Fixture release day is different for Manchester City fans nowadays. It used to be a case of looking at the opening day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and the final day. Pick out the derbies with United, and plot a couple of tempting away days to mark in the diary.
Now, though, it's a case of mathematics, and closely comparing City's fixtures to Liverpool's. Both sides are looking like they will be challenging for the title again, with five titles between them in the last five years, and two of those decided on the last day. These are two elite sides, who will take advantage of any slip-up from the other.
Now the fixtures are out, City have a good opportunity to pull ahead in the opening months of the season and put the pressure on Liverpool in the New Year.
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On the opening day, Liverpool have an easier fixture as they travel to newly-promoted Fulham, while City are at West Ham. It's a game City will still look to win, but one they only drew at the end of last season.
However, after that, the next nine games are very favourable to City, and they can try and go into the October meeting with Liverpool at Anfield boasting a lead against their biggest rivals.
City host Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham, Manchester United and Southampton in the opening run. The Spurs and United games are tricky, while Palace have done well at the Etihad recently, but home advantage should give City a boost. Their away games against Newcastle, Aston Villa and Wolves are all tricky on paper, although they may prefer to get those games out of the way early on before those sides build up the rhythm they will be capable of.
Compare that run to Liverpool, who travel to United, Everton, Chelsea and Arsenal in their next four away games after the opening day and before hosting City. Home games against Palace, Bournemouth, Wolves and Brighton shouldn't be too problematic, even if those away trips will throw up plenty of chances to drop points.
If City can go into the Anfield clash ahead, and then extend that lead with a win, they will have a great chance to end the first half of the season before the World Cup break on top of the table.
It's also important to establish that lead because City have a couple more tests before the league breaks up in November. Arsenal away in midweek follows the Liverpool game, while Leicester away won't be easy. In comparison, Liverpool have West Ham at home and Tottenham away as their toughest pre-World Cup fixtures.
On balance, though, City should target a lead by the time their players jet off to Qatar, because the fixture advantage swings in Liverpool's favour when they return.
City resume their campaign on Boxing Day at Leeds, before hosting Everton and then travelling to Chelsea just two days later. After the FA Cup third round they travel to Manchester United, host Wolves, and then travel to Spurs in the space of six games in five weeks (plus two FA Cup rounds and a potential Carabao Cup semi-final).
Liverpool, meanwhile, face Villa, Leicester, Brentford, Brighton, Chelsea and Wolves in that spell, and their run to the end of the season keeps their bigger tests separate from each other (aside from a potentially problematic run of West Ham away, Tottenham at home, and Leicester away in their final six games).
City's run calms down a bit after January, although the home clash with Liverpool immediately after the March internationals will be an interesting one. And then City's run-in could be tricky, too, with Leeds, Everton, Chelsea and Brentford in the last four games, after long trips to Southampton and Brighton plus visits of Leicester and Arsenal in the previous four.
If City have a slightly easier run before the World Cup, it's fair to argue Liverpool would take their fixture list after it - especially with most of their higher-profile games coming at home in 2023. City's clash vs Chelsea on the final home fixture of the season looks like setting up a very tense run-in, so Pep Guardiola will be keen to have the title wrapped up by that point if possible.
The chances are, though, it will be another close margin separating these two brilliant sides, so a good start could be crucial for City's title chances this coming campaign. They showed last season that they can hold on to a lead in the face of a relentless Liverpool comeback, and that might have to be the pattern of the 2022/23 title race as well.
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