Analysis

Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea, Newcastle, Spurs? Who faces toughest Premier League schedule after Champions League nights

Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea, Newcastle, Spurs, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace will participate across the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League next season; which teams suffer the most gruelling Premier League fixtures after European games?

Adam Smith

Data and Analysis @AdamDatasmith

Thursday 19 June 2025 22:33, UK

The Premier League fixtures and dates for Europe's three competitions have landed - so which team has the most punishing schedule after European games?

A record nine Premier League sides will play across Europe's three competitions next season.

We factored four metrics to calculate each club's schedule difficulty:

Total number of European league-phase games
Total number of Premier League away fixtures directly after league-phase European games
Total as-the-crow-flies, round-trip mileage for Premier League away fixtures directly after league-phase European games
Average league position of Premier League opponent directly after league-phase European games (home or away)

So, what are the results?

Reigning champions Liverpool will be hit hardest after returning from European action next season, followed by Newcastle, Manchester City, Crystal Palace and Spurs.

At the other end of the scale, Nottingham Forest have the easiest schedule, with Chelsea, Aston Villa and Arsenal also enjoying favourable fixtures.

1. Liverpool

Five of the Reds' eight domestic fixtures after Champions League nights will be on the road, covering 1,517 round-trip miles to those away games and facing opponents averaging a position of 8.3 in the league standings last term.

Arne Slot's side will return to domestic action just days after their first Champions League fixture with a Merseyside derby at Anfield. Four successive away days follow against Chelsea, Brentford, Manchester City and West Ham.

2. Newcastle

Newcastle also face a tricky schedule to contend with after European exertions, facing a 587-mile round trip to Bournemouth on the south coast after matchday one in the Champions League.

In fact, the Magpies will clock more miles on the road than any other English team and also face tricky opposition, playing Aston Villa and Liverpool directly after their final two league-phase games.

3. Man City

Overall, Manchester City have the third-toughest schedule, but Pep Guardiola can take light relief in knowing the schedule eases as the season progresses.

City kickstart with three, tricky away days against Arsenal, Brentford and Aston Villa, before hosting Liverpool after matchday four in the league phase.

4. Crystal Palace

It's bittersweet for Crystal Palace.

Assuming the Eagles overcome complications with ownership rules, Oliver Glasner's side will face the toughest opponents after European games, including Liverpool, Everton, Arsenal, Brighton, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.

However, Palace only face three of those games on the road and will cover only 625 round-trip miles for those games.

5. Spurs

Thomas Frank will be on the road immediately after his first three Champions League fixtures, facing Brighton, Leeds and Everton.

Two home games provide some respite for matchdays four and five, but his side will have minimal recovery time before facing Manchester City after the final league-phase game.

6. Arsenal

Arsenal have landed a fortunate post-European schedule with just three away games following their league-phase fixtures, amounting to only 850 round-trip miles and facing the easiest opposition with an average league standing of only 13.6.

However, both Arsenal and Manchester City will have minimal preparation time after matchday one when the sides meet at the Emirates.

7. Aston Villa

Aston Villa face only two away trips after their Europa League games and both of those come towards the tail end of the league phase, against West Ham and Newcastle.

The Villans will therefore accrue the second-fewest miles for away days at just 550 miles.

8. Chelsea

Like Villa, Chelsea will only face two away games: against Manchester United after Champions League matchday one and Crystal Palace after matchday seven - with Selhurst Park still only being a few miles away by road.

In terms of opposition, the schedule is comparatively favourable, except for home games against Liverpool and Arsenal after matchdays two and five, respectively.

9. Nottingham Forest

Lastly, Nottingham Forest will return to the European stage for the first time in 30 years next season.

As it stands, Forest will be competing in the Conference League and will therefore only face six games in the league phase - with three of their Premier League games after those on the road against Newcastle, Bournemouth and Fulham.