Following this morning’s release of the Premier League fixtures, we now look at the teams and players that, on paper, have the worst opening runs.
This covers the period between Gameweeks 1 and 6. As ever, our colour-coded Season Ticker is the primary source for this piece.
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Using this tool as a Premium Member, you can sort by difficulty, rank by attacking and defensive potential or find budget rotation pairings. You can even set your own difficulty ratings, should you disagree with ours.
SEASON TICKER OVERVIEW: FIRST SIX GAMEWEEKS
The above colours reflect the ‘overall’ ratings of each side. There are options within the ticker to separate attack and defence.
WORST FIXTURES: GAMEWEEKS 1-6
NEWCASTLE UNITED
In 2023, Newcastle prepared for Champions League football by facing Aston Villa on the opening day.
It’s the same this time, but at Villa Park – will there be another 5-1 win, or a repeat of April’s heavy 4-1 defeat? In fact, five of the last half-dozen meetings have seen one side beat the other by three or more goals.
Such a demanding start continues with the hosting of champions Liverpool. Then again, March’s memorable Carabao Cup triumph successfully ended Newcastle’s 17-game winless streak against the Reds. It may just about keep Alexander Isak in the thoughts of FPL managers, but their defensive assets surely won’t get the same approval.
As for Jacob Murphy, the expected, long-awaited arrival of another right-sided attacker may reduce his minutes. Therefore, eight goals and 13 assists will be difficult to repeat.
It’s then Bournemouth in Gameweek 5, who tend to be an Achilles heel for former boss Eddie Howe. No wins in any of their previous six encounters, although the Magpies are usually a similar pain to Gameweek 6 opponents Arsenal.
ARSENAL
Speaking of which, the Gunners have now gone five seasons without a major trophy. To fix this, they’d ideally start strongly, but the fixture computer has instead handed them four of the latest top seven, plus a trip to Manchester United’s new-look attack.
That limits the appeal of David Raya and their defence, despite no side conceding fewer goals, big chances, shots on target or expected goals (xGC) in either of the last two campaigns. Staying away from Arsenal’s backline and not having Trent Alexander-Arnold around anymore could suddenly give FPL managers plenty of money to spend elsewhere.
Meanwhile, midfield star Bukayo Saka had a brilliant start to 2024/25, accumulating five goals and 11 assists in his first 12 outings. Hamstring problems kept the 23-year-old sidelined for a while but, despite his low overall game time, Saka still ended up as the league’s third-best for creating big chances (21).
MANCHESTER UNITED
Gameweek 1 sees Arsenal at Old Trafford, hoping to inflict more pain on Ruben Amorim.
Man United’s truly awful 2024/25 ended with a Europa League final defeat and a 15th-placed domestic finish. But Matheus Cunha has arrived and Bruno Fernandes is seemingly staying, as names like Bryan Mbeumo and Hugo Ekitike keep being linked.
Yes, they’ll be embarrassed at not being one of England’s nine European competitors, but this may help them in the Premier League and therefore FPL.
Cunha could begin with significant ownership due to the club’s large worldwide fanbase – especially if he’s reclassified as a midfielder. New colleague Fernandes created the most 2024/25 chances (91) and Amad Diallo had a great points per match per million amount, having started at just £5.0m.
However, their defence is one to avoid. As well as the Arsenal opener, they visit rivals Manchester City in Gameweek 4.
BURNLEY
The Red Devils’ only appealing early fixture is at home to Burnley. The Clarets kept a whopping 30 clean sheets on their way to promotion, but having to face Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Man City and Aston Villa in their first seven should quell any temptations to buy a defender.
At the other end, 69 goals was quite a low tally for Championship top-two success. Their top scorer was Josh Brownhill, with 18 goals, an individual whose latest trio of Premier League campaigns delivered just six goals and six assists.
Some big signings are essential for their survival. 2023/24 and 2024/25 saw all three promoted teams go straight back down, so Gameweek 2’s hosting of Sunderland could be important in giving one of them some early momentum.
BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION
Finally, a look at south coast side Brighton. Four wins in the closing five matches took them to an eighth-placed finish, which wasn’t quite enough to secure European football for the second time in three seasons.
Fabian Hurzeler’s lot put up some impressive underlying stats at both ends. They ranked joint-fifth for goals (66) and big chances (110) while being outright fifth for shots on target (190), although key player Joao Pedro is being linked with a departure. Kaoru Mitoma and Danny Welbeck joined him on 10 goals, the latter netting six times by the end of Gameweek 9.
At the back, the Seagulls conceded the fourth-fewest shots on target (147), so securing only eight clean sheets was somewhat disappointing. That’s a lower-half number.
Like last season, Brighton must travel to Chelsea in Gameweek 6 – the match where they were victims of four Cole Palmer goals by half-time.
