Clubs with tough fixtures to AVOID at start of 2024/25 Fantasy

The Scout is using the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR) to highlight the sides with the most difficult opening schedules in 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League.

Arsenal

The Gunners were among the most reliable sides at both ends of the pitch in Fantasy last season.

Mikel Arteta’s men kept a league-high 18 clean sheets, which helped Ben White, William Saliba and Gabriel claim the top three spots in the defender standings.

Arsenal also supplied four of the 11 top-scoring midfielders in the game, with Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Declan Rice each returning 160+ points.

But their early run of opponents is likely to limit the popularity of their regulars in managers’ initial squads. 

The Gunners visit three of last season’s top five – Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City – in their first five fixtures, with each of those matches scoring at least four in the FDR.

On the upside, Arteta’s team also host Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton & Hove Albion in that spell. Yet with a number of other clubs boasting far more appealing runs of opponents, there would be no surprise if managers looked elsewhere in the premium bracket.

Brentford

The Bees’ early schedule is similar to that of Arsenal, with three tough road trips combined with two kind home encounters.

While Thomas Frank’s side entertain Crystal Palace and Southampton across the first five Gameweeks, they will also visit three of last season’s top five – Liverpool, Man City and Spurs – in that spell. 

Brentford’s star attackers Bryan Mbeumo and Ivan Toney are likely to be overlooked in most opening squads until the schedule takes a turn for the better in Gameweek 6. The Bees then have three kind home matches in the subsequent four Gameweeks against West Ham United, Wolves and Ipswich Town.

Wolves

A brutal opening schedule means there’s every chance that most managers will be giving Wolves players a wide berth until late October.

Gary O’Neil’s side face six of last season’s top seven sides in their first eight fixtures in a run that starts with a visit to Arsenal in the opening weekend and ends with a home contest against Man City in Gameweek 8.

Their schedule thereafter, though, could barely be more appealing. From Gameweeks 9-17, seven of Wolves’ nine matches score a mere two in the FDR. 

While Rayan Ait-Nouri is their standout pick at the back, managers are spoiled for choice in attack, with Pedro Neto, Hwang Hee-chan and Matheus Cunha likely to emerge as strong value assets. 

Wolves’ first eight matches

*1 = easiest possible fixture, 5 = hardest possible fixture

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