Manchester United’s Premier League fixtures for the 2022/23 season have now officially been released.
Every summer, United fans eagerly await the release of their side’s fixtures for the upcoming year, and this year is no different. However, some fixtures are more coveted than others, and this article covers those major fixtures and when they are.
Arsenal:
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One of the all-time great Premier league rivalries, Manchester United vs Arsenal remains a fiery contest despite the fall from grace both sides have endured. Whether it’s for the league title or for 5th place, these two sides will go to war every single time no matter what.
United won 3-2 at Old Trafford last December thanks to two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, and they will hope for a repeat of this result in the same fixture on Matchday 6 at the beginning of September.
The fixture is reversed at the end of January in Gameweek 21, and hopefully the result from United’s last outing at the Emirates, where United lost 3-1, will be reversed.
Chelsea:
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Chelsea and United have contested many great games over the years, and whilst the off-pitch rivalry is not as intense as some others the on-pitch rivalry is certainly not one any fan wants to miss.
Chelsea have not beaten the Red Devils in the league since 2017, and United will look to continue this record on their 13th Matchday, away at Stamford Bridge at the end of October, with the Old Trafford meeting then coming at the business end of the season in mid-April's Gameweek 32 – a fixture that could be pivotal in the race for top 4.
Leeds United:
Whilst not considered a ‘big six’ side, Leeds United are bigger rivals than a couple of the sides who are considered in that bracket and since their return to the Premier League in 2020 the fixture has been highly anticipated by fans of both clubs.
Last year, the Red Devils opened the season with a roaring 5-1 win over their bitter rivals at home and this year that fixture falls on September's Matchday 8, with the reverse at Elland Road coming in February on Gameweek 23. Manchester United won this fixture 4-2 in a dramatic tie last season.
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Liverpool:
The two fixtures United fans look for before any other.
Manchester United vs Liverpool, despite the recent disparity between the sides in terms of success, is far and away the biggest rivalry in English football, and one of the largest in the footballing world.
United will look to turn around their recent history against Liverpool when they visit Old Trafford on Matchday 3 in August, where in this fixture last season the club were decimated on their home turf 5-0 due to a hattrick from Mohammed Salah.
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The Reds of Manchester will then do battle at Anfield on Gameweek 26 in early March.
Manchester City:
The Manchester Derby. Only second to the rivalry with Liverpool, there is no love lost between the Red Devils and their noisy neighbours.
Despite the chasm that qualitatively separates the sides at present, anything can happen in a game like this. United have won three of the last six league fixtures against City, including two at the Etihad, and will look to add to this record when they visit the Etihad in Gameweek 9, falling in October.
They then visit Old Trafford in mid-January on Matchday 20, coming shortly after the end of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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Tottenham Hotspur:
United against Spurs is the least intense rivalry on this list, but the fixture has produced some real classics over the years.
Most recently was United’s 3-2 triumph over the North London outfit at Old Trafford, courtesy of a Cristiano Ronaldo hattrick in a fixture where his all-time great quality was the only thing that could separate the two sides in an end-to-end contest.
United will hope to see this quality on show once again when the Lilywhites travel to Old Trafford on Matchday 12, falling just two weeks after United travel across town to face Manchester City and one week before we go to West London to battle Chelsea in what looks to be a tough October period.
United then travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Matchday 33, this time just a week after Chelsea visit Old Trafford at the end of April, in a period that will surely make or break United’s hopes to return to the Champions League via the top four spots.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Leeds United, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Premier League, Football