No 'gauntlet' but 'relentless' as always

A traditional 3pm kick-off is a welcome start to the campaign at Nottingham Forest but a repeat of Leeds' wretched display there last season will not be.

It was during a run which almost cost manager Daniel Farke his job so a stronger showing is a necessity. According to Opta, the only time Leeds have faced Forest on the opening day of a season was when they last became champions of England in 1991-92. Dare to dream and all that!

Brentford are first up at Elland Road a week later and that means, despite the refurbishment of the West Stand, United are not playing back-to-back league games away to start with as some supporters had feared.

A tough October includes consecutive fixtures at defending champions Arsenal, who were the one side that overawed Leeds on both occasions last year, and then at home to rivals Manchester United. The return trip to Old Trafford, where Noah Okafor's double provided a memory for life in April, is a fortnight before the season closes out at Crystal Palace.

United are on their travels over the Christmas period as they and Anton Stach's right boot are scheduled at Villa Park on Boxing Day. Last season, the German's thunderous free-kick left the Champions Leaguers requiring a late equaliser as Leeds went toe to toe with another side in the upper echelons of the table.

East meets west as newly promoted Hull City provide the Yorkshire derby opponents before the year is out at the MKM, while Everton are the first visitors to Elland Road in 2027 before the FA Cup campaign begins.

This time around there appears not be a fierce gauntlet of fixtures like last season which saw United come against Aston Villa, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Farke and his side rode out the storm to prevail and prove they could cope and compete with the best.

Some 12 months on, the fixtures may look kinder but this is the Premier League, which is relentless and where the broadcasters' picks can compound the difficulty of trying to stay up for another season.

That, of course, remains the target as Leeds aim to re-establish themselves.

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