Key games for European qualification this season 

Exactly 118,820 minutes and 82 days from the final whistle of the 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace, where Liverpool were crowned champions of England, to the opening whistle of Friday night’s encounter against Bournemouth, the Premier League returns.

The fixtures are out, and the tussle for European qualification will begin on Friday night. For clubs like Arsenal, their quest for qualification to Europe starts on the opening day when they travel to Old Trafford to face their arch rivals at a ground where they’ve failed to win 16 of their last 18 encounters against the Red Devils.

Liverpool and Chelsea, who have been the summer’s big spenders, will square off in October in what would be a table-shaping clash and possibly a title-deciding clash, while Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur will renew their rivalry in January in what will undoubtedly shape the table and play a significant role in either team’s European qualification chances.

Chelsea will once again face an even sterner test one month before the Premier League ends when they welcome familiar foe United to Stamford Bridge. Enzo Maresca will hope to guide his side to their third consecutive victory against the 13-time Premier League champions in West London, as the result of the game would prove consequential to their top-four hopes.

Here’s a preview of the key games that could prove decisive for European qualification this season.

Chelsea vs. Liverpool—Saturday, October 4

Liverpool and Chelsea have met 199 times in their history, with the Reds holding the upper hand—87 wins to Chelsea’s 66, alongside 46 draws.

The first clash of the Arne Slot era came in October 2024, when Liverpool won 2-1 thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones, either side of a Nicolas Jackson equaliser. Despite the victory, Slot admitted afterwards that Chelsea were the better side on the day—an assessment that felt vindicated when the Blues returned the favour with a 3-1 triumph at Anfield in May 2025, ending a poor run that had seen them win just three of the last 21 meetings in all competitions.

Chelsea’s upcoming season begins with a favourable run of fixtures, including a home opener against Crystal Palace on August 17, and their European schedule has been kind—only two away trips after midweek games and just 341 miles of travel. Still, October’s home match against defending champions Liverpool will be a stern test, with both sets of fans eager for another fierce, potentially table-shaping encounter.

Arsenal vs. Liverpool—Wednesday, January 7

Liverpool have failed to win any of their last six Premier League encounters with Arsenal, with the North Londoners prevailing twice and the other four ending all square. That stretch features the dramatic 2-2 draw in their most recent league meeting.

It is Arsenal’s most extended unbeaten sequence against Liverpool in over ten years, eclipsing their previous best of eight matches without loss between October 2007 and April 2011.

In that high-tempo Anfield showdown, Mikel Arteta’s side fought back from two goals down to snatch a vital point, leaving them just two points shy of sealing Champions League qualification. For Liverpool, it was a rare slip—squandering a lead of two or more goals at half-time for the first time since their 4-3 defeat to Bournemouth in December 2016.

One of Arsenal’s consistent patterns in this fixture also ended that day. For the first time in three seasons, they failed to score inside the opening ten minutes of a league clash with Liverpool. From the start of the 2022–23 campaign, the Gunners had managed to strike early on four separate occasions in this head-to-head—through Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli (twice), and Gabriel—more than any other team had against the Reds during that span.

Last season began with modest forecasts for Liverpool, yet they defied the doubters to lift the Premier League title. Now, the focus is firmly on defending their crown. Success would see them set a new record for the most English top-flight men’s championships, reaching 21.

With both clubs expected to be in the thick of the title race again, January’s meeting at the Emirates Stadium could carry enormous significance.

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Man City—Saturday, January 31

Tottenham begin the 2025–26 campaign under Thomas Frank with hopes of rebounding from last season’s 17th-place disappointment, when they lost 22 league games. While a title push is unlikely, they could still influence the race—especially with an early meeting against Manchester City in their second fixture and a potentially pivotal return clash in North London later in the season.

Frank arrives with a proven record of upsetting the Premier League’s elite, having beaten every Big Six side at least once during his Brentford tenure. Against Guardiola’s City, his teams have managed two wins in eight league meetings, averaging 0.88 points per game—a level of resilience Spurs will hope to emulate.

City, meanwhile, are already preparing for another title challenge, and Guardiola will likely earmark fixtures like this as key moments. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was once a fortress against City, with the visitors losing their first five games there without scoring, until a 1-0 FA Cup win in January 2024 and a 2-0 league victory in May.

Recent meetings have been tight: Spurs eliminated City from the EFL Cup in October 2024 with a 2-1 win, but the champions hit back in February’s league clash, winning 1-0 thanks to an Erling Haaland strike.

A win here for City will further cement their place in next season’s UEFA Champions League, as the clash will be played at the business end of the season. For Spurs, it would signal an ambitious shift towards a potential European berth after only finishing one place above the relegation zone last season.

Chelsea vs Man Utd—Saturday, April 18

Chelsea will welcome Manchester United to Stamford Bridge, aiming to extend their impressive home run, having not lost a Premier League game there since Boxing Day, when Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz struck late to snatch victory. The Blues are unbeaten in their last four competitive home meetings with United, a streak dating back to February 2021, so fans with Chelsea tickets will be in confident mood for this game.

Historically, though, United have had the upper hand in this fixture, winning 83 of their 198 encounters, compared to Chelsea’s 58, with 57 draws. One of those Chelsea wins came last season via a Marc Cucurella late strike, following a run of five consecutive draws—including three straight 1-1 scorelines between November 2021 and October 2022. This fixture holds the record for the most draws in Premier League history (27), with 20 being score draws and seven goalless affairs.

Chelsea had gone 11 league matches without a win over United since their 1-0 victory in 2017, before breaking the streak in a seven-goal thriller in 2023–24 and following it up with a 1-0 triumph the following season. Enzo Maresca now has the chance to guide the Blues to a third straight Stamford Bridge victory over the Red Devils.

United, who endured their worst Premier League finish (15th) and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham, have invested heavily this summer, signing Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko. However, captain Bruno Fernandes remains their talisman, having been the only United player to score at home against top-six opposition last season, including a penalty in the first-leg clash with Chelsea at Old Trafford.

This game will almost certainly be a sell-out so it will be tough to buy tickets via the clubs. However, fans can still explore available tickets for the match at resale sites like Seatsnet.com.

Man Utd vs. Arsenal—Sunday, 17th August

Arsenal will kick off their 2025–26 Premier League campaign with a trip to Old Trafford—an arena where triumphs have traditionally been rare—when they face long-standing rivals Manchester United in a highly anticipated showdown set for Sunday, 17th August.

This fixture prolongs United’s extraordinary streak of starting the season at home to a record-breaking ninth consecutive year—the longest such run ever achieved in the top tier of English football. Conversely, it will mark the fifth occasion in the last seven seasons that Arsenal commence their league journey away from the Emirates Stadium.

Although United’s form in recent years has been inconsistent, visiting Old Trafford still ranks among the Premier League’s most formidable assignments. That is the test Mikel Arteta’s men will confront immediately, though their record there provides little encouragement—just two victories in 18 attempts, earned in November 2020 and May 2024. Across that same period, they managed six draws while losing on ten occasions.

Nevertheless, the Gunners recorded the second-strongest away record in the division, amassing 35 points on their travels, a figure equating to 47.3% of their total. They will now seek to deliver a strong signal of their title aspirations by chasing three points against a United outfit that claimed only seven home wins from 19 matches last season.