The 2024/25 Premier League season is upon us and any football fan knows that a good or bad start can set the tone for a club’s entire campaign, and the same can be said about your Fantasy Premier League chances.
Falling behind early often means spending the rest of the season chasing your rivals, and fixture difficulty plays a big part in those opening scores, as even the best teams can struggle with a tough starting run, while mid-table sides with favourable early schedules can deliver surprise results.
Some top sides, like Aston Villa and Chelsea, have starts that look promising for attacking returns and clean sheet potential, while others, including Manchester United and Brentford, face a tricky first run of games that could limit early points.
With that in mind, GIVEMESPORT has broken down the five best and five worst fixture runs for Gameweeks 1 to 8 that could significantly shape your Fantasy Premier League season.
Five Best FPL Fixture Runs
Aston Villa
Unai Emery
Aston Villa were handed arguably the most favourable first eight fixtures of any Premier League team this season, facing the likes of Brentford, Crystal Palace, Everton and Sunderland in their first five games.
Unai Emery’s side kick things off at home on Saturday against Newcastle – they also faced the Magpies on the opening weekend of the 2023/24 season and were thrashed 5-1.
Aston Villa's First Eight Premier League Fixtures
Newcastle
Brentford
Crystal Palace
Everton
Sunderland
Fulham
Burnley
Tottenham
Chelsea
chelsea home kit 2526
Club World Cup winners Chelsea have had a busy summer, but their first two months of the Premier League calendar promise a steady start, with London trio Crystal Palace, West Ham and Fulham awaiting in their opening three games.
Enzo Maresca’s side then head to Hill Dickinson Stadium to face Everton, followed by clashes against Manchester United, Brighton, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
Chelsea's First Eight Premier League Fixtures
Crystal Palace
West Ham
Fulham
Brentford
Manchester United
Brighton
Liverpool
Nottingham Forest
Crystal Palace
crystal palace fa cup-1
Crystal Palace started their 2025/26 season by lifting the Community Shield at Wembley and could continue their positive run after being handed a relatively favourable set of opening fixtures.
Oliver Glasner’s squad welcome the likes of Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Bournemouth in their first eight games, and also have trips to both Chelsea and Liverpool.
Crystal Palace's First Eight Premier League Fixtures
Chelsea
Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa
Sunderland
West Ham
Liverpool
Everton
Bournemouth
Sunderland
Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris
Sunderland’s busy summer transfer window has given Fantasy Premier League users plenty of exciting talents to choose from, with Simon Adingra, Reinildo and Habib Diarra among the arrivals.
Their opening fixtures also offer plenty of positives, as Sunderland have avoided all of last season’s top five sides in their first eight games.
Sunderland's First Eight Premier League Fixtures
West Ham
Burnley
Brentford
Crystal Palace
Aston Villa
Nottingham Forest
Manchester United
Wolves
Tottenham
Thomas Frank
After an underwhelming domestic season marked by a 17th-place finish in the Premier League, Tottenham have been handed a chance to bounce back with new head coach Thomas Frank in charge.
While the Lilywhites will travel to Manchester City on Matchday 2, the rest of their opening schedule looks fairly favourable, with home games against Burnley, Bournemouth, Wolves and Aston Villa.
Tottenham's First Eight Premier League Fixtures
Burnley
Manchester City
Bournemouth
West Ham
Brighton
Wolves
Leeds
Aston Villa
Five Worst FPL Fixture Runs
Manchester United
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim
Manchester United will face Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool in their first eight games of the Premier League season – certainly not the start Ruben Amorim wanted after their disastrous 2024/25 campaign.
On the positive side, the Red Devils have no European football this term and will be solely focused on domestic competition.
Man United's First Eight Premier League Fixtures
Arsenal
Fulham
Burnley
Manchester City
Chelsea
Brentford
Sunderland
Liverpool
Bournemouth
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola watching on from the touchline
After losing Milos Kerkez, Dean Huijsen and Ilia Zabarnyi this summer, Bournemouth’s new-look defence will be tested right from the start of the Premier League season.
Andoni Iraola’s side face Liverpool away on the opening weekend and also have clashes with Tottenham and Newcastle in their first five games.
Bournemouth's First Eight Premier League Fixtures
Liverpool
Wolves
Tottenham
Brighton
Newcastle
Leeds
Fulham
Crystal Palace
Burnley
burnley scott parker
Burnley will kick off their Premier League campaign with a trip to Tottenham and are also set to face Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City and Aston Villa in their first eight games.
Scott Parker’s side have not been given an easy start, and Fantasy Premier League users may want to think twice before picking their players, especially as the squad underwent a major rebuild this summer.
Burnley's First Eight Premier League Fixtures
Tottenham
Sunderland
Manchester United
Liverpool
Nottingham Forest
Manchester City
Aston Villa
Leeds
Fulham
Fulham manager Marco Silva
Coming off another mid-table finish in 2024/25, Fulham face Brighton away on the opening weekend, followed by a home clash with Manchester United and a trip to Chelsea.
Marco Silva’s side will also take on Aston Villa (away) and Arsenal (home) in their first eight games.
Fulham's First Eight Premier League Fixtures
Brighton
Manchester United
Chelsea
Leeds
Brentford
Aston Villa
Bournemouth
Arsenal
Brentford
Brentford's Yoane Wissa
As if the summer departures of head coach Thomas Frank and first-team stars Bryan Mbeumo, Christian Norgaard and Mark Flekken were not enough, Brentford have also been handed a gruelling opening run of fixtures.
The Bees are hosting Aston Villa, Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City in their first eight games, and also face trips to Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, Fulham and West Ham.
Brentford's First Eight Premier League Fixtures
Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa
Sunderland
Chelsea
Fulham
Manchester United
Manchester City
West Ham