Manchester United made the worst possible start to a hectic October schedule on Sunday, losing 6-3 to cross-city rivals Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
United, who made the short hop across the city on a run of four consecutive Premier League victories, were blown away by Pep Guardiola's side, who were inspired by hat-tricks from Phil Foden and Erling Haaland. The Reds were 4-0 down by half-time and were 6-1 behind by the time substitute Anthony Martial scored twice to put a slightly more respectable look on the scoreline at full time.
Fortunately for Erik ten Hag and his players, they have the opportunity to try and get Sunday's horror show out of their systems quickly, starting with Thursday night's Europa League clash with Omonia Nicosia. The meeting with the Cypriot outfit will mark just United's second game in the space of 29 days this month, highlighting the toll October is set to take.
READ MORE: Raphael Varane absent as four youngsters train ahead of Omonia clash
A mixture of Premier League and Europa League fixtures are going to push United's squad to the very maximum of their capabilities, with turnaround times looking incredibly short. Putting the Europa League to one side, for now, MEN Sport has taken a close look at United's next six league fixtures, five of which come before the end of this month, and compared them with those of their fellow expected top-four challengers.
Manchester United - 6th (12pts)
- Everton (A) - October 9
- Newcastle United (H) - October 16
- Tottenham Hotspur - (H) - October 19
- Chelsea - (A) - October 22
- West Ham United (H) - October 30
- Aston Villa (A) - November 6
Verdict: With three games at home and three on the road, plus a mixed bag of opponents, more will be revealed about where United are at in their development under Ten Hag in their next six matches. The clashes with Chelsea and Tottenham, certainly on paper, are their most daunting challenges, but they are unlikely to pose as big a threat as City did.
While the importance of getting a respectable haul of points from those two games against their traditional 'big six' rivals cannot be underestimated, it is in the clashes with the likes of Everton and Aston Villa where the Reds will be under pressure to scoop maximum points. United must do all they can to continue attempting to turn Old Trafford into a fortress as well.
Arsenal - 1st (21pts)
- Liverpool (H) - October 9
- Leeds United (A) - October 16
- Southampton (A) - October 23
- Nottingham Forest (H) - October 30
- Chelsea (A) - November 6
- Wolves (A) - November 12
Manchester City - 2nd (20pts)
- Southampton (H) - October 8
- Liverpool (A) - October 16
- Brighton & Hove Albion (H) - October 22
- Leicester City (A) - October 29
- Fulham (H) - November 5
- Brentford (H) - November 12
Tottenham Hotspur - 3rd (17pts)
- Brighton & Hove Albion (A) - October 8
- Everton (H) - October 15
- Manchester United (A) - October 19
- Newcastle United (H) - October 23
- Bournemouth (A) - October 29
- Liverpool (H) - November 6
Chelsea - 5th (13pts)
- Wolves (H) - October 8
- Aston Villa (A) - October 16
- Brentford (A) - October 19
- Manchester United (H) - October 22
- Brighton & Hove Albion (A) - October 29
- Arsenal (H) - November 6
Liverpool - 9th (10pts)
- 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
- Tottenham Hotspur (A) - November 6
*All fixtures are subject to change.
READ NEXT:
