Leeds United will discover their route through the 2022-23 Premier League season on Thursday morning when the fixtures are revealed. It’s always a key date in the footballing calendar as fans begin to plot out the season, pick and choose the games they can attend and plan an away trip or two, as well.
Jesse Marsch will also be poring over the fixtures, assessing his side’s start to the campaign and how they can build on last season’s showing. With that in mind, here’s a few things to look out for when the fixtures are released in the morning.
The season opener
With the Premier League set for a mid-season break to accommodate the World Cup in Qatar, the opening weekend is scheduled to take place slightly earlier than usual this year. The campaign will begin on the weekend of Saturday, August 6, and Leeds fans will have their fingers crossed for a favourable start, which would allow them to get some points on the board early.
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Of course, easy games don’t exist in the top flight and Marsch’s side will have to play everyone home and away, but a win on the opening day would certainly be beneficial for the American, who will be looking to make impact over the summer. A couple of new signings are already in place and matchday one will also be the first chance Leeds fans have to see them in competitive action.
Rivals reunited
Everyone loves a rivalry and for many they don’t come much bigger than Leeds against Man United. As such, fans will be looking out for the day they welcome the Red Devils to Elland Road and the day they make the journey to Old Trafford.
A result in either game would be huge, especially given the Whites haven’t been able to claim the bragging rights in that particular derby since that FA Cup win back in 2010. The clash with Chelsea is always a big one and although there will be no Yorkshire derby next season due to Huddersfield Town’s loss to Nottingham Forest in the Championship play-off final, a healthy rivalry with Brentford continues to grow. Forest's return to the top flight will provide another eye-catching fixture, given the history between the two sides.
World Cup break
The Premier League will grind to a halt following the weekend of November 12/13 as eyes turn to the World Cup, which gets underway on November 21. The tournament will take around a month to complete before the domestic competition resumes on Boxing Day.
According to reports, the FA have asked the Premier League to avoid clashes between the ‘big six’ during the final weekend before the World Cup and if that were to be the case, there would be a sizeable chance that Leeds could face one of them.
Haaland homecoming
Haaland may have declared his lifelong love for Man City after penning a deal with the champions, but we’ve all seen the quotes about his dream to win the Premier League with Leeds. He was born in Leeds after all and supporters will surely take the opportunity to remind him of his soft spot for the club when he lines up against the Whites for the very first time.
He’ll almost certainly be excited to play at Elland Road and those in attendance will be keen to see this summer’s most high-profile signing in action, too.
The six-pointers
Every supporter will be desperate to see Leeds improve on last season’s finish of 17th and to avoid being pulled into another relegation battle this season. As such, it’s only right that fans will be plotting where the points will be picked up when the fixture list is revealed.
Beating the newly promoted teams will be important, while Leeds must make a habit of seeing off the likes of Everton, Brentford, Crystal Palace and Southampton if they are to climb the league ladder and make progress.
The final day
Leeds will hope to be safe and sound by the final day, avoiding the drama we saw at the Brentford Community Stadium just a few weeks ago. However, while it’s impossible to predict at this stage, fans will look to the final day as one that could be important.
