Leeds United labelled 'very, very lucky' after Premier League fixtures released with Everton opener
Leeds United’s 2025/26 fixture schedule was confirmed by the Premier League on Wednesday.
Former striker Michael Bridges believes Leeds United have got ‘lucky’ with only two of last season’s Premier League top six to play before the back end of November.
Leeds’ path to Premier League survival was mapped out on Wednesday morning following confirmation of their 2025/26 fixture schedule, with Everton due at Elland Road on Monday August 18 for the opener. Daniel Farke’s side then face Arsenal and Newcastle United back-to-back but might look at their mid-term engagements as more encouraging.
While Leeds will be favourites on very few occasions next season, Fulham, Wolves and Bournemouth in September might all represent winnable games while October opponents Burnley and West Ham are expected to be battling for survival. The Whites host Tottenham Hotspur in a potentially difficult game on October 4 and kick off November at Brighton but all in all, Bridges insists the schedule has been kind to his former side.
“As a player, I’d always look at the first 10 matches. It’s all about the first 10 games” Bridges told LUTV after the fixtures were released. “Arsenal second, Newcastle third, but there are only two of last season’s top six in our first 10 games. If you want points on the board, I think we’ve been very, very lucky. The fixture list as a whole, I really like it.”
Of course, the fact is Leeds have to play all 19 rivals home and away but the timing of those more difficult games can help their cause. Liverpool away, for example, comes at the end of December when star winger Mohamed Salah is away on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Egypt.
But Salah will likely be present at Elland Road on December 6 and that comes towards the end of a gruesome winter period, with Leeds facing Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Chelsea in the month prior to their meeting with the champions. And with congested fixtures favouring deeper, more expensive squads, that could prove a tough time for Farke and his men.
“The Christmas and New Year period is always huge, no matter what league you’re in,” former Leeds forward Bridges added. “We have to play Liverpool twice in December, we’ve got Manchester United at home on January 3rd which I think is great. But the gap between games shortens, there’s three-day windows between them, depending on who goes on the television.
“There’s two ways to look at it, the games come thick and fast so that period is exciting as a fan, but as a player it's absolutely relentless. I think if I look at the fixture list, that is our hardest two months, November into December, which is why I want a good early start, points on the board, and relax after Christmas to a degree. But it's a tough fixture list no matter how you look at it.”