Liverpool dream start as two Premier League fixture myths busted

Liverpool dream start as two Premier League fixture myths busted

Liverpool Premier League fixtures are released today and Arne Slot will be hoping for a favourable opening

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot (Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images )

Liverpool will discover their schedule as champions when the Premier League fixture list is released this morning. The Premier League releases its fixtures at 9am, with the Reds looking for back-to-back title triumphs after winning the championship in their first season under head coach Arne Slot.

A straightforward start to the season would appeal given it will be a new-look Reds squad that begins the campaign, with Jeremie Frimpong already in, Florian Wirtz set to follow and Milos Kerkez also imminent.

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But what would constitute a decent opening? Our writers have their say:

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Ian Doyle

One of the great myths of football is that the fixture list is random. It isn't. That's why you won't ever have Liverpool facing Manchester United or Everton on the opening or final weekend of a season, and why in general local derbies are kept away from such already showpiece weekends.

Also, look at how many times Liverpool seem to play Wolves or Crystal Palace at home on the final day of the season. It's happened on five occasions in the last seven campaigns - very much busting the laws of probability.

There's a reason for that. The fixture computer is needed because certain games are kept away from certain occasions, some clubs can't both be at home on the same weekend, other events might mean matches have to be played away from a venue on a specific date, and so on. It takes time to get it all sorted.

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And the other great myth is the fixture list doesn't matter. Everybody plays the same teams home and away eventually, after all. But the order in which they are played, and particularly the way a campaign begins for a club, can go a long way to shaping perceptions early on.

In the last nine years, Liverpool have either opened up against a London region team (West Ham at home, Arsenal, Chelsea and Watford away) or a promoted side (Norwich home and away, Leeds United at home, Fulham away, Ipswich Town away) so there's nothing to suggest there'll be a change from that.

Liverpool haven't started at Anfield since 2020 so their turn is due, and it would be no surprise if Leeds or Sunderland are in opposition.

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It's inevitable the Reds will play one of their main rivals inside the opening six games, but no more than that and three winnable home games and the title defence can be up and running.

Theo Squires

You have to go back to the summer of 2019 when Liverpool last started a Premier League season at home in front of their own fans. Kicking off the campaign against newly-promoted Norwich City, the Reds thrashed the Canaries 4-1 in what would end up being a title-winning campaign.

Meanwhile, the following year's curtain-raiser at home to newly-promoted Leeds United is the last time Liverpool have kickstarted a campaign at home. 4-3 winners that day, an Anfield opener is long overdue!

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The Reds of course failed to win a game after clinching last season's title, and will need to make sure such a run is ended as soon as possible once their competitive stakes return.

Arne Slot's side are the team to beating heading into 2025/26. And having benefitted from a strong start last year, leaving their rivals eating their dust, are well-versed in just how vital momentum can be.

History would suggest they start against a newly-promoted side again, giving them the perfect opportunity to start the season well. There can be no early slip-ups.

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Liverpool could also do with an early opportunity to put in a statement performance - see last season's August trip to Old Trafford.

Yet next season, the festive period will be even more crucial with the Africa Cup of Nations scheduled for December and January. Liverpool will be without Mohamed Salah as a result at a time when campaigns can be made or broken.

Avoid mid-season trips to the likes of the Etihad or Emirates, and those of a Reds persuasion can breathe a sigh of relief - even if it instead means a trickier start.

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Joe Rimmer

I'm a big believer that a kind early fixture list can be what's needed to fuel a Premier League title challenge. Gather some momentum and suddenly you can find yourselves out in front and fighting for the title. That's the the theory.

And Liverpool don't need evidence of that, having experienced how a fast start can set you up for success after winning the title last season.

Seven victories from their opening eight games saw Liverpool set a pace that others simply couldn't live with and once the Reds went top of the table in November, they refused to relinquish their place at the top.

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And so a repeat of last year's early fixture list wouldn't hurt. Ipswich Town away was a slightly tricky fixture for the Reds, but face somebody like that at home and life is much easier.

An early test against rivals can also be handy to set down a marker, though that too is preferable at home than the trip to Old Trafford that Liverpool were handed last season, even if they did win in empathic fashion.

Liverpool's position has changed next term and the Reds will be the team to beat from the outset. Gather some early victories and you'll see confidence ebb away from rivals - and a kind fixture list can be key.

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