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REVEALED: Which clubs have the best and worst next 10 fixtures?

17 Oct 2024
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We use Fantasy Premier League data to identify who has the toughest run of games before Christmas

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The Premier League could really take shape across the next 10 Matchweeks, a busy period that spans two months and includes the fixtures falling on the weekend of 21/22 December.

Here, we examine which teams have the best and worst games to play during that time, according to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR).

FDR, a tool used in Fantasy Premier League, ranks fixtures from one (easy) to five (hard), with green indicating easier matches and red showing tougher ones.

FDR MW8-17 in average order
Who has the hardest fixtures?

On paper, Liverpool have the toughest run, closely followed by Chelsea, which gives added significance to their meeting when the Premier League resumes this coming weekend.

The FDR gives an average score of 3.3 to the next 10 fixtures for Arne Slot's side, who also have to visit the likes of Arsenal, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur and host the champions Manchester City.

Liverpool's next five PL matches

Chelsea also face a demanding run-up to Christmas, with an average fixture difficulty of 3.2 in the FDR, with London derbies at home to Arsenal and away to Spurs. There are also trips to Manchester United and Everton for Enzo Maresca to contend with.

Aston Villa and Fulham, who meet each other this Saturday, are both facing fixture lists that are rated 3.1 by the FDR. Villa will soon have to visit Spurs and then Liverpool in Matchweeks 10 and 11, before December sends them to both Chelsea and Man City.

After hosting Villa, Fulham go to Everton but the second half of the FDR chart illustrates the danger ahead, with a trip to Spurs being followed by matches against Arsenal and Liverpool back-to-back.

Who has the easiest fixtures?

The FDR provides encouragement for some of the Premier League's early strugglers.

Leicester City and Ipswich Town, who are currently 15th and 17th respectively, have both been given an average FDR score of 2.4 for their next 10 fixtures.

Seven of Ipswich's next nine matches are against clubs in the bottom half of the table, including Leicester, who will fancy their chances after getting their first victory against AFC Bournemouth in their last outing.

Ipswich's next five PL matches

Leicester go to Newcastle United and Manchester United but have home matches against Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion and bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Wolves return to Premier League action with a daunting trip to Man City this weekend, but the FDR has rated their schedule at 2.5 and suggests the most demanding games in their next nine are the visits to Fulham and Everton.

Respite for Ten Hag?

Man Utd's next 10 fixtures could present a possible route up the table from their current position of 14th. 

Their upcoming games are given a favourable rating of 2.7 - even though they travel to both Arsenal and Man City in Matchweeks 14 and 16 respectively.

Before then, Man Utd will play Brentford, West Ham, Leicester, Ipswich and Everton, giving manager Erik ten Hag a chance to lift his team into the top half.

Great run for Guardiola

The FDR rates Man City's run-up to Christmas as the easiest among the teams near the top of the table.

Their fixtures are rated 2.8, with the toughest matches for Pep Guardiola's side being the visits to Liverpool and Aston Villa.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have a slightly tougher next 10 games, rated 2.9. After a potentially tricky trip to Bournemouth, they host Liverpool and then face Newcastle and Chelsea in Matchweeks 9 to 11.

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