Liverpool dream start as two Premier League fixture myths busted

Arne Slot will discover his first Premier League matches as Liverpool's fixture list is confirmed.

The Premier League releases its fixtures at 9am, with the Reds welcoming a new era at Anfield as Slot takes over from Jurgen Klopp.

A straightforward opening start to the season would appeal to Slot as he looks to acclimatise to life at Liverpool, but how would that look? Our writers have their say:

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Ian Doyle: One of the great myths of football is that the fixture list is random. It isn't. That's why you won't ever have Liverpool facing Manchester United or Everton on the opening or final weekend of a season, and why in general local derbies are kept away from such already showpiece weekends.

Also, look at how many times Liverpool seem to play Wolves at home on the final day of the season. It's happened on three occasions in the last six campaigns - very much busting the laws of probability.

There's a reason for that. The fixture computer is needed because certain games are kept away from certain occasions, some clubs can't both be at home on the same weekend, other events might mean matches have to be played away from a venue on a specific date, and so on. It takes time to get it all sorted.

And the other great myth is the fixture list doesn't matter. Everybody plays the same teams home and away eventually, after all. But the order in which they are played, and particularly the way a campaign begins for a club, can go a long way to shaping perceptions early on - which, given Arne Slot has the onerous task of replacing Jurgen Klopp, will be crucial for Liverpool.

Under Klopp, the Reds either played a London region team (West Ham at home, Arsenal, Chelsea and Watford away) or a promoted side (Norwich home and away, Leeds United at home, Fulham away) so there's nothing to suggest there'll be a change from that. Given Liverpool were at Stamford Bridge last season, it seems unlikely they'll have a major rival on the opening day, and they haven't started at home since 2020. So someone like Brentford or Southampton at Anfield would be no surprise.

After that, the longer Liverpool can avoid tricky tests on the road against the leading clubs - last season they'd played Chelsea, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur away before the end of September - the more chance they have of being able to adapt to Slot's methods.

It's inevitable they'll play one of their main rivals inside the opening six games, but no more than that and three winnable home games and the new era can be up and running.

Joe Rimmer: Premier League seasons are all about momentum - and that's why a kind fixture list is just what Arne Slot needs to start life at Anfield.

Chelsea away was a tricky opening game for the Reds last season but a kinder run in their next five games allowed Liverpool to win every one and mount a title challenge in the early part of the season.

Fellow challengers Man City and Arsenal also enjoyed favourable openings, with Newcastle and West Ham the only two top half sides Pep Guardiola's men faced in their first seven games.

Indeed, it was a similar story the previous year, in which Man City faced just Newcastle as their sole top half challenge in their opening eight games, with Arsenal going five games before meeting Manchester United. The Reds, in contrast, faced United away in their third match of the campaign.

I firmly believe it leads to a belief and confidence among players before they face the bigger challengers down the road. Struggle in the opening fixtures and it takes a team with a supreme mentality to steady the ship and still go on to challenge for the top titles.

And it's for that reason that I believe Liverpool's dream start begins with a promoted team at Anfield on the opening day, let's say Ipswich, before facing another of the trio three or four games in. An early season clash with a rival is fine, but it needs to be at Anfield where an early marker can be set down.

You don't want a derby in there too soon, and big trips to rivals away from home can wait. Chuck in the likes of Bournemouth and Fulham at home in the opening six games and we're looking good.