Fantasy Football Fixtures Gameweek 1 2023/24

Welcome to Fantasy Football Fixtures Gameweek 1 2023/24

Writing this particular article for GW1 is always a bit of a mug’s game. Or a bugger’s muddle, if you like. The reasons for this are many. Do you wish me to tell you exactly which teams will begin the season on fire, and which will be already staring down the barrel of relegation come GW6?! Right, ok… and what would you like me to base this on exactly? Last season? Maybe. Pre-season form? Maybe, but probably not. Signings? That’s always difficult to predict how they will translate. Potential signings? Clutching at straws now. Players leaving? I can give you two very different versions of how Spurs may look depending on what Harry Daniel decides to do!

Disclaimer out of the way… I could always just throw you a couple or three teams who have great fixtures / are nailed on anyway, and the same at the opposite end, and then ‘do one’, to quote Elle, ignoring the other 14-16 teams as if they didn’t exist. Last time I checked though you have 15 spots to fill, and so my guess is that you’d like to know whether more than just a few Man City and Arsenal players may be a good bet to begin with.

As such I have decided to rank the entire 20, based upon their opening 6 games. Based upon what then, you may well ask, given the above? Well, all of the above, and a fair dollop of intuition. Let’s go…

FPL FIXTURE TRACKER
But first up that all-important Fixture Tracker itself…

#1 Man City

Fixture Rating 4/5 ****
I know, I know… You are all saying, or at least thinking, ‘So your gut instinct told you that the current English and European Champions may be a good bet to start the season well?’ Genius!

Actually, it’s not that easy with City as they seem to be in a state of flux right now, with more leaving, or at least trying to, than those coming in. What we do know though is that they tend to get this stuff right in the end and that regardless of transfers they have at least 5 very winnable fixtures there, and even Newcastle is at home.

#2 Arsenal

Fixture Rating 4/5 ***.5
‘And #2 in your list is… last season’s #2? Are you just being lazy and copying last seasons league table?!’

Maybe! But alas, no. The reality is that these teams are at the top because of exactly all that. Just look at Arsenal’s first three games there and tell me you don’t fully expect 12 (9, chins) points. You do. I do. They do. The problem here may be the three after that as they look difficult and in stark contrast to the 1st trio. But that is not to also say winnable. Title aspirations? Go prove it then! City would most likely win those.

#3 Manchester United

Fixture Rating 3.5/5 ***.5
Last season’s 3rd… in 3rd. I promise you this is a coincidence!

Again though, Utd should see off Wolves and Forest at home easily enough, and if they have title dreams then also Brighton and Burnley. All in all though it’s a pretty decent opportunity to set their stall out, even with the London pair wedged in-between the aforementioned lot.

#4 Crystal Palace

Fixture Rating 3.5/5 ***.5
I expect a strong start from Palace. Woy came in and decided to take the handbrake off. Maybe he’s mellowed in his retirement. Maybe he just got sick of being staid ‘ol Woy. Maybe he fancied a bit of Woyball. That one will probably take a tad longer to catch on than Baz’s did. Maybe he’s just so old now that he didn’t even realise. Either way, Palace were looking free-flowing and swashbuckling, and I expect that will be the approach they crack on with this season. Arsenal up 2nd is obviously a blot on their schedule here but the rest look good to go.

#5 Brighton

Fixture Rating 3/5 ***
Luton away and Wolves at home suggests a potentially strong start for Brighton, but much will depend on how Brighton’s team pitch up come GW1 – or more to the point how much is left of it after the vultures have circled. If some are left then this run is ok, even if they aren’t though, we know full well that the next batch of Liverpool / Chelsea trainees will have already been brought in.

#6 Liverpool

Fixture Rating 3/5 ***
Chelsea and Newcastle away in the 1st three are challenging but outside of that the rest look perfectly winnable. It was almost a year ago, at this stage last season that they took Bournemouth apart at home 9-0. Villa and West Ham will be no such pushovers but you’d still expect a positive result for The Reds.

