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Who has the hardest start? Every Premier League club’s first five fixtures in the new 2025/26 season
Arsenal, Manchester United and Fulham can all claim to have a tough start to the new Premier League season
The Premier League fixtures have been released for the new 2025/26 season and already fans will be debating who has been given a helping hand by the fixture computer and who has been given the short straw.
Yes, they all play each other twice, but when you want your club to get off to a flying start, a friendly looking fixture list certainly helps.
Arsenal can certainly lay claim to the most difficult start, with away trips to Manchester United and Liverpool in their first five fixtures, amid home ties against newly promoted Leeds, last season’s revelation Nottingham Forest and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
But perhaps Man United’s is even tougher, with top-four finishers Arsenal, City and Chelsea all in their first five games, alongside an away trip to Fulham and a home game against newcomers Burnley.
Fulham themselves have a challenging opening five, with testing trips to Brighton, Chelsea and Brentford alongside the visits of Man United and Leeds.
Meanwhile Chelsea look to have landed a soft opening, playing Crystal Palace, Fulham and Man United at home, with trips to West Ham and Brentford away.
Sunderland’s opening isn’t bad either, with home games against West Ham, Brentford and Villa, mixed in with away trips to Burnley and Palace.
And Aston Villa might hope for a fast start hosting Newcastle, Palace and Everton with away trips to Brentford and Sunderland.
Here is every Premier League club’s first five games of the 2025/26 season:
- Matchday 1: Liverpool (A)
- Matchday 2: Wolverhampton (H)
- Matchday 3: Tottenham Hotspur (H)
- Matchday 4: Brighton (A)
- Matchday 5: Newcastle United (H)
Arsenal
- Matchday 1: Manchester United (A)
- Matchday 2: Leeds United (H)
- Matchday 3: Liverpool (A)
- Matchday 4: Nottingham Forest (H)
- Matchday 5: Manchester City (H)
- Matchday 1: Newcastle United (H)
- Matchday 2: Brentford (A)
- Matchday 3: Crystal Palace (H)
- Matchday 4: Everton (H)
- Matchday 5: Sunderland (A)
Brighton
- Matchday 1: Fulham (H)
- Matchday 2: Everton (A)
- Matchday 3: Manchester City (H)
- Matchday 4: A.F.C. Bournemouth (A)
- Matchday 5: Tottenham Hotspur (H)
Brentford
- Matchday 1: Nottingham Forest (A)
- Matchday 2: Aston Villa (H)
- Matchday 3: Sunderland (H)
- Matchday 4: Chelsea (A)
- Matchday 5: Fulham (H)
- Matchday 1: Tottenham Hotspur (A)
- Matchday 2: Sunderland (H)
- Matchday 3: Manchester United (A)
- Matchday 4: Liverpool (H)
- Matchday 5: Nottingham Forest (H)
Chelsea
- Matchday 1: Crystal Palace (H)
- Matchday 2: West Ham United (A)
- Matchday 3: Fulham (H)
- Matchday 4: Brentford (A)
- Matchday 5: Manchester United (H)
Crystal Palace
- Matchday 1: Chelsea (A)
- Matchday 2: Nottingham Forest (H)
- Matchday 3: Aston Villa (A)
- Matchday 4: Sunderland (H)
- Matchday 5: West Ham United (A)
Everton
- Matchday 1: Leeds United (A)
- Matchday 2: Brighton (H)
- Matchday 3: Wolverhampton (A)
- Matchday 4: Aston Villa (A)
- Matchday 5: Liverpool (H)
- Matchday 1: Brighton (A)
- Matchday 2: Manchester United (H)
- Matchday 3: Chelsea (A)
- Matchday 4: Leeds United (H)
- Matchday 5: Brentford (A)
- Matchday 1: Everton (H)
- Matchday 2: Arsenal (A)
- Matchday 3: Newcastle United (H)
- Matchday 4: Fulham (A)
- Matchday 5: Wolverhampton (H)
Liverpool
- Matchday 1: A.F.C. Bournemouth (H)
- Matchday 2: Newcastle United (A)
- Matchday 3: Arsenal (H)
- Matchday 4: Burnley (A)
- Matchday 5: Everton (H)
Manchester City
- Matchday 1: Wolverhampton (A)
- Matchday 2: Tottenham Hotspur (H)
- Matchday 3: Brighton (A)
- Matchday 4: Manchester United (H)
- Matchday 5: Arsenal (A)
Manchester United
- Matchday 1: Arsenal (H)
- Matchday 2: Fulham (A)
- Matchday 3: Burnley (H)
- Matchday 4: Manchester City (A)
- Matchday 5: Chelsea (H)
- Matchday 1: Aston Villa (A)
- Matchday 2: Liverpool (H)
- Matchday 3: Leeds United (A)
- Matchday 4: Wolverhampton (H)
- Matchday 5: A.F.C. Bournemouth (A)
Nottingham Forest
- Matchday 1: Brentford (H)
- Matchday 2: Crystal Palace (A)
- Matchday 3: West Ham United (H)
- Matchday 4: Arsenal (A)
- Matchday 5: A.F.C. Bournemouth (A)
Sunderland
- Matchday 1: West Ham United (H)
- Matchday 2: Burnley (A)
- Matchday 3: Brentford (H)
- Matchday 4: Crystal Palace (A)
- Matchday 5: Aston Villa (H)
- Matchday 1: Burnley (H)
- Matchday 2: Manchester City (A)
- Matchday 3: A.F.C. Bournemouth (H)
- Matchday 4: West Ham United (A)
- Matchday 5: Brighton (A)
- Matchday 1: Sunderland (A)
- Matchday 2: Chelsea (H)
- Matchday 3: Nottingham Forest (A)
- Matchday 4: Tottenham Hotspur (H)
- Matchday 5: Crystal Palace (H)
- Matchday 1: Manchester City (H)
- Matchday 2: A.F.C. Bournemouth (A)
- Matchday 3: Everton (H)
- Matchday 4: Newcastle United (A)
- Matchday 5: Leeds United (A)
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