Manchester United will have to be at the peak of their powers if they are to end the 2023/24 Premier League campaign with a flourish.
The fixtures for the forthcoming campaign were released at 9am on Thursday morning, handing the Reds a season opener against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford. United will welcome the Black Country outfit to M16 on Monday, August 14.
After facing Wolves, United will experience a mixed start to the season in terms of theoretical fixture difficulty. Either side of facing Nottingham Forest in their second home game of the season, United must travel to the capital for back-to-back away clashes against Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
After that double-header, however, United's fixtures against their fellow big hitters are fairly well spread out, meaning their fixture list in the first half of the season has a kind look to it on paper. That, however, all changes towards the end of the campaign.
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April will present three very difficult tests for Erik ten Hag's side, two of which they will have to be overcome in the space of just four days. United will travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea on Wednesday, April 3, before welcoming Liverpool to Old Trafford on Saturday, April 6.
Both Chelsea and Liverpool will have ambitions of making significant improvements in 2023/24 and United will have to be ready for that. Newcastle United will also have ambitions of pushing for the top four once again, meaning United will have to expect a difficult test when they visit Old Trafford on Saturday, April 20.
That means, depending on how the season develops, of course, United may be playing three of their biggest rivals in just over a fortnight. However, United were excellent at home in 2022/23, beating almost all of their main rivals, and they will fancy their chances of maintaining their high standards on home soil and making Old Trafford a fortress again.
The same will be said when Arsenal visit Old Trafford for what is scheduled to be United's final home game of the season on Saturday, May 11. The Reds defeated the Gunners 3-1 at home this season, getting the job done thanks to two goals from Marcus Rashford and a debut strike from Antony back in September.
United also face a difficult-looking final day assignment, tasked with making the long trip to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton & Hove Albion. It will be the third season in a row that the Reds will have visited the Amex in the month of May, having lost on each of their last two visits by an aggregate score of 5-0.
The Seagulls, should they continue on their current upward trajectory, will have ambitions of pushing for European football once again next season, meaning the Reds could be in for a difficult final day assignment, depending on the circumstances surrounding both clubs' permutations.
Facing Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle, Arsenal and Brighton in five of their last eight games does represent a tough finish to the season for United, certainly on paper. Their improved record at Old Trafford under Ten Hag, however, could see them collect a good haul of points.
United's final eight games of the season
APRIL:
3/4/2024 - Chelsea (A) - 19:45
6/4/2024 - Liverpool (H) - 15:00
13/4/2024 - Bournemouth (A) - 15:00
20/4/2024 - Newcastle United (H) - 15:00
27/4/2024 - Burnley (H) - 15:00
MAY:
4/5/2024 - Crystal Palace (A) - 15:00
11/5/2024 - Arsenal (H) - 15:00
19/5/2024 - Brighton & Hove Albion (A) - 16:00
*Fixtures and dates are subject to change.
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