Leeds United’s Premier League fixtures have been confirmed and the highlights include a January 3rd date with Manchester United, Liverpool twice in December and the return of Angus Kinnear.
Leeds are back in the Premier League and for fans, it is starting to feel real after next season’s fixture list was confirmed on Wednesday. As fate would have it, Leeds host Everton on the opening weekend.
It sees Angus Kinnear return to Elland Road at the very first opportunity, something Kinnear might have wanted to avoid. Jack Harrison is set to return to Leeds from Everton with his future somewhat unclear.
Leeds fans think December will be the toughest month of the season. The Whites take on Liverpool twice, Chelsea, Brentford, Crystal Palace and fellow-promoted side Sunderland all in the space of a month.
Below, we analyse the three must-win fixtures from the 2025-26 season – aside from the January 3rd re-run of Manchester United, a date and fixture which saw Leeds beat Man United in the FA Cup in 2010.
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Three must-win fixtures for Leeds United as schedule announced
Sunderland (A) – December 27th
As aforementioned, December is daunting. Not only do Leeds face six matches and Liverpool twice, but also Chelsea, a trip to Brentford and the last time Leeds hosted Crystal Palace, it ended in a 5-1 defeat.
Leeds could lose all five games. While they may get a surprise point or two, the one game in December they can win is Sunderland. Simply to prevent such a bad run, Sunderland away on the 27th is a must-win.
Fulham (H) – January 17th
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From the start of November until the welcome of Fulham on January 17th, Leeds play 12 times. In that time, they play against current top-eight teams on eight occasions including Liverpool home and away.
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That doesn’t include trips to Brentford and Sunderland, while facing FA Cup winners Palace and then Man United. A worrying run, ending with Fulham at home – a key game to stop an inevitable string of losses.
Burnley (H) – May 2nd
The showdown. This is the big one, a fourth-last game of the season at Elland Road against fellow newly-promoted side Burnley. A team boasting Jaidon Anthony and Connor Roberts, managed by Scott Parker.
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Alan Shearer thinks Leeds can buck the trend of promoted sides being relegated. But the chances are, they are going to be in and around it all season and if still capable of survival, this clash will be massive.