Premier League 2025-26 fixtures: Arsenal's horror start, all the big games

5 hours ago 32
  • Beth LindopJun 18, 2025, 05:37 AM ET

The reddish fume from Liverpool's rubric celebrations has hardly cleared but already it's clip to crook our attraction to adjacent play pursuing the merchandise of the 2025-26 Premier League fixture list.

Having defied expectations to clinch a record-equaling 20th league rubric past term, volition Arne Slot's broadside person what it takes to spell and support their crown, oregon volition Arsenal -- aft 3 consecutive second-place finishes -- yet get implicit the line? The Gunners volition surely request to beryllium astatine their champion to beryllium up determination from the start.

Having struggled to deed their accustomed heights past season, volition Manchester City instrumentality to the formidable winning instrumentality that has consistently swept each earlier them implicit the past decade, oregon volition the departure of the talismanic Kevin De Bruyne beryllium a important stroke for Pep Guardiola's side?

Like City, Enzo Maresca's Chelsea are competing astatine the Club World Cup successful the United States. Can they usage the other minutes to springiness them a caput commencement erstwhile they instrumentality to English soil, oregon volition their extended play instrumentality its toll?

A caller epoch begins astatine Tottenham Hotspur, with erstwhile Brentford brag Thomas Frank replacing the sacked Ange Postecoglou. And with Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest each having been successful the premix for Champions League qualification past season, the conflict for a top-four spot could beryllium much competitory than ever.

There's plentifulness of questions to beryllium answered successful the months ahead, and the merchandise of the lucifer docket offers the accidental for immoderate preseason speculation. Here are the highlights of the 2024-25 Premier League fixture list.

Editor's note: dates are taxable to alteration erstwhile matches person been selected for unrecorded home broadcast


Arsenal get tricky commencement but volition beryllium blessed with run-in

Arsenal were handed a tricky commencement to past play and the upcoming run is nary different. In their opening six fixtures they look 4 teams who were warring for Champions League shot past season, 2 of which are expected rubric rivals, positive they person to spell to Man United.

While facing United astatine Old Trafford hasn't been the scariest proposition successful caller years, Arteta mightiness good beryllium somewhat anxious that his broadside person to question to Manchester for their play opener.

Perhaps adjacent much concerning is the information that their adjacent distant crippled is against Liverpool astatine Anfield; a venue wherever they haven't won successful the Premier League since September 2012. Breaking that curse, though, would beryllium a good mode to people Arsenal retired arsenic aboriginal rubric favourites.

Certainly, they volition beryllium fixed the accidental to marque a statement, with the sojourn of Nottingham Forest to the Emirates connected the play of Sept. 13 followed by the sojourn of Manchester City earlier past a travel to Newcastle.

Should they get themselves into a beardown position, Arsenal person a comparatively benignant run-in, with their last 4 games comprising location clashes with Fulham and Burnley positive trips to West Ham United and Crystal Palace.

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'Arsenal are going to person to deed the crushed running'

Arsenal instrumentality Harry Symeou reacts to Arsenal's opening 5 games successful the Premier League, including Man United, Liverpool and Man City.

Liverpool handed pugnacious commencement to rubric defence

At the commencement of past season, Liverpool were thing of an chartless quantity. With Arne Slot coming successful to regenerate Jurgen Klopp, determination were concerns that it would instrumentality immoderate clip for the Reds to find their feet. Few radical predicted that Liverpool would triumph the Premier League astatine a canter, but Slot made an exceptional commencement astatine Anfield.

Now though, the unit is on.

Liverpool person marked themselves retired arsenic the squad to beat; a information that is lone fixed much credence by the club's assertive attack successful the transportation market. The champions person already signed Bayer Leverkusen wing-back Jeremie Frimpong, with teammate Florian Wirtz besides acceptable to articulation him connected Merseyside aft a club-record woody was agreed past week.

And it volition beryllium consecutive successful astatine the heavy extremity for Wirtz & co., with Liverpool's archetypal distant crippled of the play against Newcastle followed up by that titanic clash with Arsenal astatine Anfield. The archetypal Merseyside derby of the play volition instrumentality spot erstwhile Everton sojourn Anfield connected the play of Sept. 20, portion the Reds volition big bitter rivals Manchester United connected the play of Oct. 18.

Liverpool arguably person the toughest extremity to the play of immoderate of the apt rubric contenders, with Everton, Man United, Chelsea and Aston Villa among their last six opponents. However, if they are arsenic ascendant arsenic they were past season, the rubric could already beryllium wrapped up by then.

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Liverpool fans 'still giddy' arsenic nine strengthens successful transportation window

Josh Sexton from 'The Anfield Wrap' says he's already looking astatine which Premier League games Liverpool mightiness person aft Champions League knockout games.

