Pep Guardiola will have an ace up his sleeve during Manchester City's most difficult run of games in the Premier League next season.
The fixture list for the forthcoming season was released at 9am on Thursday, June 15, handing City a dream opening-day Premier League reunion with Vincent Kompany and his Championship-winning Burnley side. That game will take place on Friday, August 11, five days after the Community Shield clash with Arsenal and five days before the Super Cup final against Sevilla.
Guardiola's side will then head into the Premier League season in earnest with games against Newcastle, Sheffield United, Fulham and West Ham, but casting one eye on the horizon it is easy to see where City's bid to retain the title may be decided. During the month of March, City will face bitter rivals Manchester United, expected title contenders Liverpool and this year's surprise package Brighton before facing the tricky prospect of a clash with Premier League runners-up Arsenal.
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Two of those games, Liverpool and Brighton, will be played away from home, however, the games against United and Arsenal will be played at the Etihad. While all four sides will no doubt strengthen between now and the summer transfer window closing, a glance at this year's table will tell you who the strongest two of the quartet are.
The advantage of facing United (on March 2) and Arsenal (on March 24) on their own turf cannot be underestimated and both games could be vital in deciding the destination of next season's title. Arsenal fell to two defeats at the Etihad in the 2022/23 season, losing 1-0 in January's FA Cup clash and 3-1 in the Premier League just weeks later.
Meanwhile, United were thrashed 6-3 in their trip across the City in October. Add in a potential Champions League round of 16 game on either March 5, 6, 12 or 13 and it promises to be an important run of games for City whichever way you look at it.
This season, the month of March saw City play just two Premier League fixtures as they recorded a 2-0 win over Newcastle United before a 1-0 victory on the road at Crystal Palace. The thumping 7-0 Champions League win over RB Leipzig and 6-0 FA Cup result against Burnley then followed before the international break.
Three of those fixtures were played at home, with the Etihad proving to be a fortress for City in recent years. While March promises to be a difficult month, it's reassuring to know City have history on their side when they head into what could be a season-defining run of games.
Man City's nightmare March in full:
02/04/2024 - Manchester United (H) - 3pm
09/04/2024 - Liverpool (A) - 3pm
16/4/2024 - Brighton (A) - 3pm
30/4/2024 - Arsenal (H) - 3pm
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