Premier League Fixture Difficulty: Which Teams Have the Easiest & Hardest Schedules Before the October International Break?

There are four Premier League matchdays between now and the October international break; we’ve analysed which clubs have the easiest and hardest fixture schedules across that period based on the Opta Power Rankings.

Fans of Premier League football have been united in their displeasure at having an international break after just three weeks of the 2024-25 season, and they won’t be much happier in a month’s time.

Following the matches on the weekend of 5-6 October, there will be another break for the international football calendar, with only four more top-flight matchdays between now and then.

With that in mind, we’ve used the Opta Power Rankings to determine which clubs have the easiest Premier League fixture schedules over those four matchdays and which have the toughest four-game spells. Using the average Opta Power Rating of their four opponents across that period (with global ratings from 100 to zero), we’re able to work out their fixture difficulty.

Of the 20 Premier League clubs, it’s Fulham who have the toughest run of fixtures between now and the October international break. Their four opponents have an average Opta Power Rating of 89.7, with home games against West Ham United and Newcastle United followed by an away trip to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest and ending with an away game against the number one team in the Opta Power Rankings, Manchester City.

Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers don’t have much kinder fixtures than Marco Silva’s side, with their opponents’ average Opta Power Rating at 89.5 – just 0.2 lower than Fulham. While Brentford have started the season well with six points from a possible nine, Wolves are on one point after three matches against Nottingham Forest (A), Chelsea (H) and Arsenal (A), therefore finding themselves in much need of points on the board over the next four weeks.

Aston Villa are another team with six points after three matchdays, one more point than their next four Premier League opponents have won combined (5). They come up against pointless Everton and struggling Wolves at home before away trips to promoted Ipswich Town – still looking for their first league win of the season – and an out-of-sorts Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Unai Emery’s team have statistically the easiest run of fixtures between now and the October international break, with the average Opta Power Rating of their next four opponents at 83.8.

It’s Liverpool who follow Villa with the next easiest schedule over the upcoming four matchdays according to the Power Rankings, with their opponents having an average Opta Power Rating of 84.4.

Arne Slot’s enjoyed a comfortable start to life as a Premier League manager, with three wins from three and his side yet to concede a league goal. Based on their upcoming four games, it could end up being a seven-game unbeaten start as Liverpool boss in the competition.

If they can remain undefeated in matches versus Forest and Bournemouth at Anfield as well as trips to Wolves and Crystal Palace, Slot could enjoy one of the longest unbeaten starts as a Premier League manager. The record is 12 games, set by Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea in 2018-19. If Liverpool win all four of these games, however, Slot would set a new Premier League record for the longest winning start by a manager, overtaking both Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola (six wins).

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