“Opta Power Rankings rate a frankly enormous number of teams (15,000+) across the globe based on a system that scores the current strongest side 100 and the weakest zero,” they explain. “Those scores are then used to rank the teams in order of strongest to weakest.
“Focusing on the Premier League, we looked at the average Opta Power Rating of each team’s opponents to measure fixture difficulty.
“These range from Liverpool (the number one team in the world with a Opta Power Rating of 100.0 and therefore the hardest to play against) to Sunderland (ranked 123rd in the world with a Opta Power Rating of 82.3 and therefore the ‘easiest’ team to play against in England’s top flight).”
With Newcastle United travelling to Aston Villa on the opening weekend of the campaign and a week later hosting reigning champions Liverpool in their St James’ Park opener, Eddie Howe’s side will certainly feel as though they’ve been dealt a tough hand.
But how does that compare to their top-flight rivals? Ranked from easiest to toughest - here’s Opta verdict on each team’s opening 10 fixtures:
13. SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - MAY 25: Martin Odegaard of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team's second goal with teammate Kai Havertz during the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Arsenal FC at St Mary's Stadium on May 25, 2025 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Opening 10 fixtures: Manchester United (A), Leeds United (H), Liverpool (A), Nottingham Forest (H), Manchester City (H), Newcastle United (A), West Ham United (H), Fulham (A), Crystal Palace (H), Burnley (A). | Arsenal - 92.8
14. Brentford - 92.8
Opening 10 matches: Nottingham Forest (A), Aston Villa (H), Sunderland (A), Chelsea (H), Fulham (A), Manchester United (H), Manchester City (H), West Ham United (A), Liverpool (H), Crystal Palace (A). | Getty Images
15. Crystal Palace - 92.9
Opening 10 fixtures: Chelsea (A), Nottingham Forest (H), Aston Villa (A), Sunderland (H), West Ham United (A), Liverpool (H), Everton (A), Bournemouth (H), Arsenal (A), Brentford (H). | Getty Images
16. Newcastle United - 93.0
Opening 10 fixtures: Aston Villa (A), Liverpool (H), Leeds United (A), Wolves (H), Bournemouth (A), Arsenal (H), Nottingham Forest (H), Brighton (A), Fulham (H), West Ham United (A). | AFP via Getty Images