Games At The Beginning
Arne Slot has reason to celebrate, as Liverpool’s opening five games of the 2024-25 Premier League season are considered the easiest among all 20 teams.
Liverpool begins their campaign against newly-promoted Ipswich Town on the opening weekend, followed by a home game against Brentford at Anfield in Matchday 2. Their biggest early challenge will be an away game at Manchester United, where Jürgen Klopp has failed to secure a win in his last three visits, including an FA Cup defeat last season. This is followed by more favorable fixtures against Nottingham Forest (home) and Bournemouth (away).
In contrast, London clubs Brentford and West Ham face the toughest starts, with their opening five opponents predicted to be among the strongest teams in the league.
Ipswich Town receives a harsh welcome to the Premier League with a home game against Liverpool, followed by a trip to the Etihad Stadium to face reigning champions Manchester City.
Arsenal, who came close to toppling Man City last season, also have a challenging start. They face the joint-second hardest opening five games, including consecutive away matches against rivals Tottenham and Man City on Matchday 4 and Matchday 5.
Elsewhere, Manchester United makes history by becoming the first team to start a Premier League campaign with a home game in eight consecutive seasons. They will kick off the season against Fulham at Old Trafford on Friday, August 16.
The First 10 Games
Analyzing the first 10 fixtures of the 2024-25 Premier League season, Wolves appear to have the toughest start.
Their opening day trip to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal is just the beginning of a challenging period. Their first four home games are against teams that finished in the top seven last season: Chelsea (6th), Newcastle (7th), Liverpool (3rd), and Manchester City (1st).
In contrast, Everton is predicted to have the easiest start to the 2024-25 Premier League season based on their first 10 matches, with their opponents considered the weakest.
Sean Dyche’s team faces only two of last season’s top six in their opening 10 matches, with away games against Tottenham (Matchday 2) and Aston Villa (Matchday 4). They also play all three newly promoted sides during this period.
The Last Stretch
Pep Guardiola’s Man City have established a reputation for their ruthless performance in the final months of the season. They closed the 2023-24 campaign with nine consecutive wins, overtaking Arsenal to clinch a record fourth consecutive top-flight title. Given their upcoming run-in, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them do it again..
Predictions indicate that City have the easiest final 10 games of the 2024-25 season, with only one match against a team that finished in the top seven last season—a home game against Aston Villa.
In their last five games, City has the third-easiest schedule, trailing only Leicester City and Brentford.
Title contenders Arsenal can find some optimism in their relatively straightforward final 10 games, ranked as the fourth easiest. However, they will face challenging matches against Liverpool (away) and Newcastle (home) in their last three games, which could be decisive.
Conversely, Fulham, Crystal Palace, and Everton have the most challenging final 10 games of the season. Fulham will face each of last season’s top six during their run-in, while Palace and Everton both have five matches against last season’s top seven.
The south coast teams Bournemouth and Southampton face the toughest final five games. Both teams will meet City and Arsenal, with Bournemouth also playing Manchester United and Aston Villa.
These teams may need to build a points cushion before the run-in to meet their season objectives.
