The Premier League fixtures for the 2024/25 season were released on Tuesday morning.

Fantasy Premier League (FPL) has yet to relaunch, of course, but we can at least assess which teams we should invest in and which we should avoid from a fixture difficulty perspective.

We will take a look at the top-flight teams with less favourable schedules later on, but first, we turn our attention to those sides with the best runs of opening fixtures, at least on paper.

The primary focus in this article will be on a six-Gameweek lookahead but we’ll analyse the shorter and longer-term prospects where appropriate.

SEASON TICKER

Our Season Ticker has been updated, with the opening six Gameweeks sorted by difficulty below.

Subscribers to Fantasy Football Scout can use this helpful tool to pick out the best and worst runs of matches for each club, sort by rotation pairings, use their own customised fixture difficulty ratings and more.

LIVERPOOL

Liverpool kick off the Arne Slot era with a trip to newly-promoted Ipswich Town.

Beyond that, the Reds have been handed appealing home fixtures against Brentford, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth in the early weeks of the campaign.  

In fact, Liverpool only face one of the traditional ‘big six’ in the first seven Gameweeks. Even then, it’s against a far-from-convincing Manchester United side.

Mohamed Salah’s ownership in FPL will likely be sizeable on the opening weekend, then.

He’s been a notoriously fast starter in past seasons, especially against newly-promoted opposition, suggesting he can rival Erling Haaland for the armband in Gameweek 1.

ASTON VILLA

Aston Villa’s first two matches aren’t great but a fixture swing in Gameweek 3 will see them top the Season Ticker.

Unai Emery’s troops meet two sides coming up from the Championship: Leicester City and Ipswich Town. They also host Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers in back-to-back Gameweeks.

The one difference this season is that there is a UEFA Champions League campaign to contend with. The first of those clashes falls between Gameweeks 4 and 5.

Still, it’s a decent schedule overall, given that Villa will only face two sides who finished in the top eight last season in the first nine games, both of which are at home.

That opening run suggests Ollie Watkins’ FPL ownership will be high. The England international racked up 19 goals and 18 assists last season, producing an unrivalled 37 attacking returns.

FULHAM

Fulham are top of our Season Ticker in the first six Gameweeks.

The Cottagers face Manchester United on the opening weekend, who they beat in the corresponding fixture last season.

Marco Silva’s men will then follow that up with games against Leicester City and Ipswich Town, two of the three newly-promoted sides.

Crucially, Fulham don’t face any of last season’s top six until a trip to Manchester City in Gameweek 7.

Rodrigo Muniz scored eight goals in eight matches between Gameweeks 23-30 last season and could be a decent purchase, given the schedule.

Bernd Leno also impressed, accumulating 133 points in total, the third most of any goalkeeper.

SOUTHAMPTON

Southampton look to have the best run of the newly promoted sides, although many Fantasy managers will perhaps adopt a ‘wait and see’ approach.

Russell Martin’s side will head to St James’ Park to take on Newcastle United in Gameweek 1, with fixtures against Nottingham Forest and Brentford to follow.

September starts with a St Mary’s double-header against Manchester United and newly-promoted Ipswich Town, before a trip to south coast rivals Bournemouth rounds off the month.

That ‘might’ be enough for some FPL managers to punt on Adam Armstrong, depending on prices. The striker was the Saints’ top scorer last season, with 21 goals. He also claimed 13 assists.

Kyle Walker-Peters also impressed and was named in the Championship Team of the Season. He excelled on both blanks, contributing three goals and two assists while helping Southampton keep 14 clean sheets.

CRYSTAL PALACE

Crystal Palace’s impressive form under Oliver Glasner in the second half of last season will no doubt see plenty of interest in Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Olise scored or assisted in 10 of his 14 starts in 2023/24, with a further five appearances as a substitute.

That’s provided he is still at the club come August, of course, having been linked with a move to Chelsea.

As for the fixtures, the opening six are relatively kind, with the first three all London derbies.

Palace scored a combined nine goals against two of their first three home opponents in the corresponding fixtures last season. They also host newly-promoted Leicester City.

And that sequence of fixtures has the potential to throw up other budget gems, too, like wing-backs Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell.

ALSO CONSIDER

Manchester United warrant a mention, with Fulham, Brighton and Hove Albion and Southampton in the first four Gameweeks. Beyond that, though, things toughen up, with clashes against Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa.

Nottingham Forest assets like Morgan Gibbs-White could offer a bit of value, with their opening half-dozen games including fixtures against Bournemouth, Southampton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Brighton and Hove Albion and Fulham.

Also, a final word on Everton, who are top of the Season Ticker in Gameweeks 1-10.

During that run, they face all three newly-promoted sides, whilst avoiding Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool.

So, Jordan Pickford or a Toffees defender could be the way to go, especially for those planning a later Wildcard.

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