The announcement of a new round of Premier League fixtures is always cause for excitement. Suddenly, the resumption of club soccer doesn’t seem that far away, although this year it hasn’t technically ended due to the expanded Club World Cup.
Still, Liverpool fans will be beginning to plan make weekend plans, particularly for the big kick-off against Bournemouth in less than two months’ time.
But it’s also something of a false dawn in many ways. The neat fixture list compiled on Wednesday will look very different when reflected on at the end of the campaign. There certainly won’t be many of the traditional 3 p.m. (UK time) kick-offs, with the majority of Liverpool’s games moved to accommodate TV selections.
With additional matches to be shown on TV in the UK next season, that means even more matches will be moved. In fact, only two of the fixtures announced on Wednesday are set in stone: the opening weekend’s match against Bournemouth in August, and the concluding match at home to Brentford.
Other factors must be considered, such as fixtures being moved to accommodate European games, matches clashing with cup competitions, and, of course, any unforeseen circumstances.
That was the case with last season’s Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, which had to be changed due to adverse weather conditions in Liverpool. The Reds’ progress to the Carabao Cup final also meant the trip to Aston Villa in March had to be rearranged.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot during the Premier League match between Aston Villa FC and Liverpool FC at Villa Park on February 19, 2025 in Birmingham, England.
Last season's trip to Villa Park had to be rearranged. (Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
That led to an unusual situation where five league matches (Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Villa, Manchester City and Newcastle United) were crammed into a 15-day period in February.
Arne Slot will hope to avoid a similar situation next term, but will already know three fixtures that could well be rearranged in 2025/26.
The 2026 Carabao Cup final will be played on March 22, the same weekend Liverpool faces Brighton & Hove Albion. Should either team progress to Wembley, that game will be moved to another date.
A general view of the FA Cup trophy ahead of the Emirates FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
Progress to the FA Cup final would see two Premier League fixtures moved. (Image: Nick Potts/PA Wire.)
Likewise, the FA Cup semi-finals and final are held on the same weekend as Premier League matches.
Liverpool hosts current FA Cup holders Crystal Palace on the same weekend as the semi-finals, and then provisionally travels to Villa on May 17, the day after the final at Wembley.
Both fixtures may need to be rearranged, which could prove pivotal in the Reds’ run-in.
Like this season, Slot will hope to have established a healthy lead at the top of the table heading into the final months of the campaign - perhaps even have things sewn up before a potentially tricky clash at Villa Park.