Last updated on June 23rd, 2025
The release of the 2025/26 Premier League fixtures sparked plenty of excitement amongst the fantasy football community.
The Fantasy Premier League (FPL) is likely to be launched on July 11, but avid players can now start to formulate their plans for the upcoming season.
Based on the latest odds to win the Premier League, many FPL players will aim to pack their squad with stars from Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City.
However, that simplistic approach is fraught with danger, particularly when considering who each of them will face during the early part of the season.
The Gunners immediately leap off the page as a team to avoid given they have been handed the second toughest batch of fixtures in their opening five games.
According to Opta Analyst, only Manchester United have a tougher run during that timeframe and that assessment can be disputed.
Arsenal visit United in their opening game, before facing Leeds United (H), Liverpool (A), Nottingham Forest (H) and Manchester City (H).
The Red Devils play Fulahm (A) and Burnley (H) after meeting the Gunners. Man City (A) and Chelsea (H) round off a tricky opening quintet of fixtures.
Liverpol and Man City also feature towards the top of the fixtures difficulty list and must be treated with caution during the early part of the campaign.
By contrast, Chelsea could enjoy a hugely productive start to the season after being handed a favourable run of early games.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), none of Chelsea’s opening five matches score more than three on the 1-5 scale.
Games against Crystal Palace (H), West Ham United (A), Fulham (H) and Brentford (A) are all winnable, while the Blues will not fear Man United (A) in their fifth outing.
On that basis, Cole Palmer is likely to be the cornerstone of many FPL teams during the early part of the season and will be a popular pick as captain.
Given the size of their squad and the potential for more transfer business to be completed, it will be worth monitoring Chelsea during pre-season to get a better feel for their starting XI.
Elsewhere, Aston Villa players could also garner plenty of interest from FPL managers. Their first five fixtures are rated as the joint easiest alongside Palace.
Of the trio of newly promoted teams, Leeds United and Sunderland have the trickiest starts based on the data. However, the figures do not really stack up.
Burnley are scheduled to face Tottenham Hotspur (A), Sunderland (H), Man United (A), Liverpool (H) and Nottingham Forest (H) in their first five games.
The data has rated the difficulty of the Tottenham and Man United games based on their underwhelming 2024/25 performances and should be treated with caution.
Burnley will likely be languishing in the bottom three after the first five games have been completed and their players should be avoided in FPL.
When the pricing for the new FPL season is released, it is imperative not to get too carried away with premium picks.
Blowing a sizeable chunk of your budget on two superstars makes little sense if their favourable fixtures are on the same weekend as you can only captain one of them.
Focusing on Chelsea and Villa for the core of your early squad and building around them is a sensible strategy to adopt during the early stages.
Palace and Tottenham are other teams who could offer FPL managers a decent points return if their key players are not overpriced.
