<p>Which teams have the best opening FPL fixtures and who has the toughest start to the 2023/24 season?</p>
<p>Fantasy Football Hub&#8217;s <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fixture-ticker"><strong>customisable fixture ticker</strong></a><strong> </strong>is now live for <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/join">members</a>, however this article gives an overview of the first eight gameweeks.</p>
<p>Fixture expert Ben Crellin&#8217;s famous <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/ben-crellins-fpl-transfer-planning-sheet"><strong>t</strong><strong>ransfer planning sheet</strong> </a>will also be available exclusively to Hub members when Fantasy Premier League officially launches. Ben&#8217;s spreadsheet is a must-have tool for any manager looking to dominate their mini-leagues.</p>
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<li><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fantasy-premier-league-ultimate-guide-fpl-tips"><strong>Ultimate Guide to FPL: Everything you need to know</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fpl-pre-season-results-guide"><strong>Premier League pre-season friendlies guide</strong></a></li>
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<h2>The best FPL fixtures</h2>
<p>Here are the top three teams for overall fixture difficulty from Gameweek 1-8:</p>
<h3>1st: Everton</h3>
<p>Everton&#8217;s first eight games are the best overall, according to the Hub&#8217;s fixture ticker.</p>
<p>Sean Dyche&#8217;s side start with a home game against Fulham, who had the highest expected goals conceded (xGC) last season.</p>
<p>Everton&#8217;s home games look particularly strong. They face the Cottagers, Wolves, Arsenal, Luton and Bournemouth at Goodison Park.</p>
<p>The Arsenal game stands out as the Toffees&#8217; trickiest test, although they beat the Gunners 1-0 at home in Dyche&#8217;s debut game.</p>
<p>Everton also top the Hub ticker for best fixtures from a defensive perspective, which could see <strong>James Tarkowski </strong>among the popular early options at the back.</p>
<p>Interest further forward could hinge on the fitness of <strong>Dominic Calvert-Lewin </strong>and new signings. The Toffees scored 34 league goals last season &#8211; only Wolves found the net on fewer occasions.</p>
<div id="attachment_47353" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-47353" class="size-full wp-image-47353" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Calvert-Lewin.jpg" alt="Calvert Lewin dcl" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Calvert-Lewin.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Calvert-Lewin-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Calvert-Lewin-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Calvert-Lewin-610x407.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-47353" class="wp-caption-text">Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Getty Images</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>2nd: Chelsea</h3>
<p>Aside from a difficult opening game against Liverpool, Mauricio Pochettino has been handed a kind start to life at his new club.</p>
<p>The Blues rank second on the Hub ticker, with Luton and Nottingham Forest the pick of the games &#8211; both at Stamford Bridge.</p>
<p>After finishing 12th in the league, Pochettino will be expecting much better from his squad this time around.</p>
<p>They are without the likes of <strong>Mateo Kovacic</strong>, <strong>Kalidou Koulibaly</strong>,<strong> N&#8217;Golo Kante </strong>and <strong>Kai Havertz </strong>but <strong><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/christopher-nkunku-fantasy-football-profile">Christopher Nkunku</a> </strong>has come in. Others are sure to follow.</p>
<p>Fantasy managers may be wary of investing in Chelsea players from the start but expect their popularity to rise afterwards &#8211; particularly if they get off to a good start.</p>
<div id="attachment_55240" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-55240" class="size-full wp-image-55240" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Christopher-Nkunku.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Christopher-Nkunku.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Christopher-Nkunku-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Christopher-Nkunku-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Christopher-Nkunku-610x407.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-55240" class="wp-caption-text">Christopher Nkunku. Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>3rd: Brighton</h3>
<p>Brighton finished sixth last season, their best Premier League finish.</p>
<p>Roberto De Zerbi&#8217;s style of play made the Seagulls&#8217; attacking assets particularly popular, especially given their budget prices.</p>
<p>They may not be as good value in 2023/24, however the fixtures are strong for Brighton.</p>
<p>Beginning with Luton at home, they play Wolves (a) and West Ham (H) in their first three.</p>
<p>The games get tougher &#8211; but Brighton at least have home advantage against Newcastle and Liverpool.</p>
<p>And with the best expected goals (xG) in the league since De Zerbi took over, the Seagulls have proved they can score against anyone.</p>
<div id="attachment_54670" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-54670" class="size-full wp-image-54670" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/pascal-gross.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="679" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/pascal-gross.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/pascal-gross-300x199.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/pascal-gross-768x509.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/pascal-gross-610x404.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-54670" class="wp-caption-text">Pascal Gross. Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>The worst FPL fixtures</h2>
<p>Here are the worst three teams for overall fixture difficulty from Gameweek 1-8:</p>
<h3>20th: Bournemouth</h3>
<p>The Cherries start life without manager Gary O&#8217;Neil with the most difficult overall fixtures in the league.</p>
<p>Andoni Iraola&#8217;s first competitive match in charge comes at home to West Ham, followed by Liverpool (a) and Tottenham Hotspur (H).</p>
<p>It doesn&#8217;t get any easier, with Brentford (a), Chelsea (H), Brighton (a) and Arsenal (H) their opponents.</p>
<p>Bournemouth ranked third bottom for xG last season. They also ranked fourth worst for xGC.</p>
