Having assessed the clubs with the most favourable early schedules in 2025/26 Fantasy Premier League, The Scout uses the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR) to show those with the toughest opening runs of opponents.
The FDR is a tool based on a complex algorithm developed by FPL experts, where the difficulty of each fixture is ranked from one to five, with one being the easiest possible match and five being the hardest.
Over the first four Gameweeks, there are seven clubs tied with the WORST average score of 3.3 in the FDR - Arsenal, AFC Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
By extending the period to the first six Gameweeks and focusing solely on those same seven sides, it's clear that the appeal of investing in Arsenal's key players at both ends of the pitch has been dented.
The Gunners have the WORST schedule among those clubs, with an FDR average of 3.5 across Gameweeks 1-6.
Highest average FDR, first six Gameweeks
| Club | FDR average |
| Arsenal | 3.5 |
|---|---|
| Brighton | 3.3 |
| Crystal Palace, Man Utd | 3.2 |
| Bournemouth, Liverpool, Wolves | 3.0 |
After a relatively kind pair of opening contests against Manchester United and Leeds United, Mikel Arteta's side then face FOUR of last season's top seven in successive Gameweeks.
That brutal run comprises a visit to Liverpool and back-to-back home encounters with Nottingham Forest and Manchester City before a trip to Newcastle United.
Arsenal's first six fixtures
| GW | Opponent | FDR* |
| 1 | Man Utd (A) | 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Leeds (H) | 2 |
| 3 | Liverpool (A) | 5 |
| 4 | Nott'm Forest (H) | 3 |
| 5 | Man City (H) | 4 |
| 6 | Newcastle (A) | 4 |
*1 = easiest, 5 = hardest
This detracts from bringing in Bukayo Saka immediately, particularly with his fellow big-hitter, Chelsea's Cole Palmer, having a far kinder schedule.
At the back, Gabriel, Jurrien Timber and William Saliba were among the top nine defenders for points per match last season, but clean sheets are likely to be scarce to begin with this time around.
Avoid Cunha and Fernandes?
Similarly to Arsenal, Man Utd only have one favourable match across the opening six Gameweeks, at home to promoted Burnley in Gameweek 3.
Beyond that, though, there's not much encouragement for the Red Devils' potential early on in 2025/26 Fantasy.
As well as facing Arsenal, they play Manchester City and Chelsea across the first six Gameweeks, with visits to both Fulham and Brentford also on the agenda.
This suggests that managers can allow Man Utd's summer signing from Wolves, Matheus Cunha, time to settle, while being patient before considering playmaker Bruno Fernandes also looks a wise move.
Man Utd's first six fixtures
| GW | Opponent | FDR* |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal (H) | 4 |
| 2 | Fulham (A) | 3 |
| 3 | Burnley (H) | 2 |
| 4 | Man City (A) | 4 |
| 5 | Chelsea (H) | 3 |
| 6 | Brentford (A) | 3 |
*1 = easiest, 5 = hardest
