Yesterday morning, the Premier League released the fixture list for the 2025/26 season. As the season progresses, some string of fixtures will be more difficult or more important than others.
It’s different for every team. Some can’t handle the congested winters, others struggle towards the end in April and May.
This article looks at every Premier League team’s key run of fixtures this season based on derbies, potential clashes for Europe or the title and areas where they struggled last season. A run is a collection of between four and six matches.
Embed from Getty ImagesArsenal (August 30th – October 4th)
Arsenal have a tough start to the campaign and if they don’t step up to the plate, the title race could be over for them before they get started.
Their key six-game run begins at Anfield against Liverpool. They then face Manchester City at home two games later. During this run they will also take on Nottingham Forest, Newcastle and finally West Ham.
The London Derby may seem the least of their worries, but the Hammers have beaten Arsenal in their last two visits to the Emirates.
Additionally, they were beaten by Newcastle on three out of four occasions last season across all competitions.
Aston Villa (January 24th – February 11th)
As we enter the New Year, Villa face four of last season’s European rivals. They will visit Newcastle at St James’ Park first before taking on Brentford, Bournemouth and Brighton.
If a similar fate plays out this season, these four matches could prove vital in Villa’s hunt for Champions League football. The fact that they are all one after the other means it will be a make or break few weeks for Unai Emery’s side.
Last season, Aston Villa earned seven out of a possible 12 points from these exact fixtures with their only defeat coming against Newcastle. Luckily, they can get that fixture out of the way first.
Bournemouth (February 11th – March 14th)
Last season, this time of the season is where Bournemouth struggled most. They won twice in twelve matches from February to May despite looking destined for Europe in the first half of the season.
Therefore, that time will be key again and they need to capitilise this time around. Last year, the games were all simple ones that they should have won. However, they failed to hold their nerve and ultimately missed out on Europe.
This year, it has to be different.
Brentford (February 28th – April 11th)
With no Thomas Frank and the potential losses of players in attack, Brentford are going to struggle more this season. Therefore, these five games will be even more crucial.
During this time they play Burnley and Leeds, where they should pick up six points. They will also face Everton, Wolves and Bournemouth. The match against the Cherries will be the most difficult but the other four are certainly winnable.
The matches come at a key time in the season too where there will still be plenty to play for. A minimum of 10 points out of 15 will be expected here.
Brighton (Decemeber 6th – January 3rd)
The previous two seasons have followed a similar pattern for Brighton: start strong and fall immensely in the winter. Last season, they were winless in eight between November and January.
It’s those fixtures that you look back on when you miss out on Europe, as Brighton did. Those games where Brighton were the favourites but bottled it against relegation candidates.
During the run this season, Brighton will face newly promoted sides Sunderland and Burnley, where they will need to be more ruthless. Matches against Liverpool and Arsenal will be tough although Fabian Hurzeler’s side did pick up points against both opponents last season.
Brighton also take on West Ham twice, a team who they have had success against over the years. In their 15 Premier League meetings, Brighton have only lost once to West Ham.
Burnley (January 31st – February 28th)
Burnley have come straight back up to the Premier League after their relegation in 2023/24 and will need to show a lot more quality if they want to survive the drop this time.
Their five game run has is a cluster of their most winnable games, excluding their match against Chelsea in February.
Beside the Blues, Burnley will play Sunderland, West Ham, Crystal Palace and Brentford. Sunderland and West Ham will be the most appealing fixtures but they could pull off a surprise against the Eagles too.
Brentford will experience a dip this season due to the loss of Thomas Frank and potentially Yoanne Wissa and Bryan Mbuemo. Brentford’s lack of fire power in attack is something a lot of sides could capitalise on.
Chelsea (April 18th – May 24th)
This is perhaps the most obvious key run in this feature. Chelsea will take on three of the Big Six, two European rivals, before ending their campaign at the Stadium of Light.
Against Brighton at the Amex, Chelsea have struggled. The same goes for their visits to Anfield.
However, Chelsea’s impressive end of season form in 2024/25 is what saw them secure a Champions League place, so this season we could see them replicate the same feat.
Interestingly, on the final day of 2014/15 and 2016/17, Chelsea beat Sunderland and lifted the Premier League title. The two sides meet again at the same time this season.
Crystal Palace (August 17th – September 20th)
Regardless of their league position last season, Crystal Palace enjoyed great success due to their FA Cup triumph. However, moving forward, they need to be aiming for a top half finish.
Last season, they didn’t hit the ground running and were winless in their first nine games. Ultimately, this cost them a top 10 spot. Therefore, their opening five fixtures this season will be key.
If Palace can pick up at least a point against opponent’s such as Chelsea and Aston Villa, it will help them build confidence heading into simpler matches against Sunderland and West Ham.
Everton (August 23rd – October 4th)
Everton ended last season well under David Moyes and will be looking to pick up where they left off. The start of their campaign will be vital, especially in a new stadium.
They play their first game at the Hill Dickinson Stadium against Brighton, so the key run begins there. The run that follows will see them play three more times at home and at Anfield for the Merseyside Derby.
If they wish to carry on their fine form under Moyes, it all begins in August. Everton need to hit the ground running to build momentum at their new home.
Fulham (December 3rd – December 30th)
December is a key time for a few mid-table sides, because there’s so many matches that have a huge impact come the end of the season.
Last season, Fulham impressed, going seven games unbeaten throughout the Christmas period. Lots of these games were draws, but against tough opponents such as Arsenal and Liverpool.