<div id="attachment_47283" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-47283" class="size-full wp-image-47283" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1239373270.jpg" alt="solanke" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1239373270.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1239373270-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1239373270-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/GettyImages-1239373270-610x407.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-47283" class="wp-caption-text">Dominic Solanke. Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>19th: Wolves</h3>
<p>A sea of red greets those who look at Wolves&#8217; early games on our ticker.</p>
<p>Manchester United (a), Brighton (H), Everton (a), Crystal Palace (a) and Liverpool (H) are the first five, before a trip to promoted Luton in Gameweek 6.</p>
<p>Gameweek 7 sees Wolves host champions Manchester City at Molineaux, before Everton (a) in Gameweek 8.</p>
<p>Scoring goals will be Julen Lopetegui&#8217;s key focus this season. Wolves ranked bottom of the league for both xG and goals scored in 2022/23.</p>
<div id="attachment_55360" style="width: 1292px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-55360" class="size-full wp-image-55360" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/xG-tables-top-20.jpg" alt="" width="1282" height="753" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/xG-tables-top-20.jpg 1282w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/xG-tables-top-20-300x176.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/xG-tables-top-20-1024x601.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/xG-tables-top-20-768x451.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/xG-tables-top-20-610x358.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/xG-tables-top-20-1080x634.jpg 1080w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/xG-tables-top-20-1280x753.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1282px) 100vw, 1282px" /><p id="caption-attachment-55360" class="wp-caption-text">Wolves ranked bottom for xG</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>18th: Nottingham Forest</h3>
<p>Forest secured their top-flight status with a game to spare last season.</p>
<p>Their season might not be any easier this time around, certainly in the opening eight games.</p>
<p>Arsenal (a), Manchester United (a), Chelsea (a) and Manchester City (a) are among their fixtures, leading to a ranking of 18th for overall difficulty.</p>
<p>Home games against promoted Burnley and Sheffield United see their fixtures rated slightly above Wolves and Bournemouth meanwhile.</p>
<div id="attachment_51480" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-51480" class="size-full wp-image-51480" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/GettyImages-1440991748.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/GettyImages-1440991748.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/GettyImages-1440991748-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/GettyImages-1440991748-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/GettyImages-1440991748-610x407.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-51480" class="wp-caption-text">Morgan Gibbs-White. Picture by Getty Images.</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>How difficult are Manchester City&#8217;s opening FPL fixtures?</h2>
<p>City&#8217;s games are ranked eighth best overall on the Hub&#8217;s ticker &#8211; but it&#8217;s worth considering other factors when assessing how many of their players to start with in Gameweek 1.</p>
<p>They top the table for the most predicted clean sheets (3.8) and goals (18.2), with their class as champions clearly influencing the ticker&#8217;s thinking.</p>
<p><strong>Erling Haaland </strong>will undoubtedly be among the most popular players come deadline, however adding a second or third City option may also prove to be a strong strategy.</p>
<p>See our <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/predictions"><strong>predicted points tool</strong></a> for our Hub AI&#8217;s view on the best players to pick. These predictions will change over time, as new information emerges.</p>
<p>And check out our brilliant <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/my-team/pick">My Team</a> tool to get your FPL team rated, with predicted points, recommended transfers and best AI <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/what-is-the-fantasy-premier-league-wildcard-and-when-to-use-it">Wildcard </a>and <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/what-is-the-free-hit-chip-in-fpl-and-how-can-we-use-it">Free Hit</a> teams also featured.</p>
<div id="attachment_50722" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-50722" class="size-full wp-image-50722" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1436775087.jpg" alt="Erling Haaland best FPL captain Gameweek 23" width="1024" height="724" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1436775087.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1436775087-300x212.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1436775087-768x543.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1436775087-610x431.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1436775087-400x284.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-50722" class="wp-caption-text">Erling Haaland. Picture by Getty Images</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Full FPL fixture calendar for 2023/24</h2>
<p>Fixtures expert <a href="https://twitter.com/BenCrellin">Ben</a> has already compiled the 2023/24 FPL fixtures into one handy calendar, which can be found below.</p>
<div id="attachment_55220" style="width: 1537px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-55220" class="size-full wp-image-55220" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Fixtures-2023-24.jpg" alt="" width="1527" height="501" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Fixtures-2023-24.jpg 1527w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Fixtures-2023-24-300x98.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Fixtures-2023-24-1024x336.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Fixtures-2023-24-768x252.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Fixtures-2023-24-610x200.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Fixtures-2023-24-1080x354.jpg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 1527px) 100vw, 1527px" /><p id="caption-attachment-55220" class="wp-caption-text">Ben Crellin&#8217;s FPL fixture schedule</p></div>
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