#7 Spurs

Fixture Rating 3/5 ***
Other than Man Utd at home and Arsenal away then Spurs probably would have been a 4/5 for this run of games, which includes two newly promoted teams and two other games that you’d ordinarily expect them to win. Ordinarily, meaning being with a certain talisman, but we shall hold our breath on that one.

#8 Chelsea

Fixture Rating 2.5/5 **.5
Probably would have got a 3* rating only for those two opening games looking potentially a bit troublesome. After those though they have a very decent opportunity to put some points on the board with Luton, Forest and Bournemouth on the bounce.

#9 Everton

Fixture Rating 2.5/5 **.5
I’ve seen Everton rated elsewhere as having one of the strongest possible openings. I can only assume these people did not see them play for the majority of last season! I’m sure it won’t be as bad as it was with Dyche now bedded in but even so it won’t be as rosy as some seem to think.

#10 Fulham

Fixture Rating 2.5/5 **.5
Arsenal and Man City away loom in GW’3 & 4 but before and after that it looks ok for Fulham. Not great, just ok. In fact, it’s very much middle of the road, which is quite apt as that’s exactly what Fulham themselves are.

#11 Newcastle

Fixture Rating 2.5/5 **.5
Villa, Man City away, Liverpool and then a trip to Brighton. For most teams this would actually be a bit of a nightmare opening. It’s hardly what Eddie would have hoped for but if they are to have another season marked with steady improvement then this should be a good opportunity to set their stall out. It eases somewhat after those.

#12 West Ham

Fixture Rating 2.5/5 **.5
Bang in the middle for West Ham with 2.5 and that corresponds exactly with their fixtures with three red marks against their name – Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool, and three much more inviting games mixed in.

#13 Aston Villa

Fixture Rating 2/5 **
I’ll admit, I originally had Villa much further up this list. Perhaps it was simply based on my perception of how well they may eventually do this season. After all, they looked great at the back end of the last one, and they have done some great business in the transfer market already. Newcastle, Liverpool and Chelsea. all away, dampened that initial expectation. Although the other three look ok, ish, to be fair.

#14 Brentford

Fixture Rating 2/5 **
It’s difficult to know exactly how Brentford will fare sans, Ivan Toney, given as he was such a big factor in how well they have done since entering the Premier League. Their fixtures are a right mixture; a tough start vs Spurs, then they stay south of the border for the next three, which are all potentially winnable, and then they have a tough trip up north to Newcastle, before bringing Everton down south again.

#15 Sheffield United

Fixture Rating 2/5 **
Straight yellow and red for The Blades. It’s actually a relatively soft landing for them with Palace and Forest but stiffens up somewhat with those four games that follow.

#16 Wolves

Fixture Rating 2/5 **
Man Utd away followed by Brighton away is hardly the best start. Neither really is Everton away or Liverpool at home, and even the ‘softest’ games vs Palace and Luton are away.

#17 Bournemouth

Fixture Rating 1/5 *
We are getting into the realms of cruel fixture planning here – Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea make up their red fixtures, and the hardly easier oranges are West Ham, Brentford and Brighton. Ouch!

#18 Burnley

Fixture Rating 1/5 *
Not only is this cruel but they also have a blank in GW2 to further deter us. As nostalgic and poignant as it is, we imagine Vinny could have waited for his reunion with Pep and Co a little longer than GW1! The blank is followed by tough games vs Villa and Spurs, a slight respite vs Forest, and then it is Man Utd at home.

#19 Luton

Fixture Rating 1/5 *
Two tough away games at Brighton and Chelsea, with a blank in between. Fair to say we will all be avoiding Luton for a little while, as cheap as they may seem. It does ease a little after those but even so…

#20 Nottingham Forest

Fixture Rating 0.5/5 .5
I had to double-check Forest’s fixtures to ensure they were actually correct, as Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City all AWAY in the 1st six looks extremely harsh for any team. Apparently, it’s true. They get their half a star for having newcomers Sheffield and Burnley at home.

Thanks for reading Fantasy Football Fixtures Gameweek 1 2023/24. This article was written by Inittowinit.

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