The Premier League barely finished a month ago, yet now the fixtures for the 22/23 season have already been announced in what is set to be a manic campaign.
With the 2022 FIFA World Cup giving all major leagues around the world a one-month break from November to December, the Premier League this season will start earlier than usual and not include the traditional festive period, with no Boxing Day or New Years’ Day matches set to take place.
Indeed, fixture announcement day is usually a big day for Premier League supporters as the excitement for next season can finally start to settle, with supporters also drawing up the possibilities on how the season will fold out.
With the fixture list now out, which three clubs have the hardest opening six fixtures of the new season, and who could struggle straight out the gate in what is being billed as a historic campaign in the Premier League.
AFC Bournemouth
The opening fixtures in the Premier League usually define how well a newly-promoted team does in the top-flight, and for AFC Bournemouth, Scott Parker’s side could not have had a harder start following their return to the big leagues.
An opening day home fixture against Aston Villa is quickly followed by back-to-back matches against three of last season’s top-six in Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, Arsenal at home, and then Liverpool away at Anfield.
Whilst Wolves and Nottingham Forest complete the opening six Premier League fixtures for Bournemouth, these games could already paint a very dark picture for the south coast side’s chances of survival, especially if the Cherries can’t pick up points against the likes of Villa and Steve Cooper’s side.
Fulham
The original yo-yo side, Fulham are back once again in the Premier League and this time could stand with a chance of surviving following a record-breaking year from star striker Aleksander Mitrovic. However, their first six fixtures could kill any hope of top-flight safety.
The Cottagers host Liverpool in their first match of the season before travelling up north to Wolverhampton to face Bruno Lage’s side, with London derbies against Brentford and Arsenal shortly following these two brutal fixtures.
To wrap it all up, Fulham face Brighton and Hove Albion at Craven Cottage before another London derby away to Tottenham and Antonio Conte, an opening fixture list that will likely have Fulham fans dreading of another relegation back down to the Championship.
West Ham
West Ham enjoyed a historic season last campaign as David Moyes led the Irons to the UEFA Europa League semi-finals and yet another European finish in the Premier League, yet the Hammers’ start for 22/23 is a nightmare, to say the least.
Manchester City will be West Ham’s opening fixture at the London Stadium before the Irons travel to Premier League new-boys Nottingham Forest, who last season bested both Arsenal and Leicester City and the City Ground as well as gave Liverpool a good game in the FA Cup.
Following a home tie with Brighton and Hove Albion, it’s three rough games on the trot for West Ham as Moyes’ men face Aston Villa at Villa Park and then two huge London derbies in the form of rivals Tottenham and Chelsea, two sides who will be contesting for top-four.
The Hammers will be looking to improve on last season’s seventh-place finish, but with these opening six fixtures, the east London side could struggle greatly if they fail to get off to a strong enough start in the Premier League.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
