Manchester United find themselves fifth in the Premier League table as we arrive at the first international break of the season.
After losing their opening two matches, United found a spark and put together a run of four successive victories, the latest of which was a 3-1 win over current table-toppers Arsenal more than a fortnight ago. After the win over the Gunners, the Reds were scheduled to play another two matches before the season paused for the current break, but they were both postponed following the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
It means that United have played one game fewer than three of the four sides currently above them in the table. However, the resumption of the campaign on October 2, which will see Erik ten Hag's troops make the short hop to the Etihad Stadium to face neighbours Manchester City, marks the beginning of a hectic period, as United will have to navigate their way through six league matches in the space of just 29 days.
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It promises to be a demanding period for everyone, meaning Ten Hag will need every member of his squad fit and firing, with the Reds also going to have to manage their Europa League campaign simultaneously. With a big period on the horizon, MEN Sport has taken a close look at United's next six Premier League fixtures in comparison to those of their expected top-four rivals.
Manchester United - 5th (12pts)
- Manchester City (A) - October 2
- Everton (A) - October 9
- Newcastle United (H) - October 16
- Tottenham Hotspur (H) - October 19
- Chelsea (A) - October 22
- West Ham United (H) - October 30
Verdict: An equal split with three games at home and three on the road, October will give an even clearer indication of the sort of progress United are making under Ten Hag this season. They are expected to compete for a top-four berth and are currently outside of the Champions League places by just a point after their first six games.
Having already beaten Liverpool and toppled Arsenal, who have won six of their opening seven games so far, United will be confident heading into the contests with City, Tottenham and Chelsea that they can take something. If they can secure a respectable haul of points from those three fixtures and take maximum points off both Everton and West Ham, who have only won one game each in the league so far this season, October will be a success.
The three fixtures against members of the 'big six' look daunting on paper, but they will be United's opportunities to show how much progress they have made. They also need to make the most of their three home games.
Arsenal - 1st (18pts)
- Tottenham Hotspur (H) - October 1
- Liverpool (H) - October 9
- Leeds United (A) - October 16
- Southampton (A) - October 23
- Nottingham Forest (H) - October 30
- Chelsea (A) - November 6
Manchester City - 2nd (17pts)
- Manchester United (H) - October 2
- Southampton (H) - October 8
- Liverpool (A) - October 16
- Brighton & Hove Albion (H) - October 22
- Leicester City (A) - October 29
- Fulham (H) - November 5
Tottenham Hotspur - 3rd (17pts)
- Arsenal (A) - October 1
- Brighton & Hove Albion (A) - October 8
- Everton (H) - October 15
- Manchester United (A) - October 19
- Newcastle United (H) - October 23
- Bournemouth (A) - October 29
Chelsea - 7th (10pts)
- Crystal Palace (A) - October 1
- Wolves (H) - October 8
- Aston Villa (A) - October 16
- Brentford (A) - October 19
- Manchester United (H) - October 22
- Brighton & Hove Albion (A) - October 29
Liverpool - 8th (9pts)
- Brighton & Hove Albion (H) - October 1
- Arsenal (A) - October 9
- Manchester City (H) - October 16
- West Ham United (H) - October 19
- Nottingham Forest (A) - October 22
- Leeds United (H) - October 29
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