Will Amorim survive tough 2025-26 PL start? A look at Man Utd fixtures

Rúben Amorim is set for a fiery welcome to his first full Premier League season, with the release of the 2025/26 fixtures confirming a daunting opening run of fixtures for Manchester United.

After a turbulent 2024/25 campaign, United will be desperate to steady the ship. Still, their early schedule offers little room for error—they face Arsenal, Manchester City, and Chelsea all within their first five league games.

The first Manchester derby takes place at the Etihad on September 13, with the return leg scheduled for January 17 at Old Trafford. United also take on Liverpool at Anfield on October 18, before hosting the Merseyside giants at home on May 2 in what could be a decisive stage of the season.

Amorim enters the new campaign already under scrutiny. Since taking over in November, the former Sporting CP manager has endured an inconsistent spell, winning 17 and losing 17 of his first 42 matches across all competitions. In the league, his record stands at just seven wins in 27 games, with 14 defeats underscoring the scale of the challenge ahead.

In this article, we preview United’s fixtures, key games and access Amorim’s chances of surviving the tough 2025-26 Premier League schedule.

Fixtures overview

A heartbreaking defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final means the Red Devils will be absent from continental football throughout the 2025–26 season. Not since the 2014–15 campaign, which followed a seventh-place finish under David Moyes, have the club missed out on European qualification.

Supporters will be clinging to Amorim’s words of hope—his post-match declaration that “good times are coming”—as they look ahead to what lies ahead.

The new domestic campaign kicks off at Old Trafford, where United host Arsenal in what promises to be a headline-grabbing curtain-raiser. Slated for a 16:30 start on August 17, the fixture is poised to be one of the most eagerly discussed clashes of the opening weekend and Man Utd tickets for the game will no doubt be sold out.

Navigating the first few weeks of the new season will be a significant challenge for Amorim’s squad. Following the Arsenal showdown, they must travel to face Fulham before welcoming Burnley, setting the stage for a daunting trip to the Etihad on September 9, where the first Manchester derby of the season awaits.

Chelsea visit Old Trafford shortly after that derby showdown, rounding off what is arguably the most brutal five-match opening stretch any Premier League side has been handed this season. January 17 marks the date of the derby rematch, with the return leg set to take place on home soil.

Clashes with arch rivals Liverpool and Leeds United will mark further key dates in the calendar. United travel to Anfield on October 18 and as always, Liverpool tickets for that fixture will be hard to come by. United then welcome the Reds to Manchester on May 2. Meanwhile, Elland Road will host the first encounter against Leeds on January 3, with the reverse fixture scheduled for April 11 at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils will close out their pre-Christmas fixtures on December 20 with a visit to Aston Villa. Upon the resumption of league action, Newcastle United come to town on December 27.

The curtain will fall on United’s 2025–26 season away at Brighton, mirroring the final-day encounter from 2023–24. For the first time in over a decade, Manchester United’s campaign will unfold without the distraction—or prestige—of European competition.

Key dates for the 2025-26 season

June 1 marked the start of a unique early transfer period, organised ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup, before closing on June 10, just nine days later.

Business resumed on June 16 with the reopening of the standard summer window, leading into the crucial financial deadline on June 30, which served as the final checkpoint for the 2024–25 Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR). All player dealings must conclude by 11:00 p.m. BST (6:00 p.m. ET) on Monday, September 1, when the summer transfer market officially closes.

For winter transactions, United will be permitted to complete signings beginning Thursday, January 1, and must wrap up activity no later than Monday, February 2.

The domestic league returns between August 15 and 17, with the curtain-raiser Community Shield taking place on August 8. In that match, Crystal Palace—FA Cup holders—will challenge reigning Premier League champions Liverpool.

As tradition dictates, the season’s finale will unfold on Sunday, May 24, 2026, with all ten fixtures set to begin at the same time.

When it comes to cup competitions, top-flight sides will join the FA Cup in the third round, scheduled to commence on Saturday, January 10. In the Carabao Cup, Premier League clubs not involved in European tournaments will feature from round two, held during the week of August 25. The seven English teams with continental commitments will bypass the early stages, entering in round three, slated for the weeks starting September 15 and 22.

