The Premier League fixture list for 2016/17 was published earlier today, allowing Fantasy managers an early opportunity to start tentative preparations for the new campaign.
We’ve now updated our Season Ticker fixture analysis tool, including the members’ version that will hopefully prove invaluable over the coming weeks to help prepare our initial squads.
The tool is available in the right hand menu bar, or via the fourth button on the homepage if you’re viewing on mobile.
The free version of the ticker displays the next five fixtures and can be sorted by each Gameweek column. The members’ version can be expanded to show more Gameweeks and allows for sorting by difficulty over the Gameweeks being displayed, plus many more features. We will bring you a guide to using the members ticker very soon.
Using this early version with initial ratings, we’ve carried out some basic analysis of the early fixture list.
From first glance it’s clear that Tottenham Hotspur are handed the most favourable start amongst the “big six” and would-be title contenders. Mauricio Pochettino’s men face a testing opening day visit to Goodison to collide with Ronald Koeman’s Everton but, following that, can take comfort from a very obliging opening to the campaign.
The away fixtures to follow Everton look particularly profitable, with trips to Stoke, Middlesbrough, West Brom and Bournemouth amongst the very best early selection of road trips on offer. Their toughest tests all arrive at White Hart Lane, with Liverpool, Man City and Leicester paying visit prior to Gameweek 11.
Koeman’s men also enjoy a favourable run to follow the opening day encounter; Everton manage to avoid all of the likely title challengers until Gameweek 8 when they travel to Man City.
West Brom and Crystal Palace join Everton amongst those sides handed an easier passage over the opening months – both providing would-be sources of mid-price talent for our initial squads.
Leicester City’s bid to retain the Premier League crown will be tested early by encounters with Arsenal, Liverpool and Man United. Interest in their key assets is likely to be tempered further by a punishing early agenda.
Pep Guardiola is handed an obliging first match-up at the start of his Manchester City tenure, with Sunderland arriving at the Etihad on the opening day. However, that’s followed by a testing trip to Stoke City before the schedule stiffens further via clashes with West Ham and Manchester rivals United.
Jose Mourinho’s men will have the opportunity to get off to a strong start before that Etihad visit, hosting Southampton in Gameweek 2, sandwiched between favourable visits to Bournemouth and Hull City.
West Ham may take time to adjust to life at the Olympic Stadium but Fantasy managers should note that they’ve been handed a very kind first collection of home fixtures.
Bournemouth, Watford, Southampton and Middlesbrough are the first four teams to drop in on the Hammers’ plush new home – all winnable ties that appear to offer potential for strong returns.
At the other end of the spectrum, the likes of Swansea City, Watford and newly promoted Burnley are handed what can only be described as evil opening spells.
Watford are treated to three daunting home fixtures when Chelsea, Arsenal and United drop in on Vicarage Road over the first five Gameweeks. Visits to Southampton and West Ham will also do little to encourage Fantasy managers to look their way for the first month.
The Swans will need to gather early points in their first two fixtures against promoted Hull and Burnley with those encounters are followed with a relentless tide of tough opponents right through to Gameweek 9.
Indeed, the opening day looks crucial for both Swansea and Burnley. The Clarets’ return to the top flight will be severely tested by trips to Liverpool, Leicester and Chelsea over their first five.
Of the three promoted sides, it seems Middlesbrough have been handed by far the “easiest” introduction back to the top flight. They face Stoke and Palace in their first two home matches, around trips to Sunderland and West Brom. While their schedule toughens up from then on, that opening will likely be enough to encourage early investment in Aitor Karanka’s outfit.
Over the next few days, we plan to focus on the new schedule in far more detail.
We will be bringing you a guide to how you can use the members version of the season ticker to analyse the fixtures and rotation. We will also be bringing your our first articles, looking at both fixture difficulty and potential rotation pairings.
