The wait is over, folks. The 2025/26 Premier League fixtures have officially dropped, which means it’s time for Fantasy Premier League managers everywhere to emerge from their spreadsheets, refresh those long-neglected watchlists, and start plotting the perfect Gameweek 1 squad (before deleting and rebuilding it 24 times by Friday).
Fixtures for all 38 Gameweeks are now live on PremierLeague.com, and if you're smart (which we know you are), you can sync them straight to your calendar. One tap, zero stress, no excuses.
Now, let’s talk tactics. 👇
🔍 Think Beyond Gameweek 1
We get it. Everyone wants a dream start. But loading your squad with players just because they have a plum GW1 fixture? That’s a one-way ticket to an early wildcard.
Instead, zoom out and plan ahead using the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR). This clever colour-coded system helps you gauge how tough each fixture is over the first 4–6 Gameweeks.
The official FPL site has it's own FDR system with a helpful colour coded view to make for easy "at a glance" reading. This will go live as soon the 2025/26 game is launched. But for now, check out this one from last season.
However, there are alternative sources for similar information. Our friends over at Opta (The Analyst) have developed their own Fixture Difficulty Rating Index. They were quick out of the blocks today with the first FIVE fixtures of the 2025/26 season.
Here we can see that Man Utd and Arsenal have the toughest start, whilst Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and West Ham seem to have a more forgiving run of games.
📈 Case Study: Chelsea 2024/25
Last season, Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson had a horror GW1 fixture vs Man City. Managers panicked. But what did the FDR show? Five of their next six matches were rated low the difficulty scale – cue massive hauls.
- Palmer: 6 goals, 4 assists, 61 points
- Jackson: 4 goals, 3 assists, 40 points
🎓 Lesson: Use FDR to your advantage
Plan for 4-6 Gameweek periods, don't get sucked into single Gameweeks.
🚨 Target Promoted Clubs (with Attackers)
Here’s a spicy stat: 13 midfielders and forwards hit double-digit returns in the first six Gameweeks last season – all against promoted sides!
Yes, newly promoted teams can bring chaos, but they also tend to leak goals like a sieve at a sprinkler convention. Players facing them early? GOLD.
2024/25 Examples:
- Salah (14 pts) v Ipswich – GW1
- Haaland (17 pts) v Ipswich – GW2
- Mbeumo (14 pts) v Southampton – GW3
- Watkins (11 pts) v Southampton – GW6
Moral of the story? Promoted clubs = points party. Bring your best attackers against the promoted teams.
A quick scan of the opening 6 Gameweeks against promoted teams suggests:
Liverpool (Mo Salah) face Burnley in Gameweek 4.
Arsenal (Bukayo Saka) face Leeds in Gameweek 2.
Man City (Erling Haaland) face Burnley in Gameweek 6.
Newcastle (Alexander Isak) face Leeds in Gameweek 3.
Aston Villa (Ollie Watkins) face Sunderland in Gameweek 5.
Others of note, Brentford (if Bryan Mbeumo is still there) face Sunderland in Gameweek 3, and Nottingham Forest (Chris Wood) face both Burnley (Gameweek 5) and Sunderland (Gameweek 6).
💤 Watch Out for Summer Fatigue
It’s not just about fixtures – it’s about freshness. Some players will finish their summer holidays about 10 minutes before the season kicks off.
Chelsea and Man City are currently tangoing in the Club World Cup, which wraps up on July 13. That could mean Palmer, Haaland, and co. might be short on prep or have limited minutes in pre-season.
FPL champ Lovro Budisin swerved all of England’s players last season because of their summer Euro 2024 final run – and look where that got him! 👑
So who’s safer?
Look towards clubs with less hectic summers – Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa – for well rested assets who’ll start strong.
🔑 TL;DR: Opening Gameweek Strategy
✅ Use FDR – don’t just focus on GW1
✅ Target attackers facing promoted sides
✅ Beware of players with long summers
✅ Sync the fixture calendar so you don’t miss deadlines
✅ Expect chaos – and embrace it
The planning starts now – and remember: you can’t win FPL in August… but you can lose it.
Good luck, managers. 💪
📱 Download the fixtures calendar now and stay one step ahead. Your mini-league rivals are already tinkering...
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