Nothing feels more calm and measured than breaking down our season fixtures into blocks and focusing on the short-term. Here are our first 6 fixtures this season, along with the corresponding results from last year (Leeds (H) replaced by Leicester):
- Man United (A) – 17 Aug → 1–1 draw (9 Mar 2025)
- Leicester (H) – 23 Aug → 4–2 win (28 Sep 2024)
- Liverpool (A) – 30 Aug → 2–2 draw (11 May 2025)
- Nottingham Forest (H) – 13 Sep → 3–0 win (23 Nov 2024)
- Man City (H) – 20 Sep → 5–1 win (2 Feb 2025)
- Newcastle (A) – 27 Sep → 0–2 loss (25 Jan 2025)
We picked up 11 points from these fixtures last season, so aiming for 10-12 points feels like a realistic target. 13+ would be a great return and would set us up nicely for the rest of the campaign.
Liverpool’s Opening Fixtures & Last Season’s Results
- Bournemouth (H) → 3–0 win (21 Sep 2024)
- Newcastle (A) → 3–3 draw (4 Dec 2024)
- Arsenal (H) → 2–2 draw (11 May 2025)
- Burnley (A) → Won away to all three promoted sides last season
- Everton (H) → 1–0 win (2 Apr 2025)
- Crystal Palace (A) → 1–1 draw (25 May 2025)
Total: 12 points (based on last season)
Man City’s Opening Fixtures & Last Season’s Results
- Wolves (A) → 2–1 win (20 Oct 2024)
- Tottenham (H) → 0–4 loss (23 Nov 2024)
- Brighton (A) → 1–2 loss (9 Nov 2024)
- Man United (H) → 1–2 loss (15 Dec 2024)
- Arsenal (A) → 1–5 loss (2 Feb 2025)
- Burnley (H) → Won at home to all three promoted sides last season
They struggled against these teams last season, but many of those poor results came during their mid-season slump.
It’s worth remembering that players involved in AFCON - Salah for Liverpool and Marmoush and Ait Nouri for Man City will miss up to 6 matches during the congested Christmas period. This, combined with our superior squad depth should put us in a good position to recover any potential early advantage they have. If we’re within 3 points of both teams by the end of that stretch I’ll be happy.
