Which teams have the best fixtures this August? Smart Dream Team gaffers will target favourable match-ups

THE very best Dream Team managers tailor their XI to the schedule by targeting favourable match-ups.

This approach requires a certain degree of foresight.

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Good Dream Team managers do their homework!

Weekly transfers allow you to roll with the punches but it’s generally wise to look a few Gameweeks ahead when devising your strategy.

With that in mind, let’s take a whistle-stop tour of the August fixtures for all 20 Premier League clubs.

ARSENAL

Manchester United (a)

Leeds (h)

Liverpool (a)

The Gunners will be thankful for a newly-promoted team first up at the Emirates but the two away days are demanding match-ups.

ASTON VILLA

Newcastle (h)

Brentford (a)

Crystal Palace (h)

A middling set for the Villains on paper but if you extend the calendar to September their start appears rather favourable.

Might Morgan Rogers (£5.5m) and Ollie Watkins (£5.5m) fly out the blocks?

BOURNEMOUTH

Liverpool (a)

Wolves (h)

TBC (Carabao Cup)

Spurs (a)

It’s a brutal curtain-raiser for the Cherries with a trip to the Europa League winners to follow soon after but Gameweek 2 could yield healthy returns thanks to the Carabao Cup second round.

BRENTFORD

Nottingham Forest (a)

Aston Villa (h)

TBC (Carabao Cup)

Sunderland (a)

Many pundits are tipping the Bees to struggle in the wake of Thomas Frank’s departure (not to mention Bryan Mbeumo) and we might get a clear gauge on that common prediction after the first fortnight of the campaign.

Defeat at the Stadium of Light would be horribly ominous.

AFPArsenal will play Man United, Leeds and Liverpool this month[/caption]

BRIGHTON

Fulham (h)

Everton (a)

TBC (Carabao Cup)

Man City (h)

The Seagulls will be hopeful of getting some points on the board before Pep Guardiola’s troops roll into town.

A reminder that all the clubs not involved in Europe will enter the Carabao Cup at the second round.

BURNLEY

Spurs (a)

Sunderland (h)

TBC (Carabao Cup)

Man United (a)

Away days to two of the country’s biggest stadiums will make the Clarets realise they are back in the big time but is it too soon to dub their game against Sunderland a six-pointer?

CHELSEA

Crystal Palace (h)

West Ham (a)

Fulham (h)

The Club World Cup winners get underway with three consecutive London derbies – whether that’s an advantage or a disadvantage is open to interpretation.

CRYSTAL PALACE

Chelsea (a)

Nottingham Forest (h)

Aston Villa (a)

A reminder that the Eagles’ two-legged Conference League play-off does NOT count in the world of Dream Team, hence why those fixtures aren’t included here.

A tough opening on the domestic front against three of last season’s top seven.

AlamyPalace have tough fixtures but Daniel Munoz and friends will be up for the challenge[/caption]

EVERTON

Leeds (a)

Brighton (h)

TBC (Carabao Cup)

Wolves (a)

The Toffees can’t complain about their first few games this term but Elland Road under the lights in the season’s first Monday night game is a potential banana skin.

FULHAM

Brighton (a)

Man United (h)

TBC (Carabao Cup)

Chelsea (a)

Could be better, could be worse.

Marco Silva’s side were competitive throughout 2024/25 but, Antonee Robinson (£4m) aside, gaffers were reluctant to spend their budget at Craven Cottage – will it be a similar story this time around?

LEEDS

Everton (h)

Arsenal (a)

TBC (Carabao Cup)

Newcastle (h)

The Whites will fancy their chances of a positive start amid a potentially raucous atmosphere but a trip to the Emirates might come as a reality check – Arsenal’s home record has been immense in recent years.

LIVERPOOL

Bournemouth (h)

Newcastle (a)

Arsenal (h)

At this stage it’s hard to envisage anything other than a confident home win on the first Friday of the season but Eddie Howe and Mikel Arteta will smell blood if the defending champions stutter against the Cherries. 

Dream Team bosses won’t pay much attention to Liverpool’s schedule as the likes of Virgil van Dijk (£5.5m) and Mohamed Salah (£7.5m) are essentially fixture-proof.

AFPThere’s almost no such thing as a hard fixture for Salah[/caption]

MANCHESTER CITY

Wolves (a)

Spurs (h)

Brighton (a)

Gaffers will be very interested to see how Pep Guardiola organises his troops this season with the likes of Rayan Ait-Nouri (£4.5m), Tijjani Reijnders (£4.5m) and Rayan Cherki (£5m) raring to go.

Spurs have been a bogey team for City in recent years but the most notable capitulations have come in North London.

MANCHESTER UNITED

Arsenal (h)

Fulham (a)

TBC (Carabao Cup)

Burnley (h)

The Red Devils will enter the Carabao Cup at the second round for the first time in over a decade.

The opening weekend will be a tough test but Gameweeks 2 and 3 could yield satisfying returns for popular assets such as Bruno Fernandes (£6m), Matheus Cunha (£5m) and Bryan Mbeumo (£5.5m).

NEWCASTLE

Aston Villa (a)

Liverpool (h)

Leeds (a)

The Magpies’ frustrating summer could easily be exacerbated if they find themselves on zero points when they head to Elland Road at the end of the month.

In fact, the fixtures don’t turn for Eddie Howe’s side until the autumn. 

NOTTINGHAM FOREST

Brentford (h)

Crystal Palace (a)

West Ham (h)

Last season’s likeable underdogs start this campaign with four successive games against London-based opposition as they are due to visit the Emirates after the above fixtures.

It’s worth noting that Forest will also play Burnley and Sunderland before the end of September – it’s a favourable opening all things considered.

ReutersNewcastle will need to be sharp from the off[/caption]

SUNDERLAND

West Ham (h)

Burnley (a)

TBC (Carabao Cup)

Brentford (h)

Life in the top flight has been mostly miserable for the newly-promoted clubs in recent times but the Black Cats couldn’t have asked for a friendlier August.

It will be interesting to see how Sunderland’s new recruits get on as many pundits have praised their business this summer.

TOTTENHAM

Burnley (h)

Man City (a)

Bournemouth (h)

One favourable, one unfavourable, and one to split the difference.

Over to you, Thomas Frank.

WEST HAM

Sunderland (a)

Chelsea (h)

TBC (Carabao Cup)

Nottingham Forest (a)

The combination of a newly-promoted opponent to start and a potential double header in Gameweek 2 makes Jarrod Bowen (£5m) an appealing option for August.

WOLVES

Man City (h)

Bournemouth (a)

TBC (Carabao Cup)

Everton (h)

Dream Team managers are understandably reluctant to back Vitor Pereira’s troops following the departures of Cunha and Ait-Nouri but we’ll get a better idea of their prospects by the end of the month.

Is Jorgen Strand Larsen (£3.5m) a smart differential for Gameweeks 2 and 3?

Take this information and go craft a competitive XI ready for the new season!

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