Premier League 2020/21 opening schedule difficulty to inform Fantasy picks

We are still waiting for the 2019/20 European club competitions to end but attentions are already turning to next season following this morning's announcement of the 2020/21 Premier League fixtures.

Starting the season well is so important, for those with title aspirations and those desperate to avoid the drop. With the transfer window not due until October, a month into the new campaign, do not be surprised to see those that make slow starts make a flurry of late signings in a bid to kickstart their campaign.

Using WhoScored.com home and away Premier League ratings from 2019/20, we can provide an overview of what each side can expect from their opening six matches. Simply put, who has the hardest start and who has the most favourable start. The average difficulty for each side is relatively close but some sides do notably have some daunting fixtures compared to others.

Today is also an important day for Fantasy Football players. Now there is a schedule, you are able to make better informed picks for your team and our fixture difficulty guide serves as a great resource for just that.

Manchester City and Manchester United will have the first week off after their extended European campaigns, while the same may also be true of Wolves and Chelsea. Nevertheless, their opening games are expected to be re-arranged so they are still part of one of their first six matches.

Lets start with the standout fixture on the opening weekend from the games that will certainly go ahead: Liverpool vs Leeds. It's a mouthwatering opener, as Liverpool kickstart the defence of their title and Leeds gear up for their first Premier League game in 16 years.

Liverpool's opening six matches come out as the fifth most favourable in the Premier League, though they face Chelsea, Arsenal and local rivals Everton in that time. Leeds, meanwhile, have a tough start. The second hardest after Aston Villa. Marcelo Bielsa's side have Liverpool and Manchester City in their opening six matches, as well as Wolves and Sheffield United.

After barely beating the drop last season, Aston Villa boss Dean Smith would have hoped for a kind start to the new season. Wrong. Aside from facing two of the three newly promoted sides in their first six games, Villa have to face four sides from last season's top-nine.

Jose Mourinho will arguably be the happiest of all managers, though will no doubt find a way to talk up the severity of Tottenham's opening run of games. According to WhoScored team ratings, the north London outfit have the most favourable start in the league, along with newly promoted Fulham. Tottenham only have to face one top-eight side in their opening six games, that a trip to Mourinho's former employers, Manchester United, in gameweek three.