This year, the run looks far more appealing, with the ‘worst’ game coming at the start against Manchester City. If Fulham can do the same this season but win those easier clashes, it could see them take a leap into the Conference League spots by May.
Leeds (March 4th – April 18th)
Leeds’ key run of fixtures is very similar to Burnley’s. Leeds too will play Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Brentford. For the same reasons, they could earn some valuable points here.
They also have a blockbuster clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford, a match that will be in every Leeds fan’s diary. If they can pull off a shock there, which many clubs have done at the Theatre of Dreams in recent years, there’s no reason why Leeds couldn’t then beat Wolves at home.
This run is reliant on momentum and a positive day out in Manchester, but with newly promoted teams that’s it’s all about.
Liverpool (March 21st – May 2nd)
There’s never an obvious choice for a tough run in when the team you’re talking about have just won the league with four games to spare. However, this season promises to be more competitive. Man City are going through a major squad rebuild and Arsenal are set to finally sign a striker.
For the Reds, their key run will be towards the back end of the season, starting against Brighton. The Seagulls have managed to surprise Liverpool on numerous occasions over the past few seasons, including a very recent 3-2 comeback victory.
During this run, the most important fixture is Liverpool’s visit to Everton’s new stadium. The first Merseyside Derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium will be electric and Liverpool could get caught out when it matters most.
This run will also see them face Fulham and Crystal Palace, both of whom Liverpool failed to beat at Anfield last season.
Manchester City (August 23rd – September 20th)
Man City have made some statement signings this summer, so they have a great chance to show the league they really mean business and get back on track.
The schedule has been kind to City, with no cluster of matches jumping out. However, as we saw last season, that doesn’t always matter. Pep Guardiola’s side missed the mark at the start of the season, so this year it’s important that they start strong.
They will have to play a Manchester Derby in September before heading down to the Emirates a week later. They also have a trip to South Coast where they lost 2-1 to Brighton last season and even failed to beat them at the Etihad.
Manchester United (January 3rd – February 7th)
This is a big season for Man United, they have no Europe and are coming off the back of a terrible 2024/25 campaign.
Their key run comes in the New Year where, across five matches, they play Leeds, Man City and Arsenal. Two derbies and a trip to the Emirates doesn’t look good. Then add on a game against Spurs, the team who snatched a European title off them and it looks even worse.
The Red Devils won’t be fighting for Champions League, nor Europa League realisitically. That means that these cluster of bragging right fixtures may be all Ruben Amorim’s team have going for them this season, so they have to make it count.
Newcastle (January 24th – February 21st)
Newcastle had a fantastic 2024/25, they won a major trophy and qualified for the Champions League. This season, it’s about maintaining that level.
To do that, they must pull off results against those battling for the top five. Between game week 23 and 27, the Magpies face Aston Villa, Liverpool and Man City. All of whom they were competing with last season.
If they can come out of that five-game run unscathed, a third Champions League season in four years could well be on the cards for Eddie Howe’s squad.
Nottingham Forest (April 18th – May 24th)
Last season, Forest looked set for the Champions League but bottled it right at the end. The 2-2 draw to Leicester in particular ended hopes of reaching the top five.
This year, their key run follows a similar pattern. The face two relegation candidates in April and May is full of games against clubs that will likely be around them, bar United.
If they can remain composed against Burnley and Sunderland, then nab points off the likes of Chelsea and Newcastle, they could go one step further this season.
Sunderland (August 16th – September 13th)
Sunderland will be favourites to go straight back down this season, but they have a chance to make us question out prediction right off the bat.
Their first four matches are ones where they can certainly get results. They face fellow newly promoted side Burnley, who they beat once and drew once to in the Championship last season.
They also take on West Ham who are struggling and a weakened Burnley side, before visiting Crystal Palace.
Every game is a challenge for newly promoted sides in the Premier League, but Sunderland have been given the kindest start to the season possible. In fact, they don’t face any of the Big Six until October.
Tottenham (November 1st – December 6th)
Tottenham have a couple of options for key runs, which doesn’t bode well for how their season may go. After comparison, their November to December run seems the hardest.
During the six matches, they face four London rivals, including Arsenal at the Emirates. They will also take on Man United and Newcastle. In these exact fixtures last season, Spurs earned seven points out of 18 and conceded 10 goals.
This season, to prove they are serious about progressing in the Premier League, results have to be far better.
West Ham (September 20th – October 25th)
It was a bad season for West Ham last year and there doesn’t look to be any clear path to progress. Jarrod Bowen may be leaving and Graham Potter is a slow burner when it comes to Premier League success.
They really need to be careful in not getting stuck in a relegation battle. Therefore, their key run comes in September and October, when they have a lot of games to pick up points against those lesser teams.
The hardest game comes against Arsenal, however, West Ham have beaten the Gunners in their last two visits to the Emirates.
November and December look horrible for the Hammers, so before then they will need to earn as many points as possible to soften the blow.
Wolves (April 18th – May 24th)
Wolves had a terrible start to last season’s campaign under Gary O’Neil and were winless until November. Vitor Pereira steadied the ship though and despite losing Matheus Cunha this summer, Wolves will be optimistic heading into the new season.
Their key run falls right at the end of the season, where they face all three newly promoted sides, as well as Brighton, Spurs and Fulham.
Here they can get that final boost and climb the table. Their record at the end of last season was poor, so this year it’s the area to focus on. Ending on a high is certainly possible, Wolves just need to maintain some kind of form until the final day.
Written by Isabelle Newnham
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