Man United 2025-26 key dates

• August 17, 2025: vs. Arsenal (h)

• September 13, 2025: vs. Man City (a)

• October 18, 2025: vs. Liverpool (a)

• January 17, 2026: vs. Man City (h)

• March 22, 2026: EFL Cup final

• May 2, 2026: vs. Liverpool (h)

• May 16, 2026: FA Cup final

Will Amorim survive tough 2025-26 PL start?

“Embarrassed” was the word Rúben Amorim chose when reflecting on United’s dismal Premier League standing during the just-concluded campaign.

The league calendar brought little but despair for the Portuguese tactician, who stepped in midway through the season after Erik ten Hag’s dismissal in November. Yet, instead of steadying the ship, Amorim’s tenure became synonymous with statistical infamy.

Earlier in the year, he openly called the squad perhaps the most unremarkable ever assembled in the club’s 147-year legacy—a harsh but revealing truth. Although they narrowly avoided matching the depths of the 1930–31 side, whose 29-point equivalent over a 42-game stretch remains a low watermark, the current iteration may well be remembered as Manchester United’s most underwhelming unit of the modern era.

The 2025–26 season will arrive without any continental involvement for the Red Devils—a drought not seen since 2014–15. In the wake of their final-day triumph over Aston Villa, Amorim issued a fiery post-match speech, urging belief in the face of adversity. For now, United’s only real lifeline lies in a calculated summer overhaul—one aligned with Amorim’s tactical blueprint—to begin the long journey toward re-establishing their former glory.

Doubts have quickly surfaced regarding Rúben Amorim’s readiness to steer the club through what is undeniably a daunting fixture schedule following the unveiling of the new Premier League calendar.

It’s challenging to fault Sir Jim Ratcliffe for this particular stroke of misfortune, as the Red Devils find themselves saddled with what many consider the most brutal opening to a top-flight campaign.

The season curtain-raiser sees United welcome Arsenal for the headline Super Sunday clash of 2025–26. What follows offers a momentary reprieve: a short trip to Fulham and then a home contest against Burnley, wrapping up the schedule before the season’s first international break.

However, that calm evaporates fast. After regrouping at Carrington, United embark on a taxing sequence that could define Amorim’s tenure. A heated Manchester derby at the Etihad is first on the docket, followed a week later by Chelsea’s visit to Old Trafford.

A slight breather in the form of Brentford and Sunderland fixtures offers a temporary lifeline. Still, the eighth matchday delivers yet another high-stakes clash—this time at Anfield against archrivals Liverpool.

If there’s a silver lining for Amorim, who could be under severe scrutiny by the time autumn arrives, it’s the absence of European commitments. Fewer midweek matches might translate to better preparation windows and fresher legs—or at least that’s the cautious optimism from within.

Man Utd full 2025-26 fixtures

• August 17: Arsenal (H)

• August 23: Fulham (A)

• August 30: Burnley (H)

• September 13: Manchester City (A)

• September 20: Chelsea (H)

• September 27: Brentford (A)

• October 4: Sunderland (H)

• October 18: Liverpool (A)

• October 25: Brighton & Hove Albion (H)

• November 1: Nottingham Forest (A)

• November 8: Tottenham Hotspur (A)

• November 22: Everton (H)

• November 29: Crystal Palace (A)

• December 3: West Ham United (H)

• December 6: Wolverhampton Wanderers (A)

• December 13: Bournemouth (H)

• December 20: Aston Villa (A)

• December 27: Newcastle United (H)

• December 30: Wolverhampton Wanderers (H)

• January 3: Leeds United (A)

• January 7: Burnley (A)

• January 17: Manchester City (H)

• January 24: Arsenal (A)

• January 31: Fulham (H)

• February 7: Tottenham Hotspur (H)

• February 11: West Ham United (A)

• February 21: Everton (A)

• February 28: Crystal Palace (H)

• March 4: Newcastle United (A)

• March 14: Aston Villa (H)

• March 21: Bournemouth (A)

• April 11: Leeds United (H)

• April 18: Chelsea (A)

• April 25: Brentford (H)

• May 2: Liverpool (H)

• May 9: Sunderland (A)

• May 17: Nottingham Forest (H)

• May 24: Brighton & Hove Albion (A)