Nowhere to fell for Manchester United

Last play was 1 to hide to Manchester United and, if manager Ruben Amorim was hoping for a favourable tally of fixtures to easiness him into the caller campaign, he'll surely beryllium disappointed.

United person been handed the marquee fixture of the opening weekend, with title-chasing Arsenal to question to Old Trafford connected Sunday, Aug. 17. A triumph implicit Arteta's broadside would beryllium a immense connection of intent from Amorim's men, nevertheless a bruising decision could acceptable the code for different hard season.

United besides person a tricky brace of features to navigate successful September, with a travel to look Manchester City astatine the Etihad connected the play of Sept. 13 followed by the sojourn of Chelsea. Amorim's broadside volition person to hold until the play of May 2 to invited champions Liverpool to Old Trafford, with United's last 2 fixtures -- Nottingham Forest astatine location connected May 17. and Brighton & Hove Albion distant connected May 24 -- perchance decisive successful the contention for European qualification.

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Will Amorim past Man United's pugnacious Premier League start?

Beth Tucker from "The United Stand" assesses Man United's commencement to the Premier League season.

Chelsea person a large opportunity

Chelsea ended past play with the archetypal trophy of the Maresca epoch by beating Real Betis successful the Conference League final, but the nine volition nary uncertainty person their sights acceptable connected much prestigious honours this time.

And the fixture database has fixed the nine the accidental to marque a truly beardown commencement to the run with Chelsea's opening clash astatine location to Crystal Palace connected Sunday, Aug. 17 acceptable to beryllium followed by match-ups with West Ham, Fulham and Brentford.

While determination are nary casual games successful the Premier League, Chelsea person been handed a reasonably benignant commencement to the play -- though it is packed with London derbies.

With the Club World Cup offering teams the accidental to physique up immoderate preseason momentum, Maresca's broadside could people themselves retired arsenic the squad to ticker by hitting the crushed moving successful the apical flight.

Tottenham could marque agleam commencement to Frank era

It's the dawn of yet different caller epoch for Tottenham Hotspur. Despite guiding to the nine to their archetypal trophy successful 17 years by beating Manchester United successful past season's Europa League final, Postecoglou was sacked pursuing a dismal run successful the Premier League.

The assignment of Frank arsenic his replacement is, connected paper, a shrewd one. The Dane consistently allowed Brentford to punch supra their value during his 7 years astatine the nine and is simply a dynamic, tactically astute coach.

While managing a nine similar Tottenham comes with added pressure, Frank does person the accidental to marque a good commencement to the campaign, with Spurs to big recently promoted Burnley astatine location connected the opening weekend.

In fact, Manchester City -- who big Tottenham astatine the Etihad connected the 2nd play -- are the lone Big Six broadside Spurs look earlier November.

The level is determination for the nine to commencement their caller epoch with a bang, though it should beryllium noted that Postecoglou made an fantabulous commencement to his ain Spurs tenure earlier things started to unravel.

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Have Tottenham got the cleanable opening fixtures for Thomas Frank?

Chris Cowlin from "The Spurs Chat Podcast" reacts to Tottenham's opening Premier League matches.

When are the biggest games?

The quality of the Premier League is that astir each crippled has the imaginable to beryllium a thriller, but determination are immoderate match-ups that peculiarly drawback the eye.

Manchester United vs Arsenal is the archetypal marquee fixture connected the opening weekend, portion the sojourn of United to Anfield connected the play of Oct. 18 ever whets the appetite.

In presumption of the rubric race, Liverpool volition big Arsenal connected the play of Aug. 30 earlier Arteta's broadside invited the champions to the Emirates connected the play of Jan. 7.

Manchester City and Liverpool volition look disconnected connected the weekends of Nov. 8 and Feb. 7, portion Arsenal and City volition conscionable connected the weekends of Sept. 20 and April 18.

The North London derby -- connected the weekends of Nov. 22 astatine the Emirates and Feb. 21 astatine the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium -- is ever tasty, portion the Merseyside derby volition instrumentality spot connected the weekends of Sept. 20 astatine Anfield and April 18 astatine the caller Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Where volition the Premier League trophy beryllium lifted?

While it seems overmuch excessively aboriginal to commencement pontificating connected the destination of the Premier League trophy, we're going to bash it anyway.

Should Liverpool support their crown, they volition observe successful beforehand of their location fans erstwhile they invited Brentford to Anfield connected the last day. If Arsenal negociate to extremity their 21-year hold for the league title, they volition assistance the trophy astatine Selhurst Park wherever they volition instrumentality connected Crystal Palace.

Manchester City volition harbour ambitions of wrestling backmost their crown and are astatine location to Aston Villa connected the closing weekend, portion Chelsea decorativeness their play distant to Sunderland.

Of course, the rubric could extremity up elsewhere, with the competitiveness of the Premier League increasing stronger by the year. Let the games begin.

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