Arne Slot has drummed into anyone that will listen that Liverpool have not yet been tested this season, but that will all change on return from the international break!
Few could ask for a better start under a new head coach, with six wins from seven games in the Premier League nestling the Reds at the top with the fewest goals conceded (two).
As per the current standings, Liverpool have faced only one team in the top 10, and they are responsible for the only early blemish on Slot’s record.
The level of fixture difficulty has not been lost on the Dutchman, who recently said: “Everybody tells me that a top Premier League table team is harder to beat than a bottom league table team, and we’ve not faced one of them yet.”
Well, that is soon to change. According to Opta Analyst, Liverpool’s next 10 league games are ranked as the toughest set of fixtures across the division, with an average opponent rating of 89.8-out-of-100.
* Image from Opta Analyst
They will meet Chelsea (H), Arsenal (A), Brighton (H), Aston Villa (H), Southampton (A), Man City (H), Newcastle (A), Everton (A), Fulham (H) and Tottenham (A) – an even split of home and away.
Currently, from this run only Southampton sit outside the top 10 as the rest occupy every position between second and ninth.
Liverpool will face the first four on this side of the November international break, with the next six to kickstart the hectic festive period.
Arsenal and Man City, meanwhile, have seen their next 10-game run adjudged to be the 10th and 16th toughest fixtures across the league – quite the disparity.
We will certainly know how seriously we can take Liverpool’s silverware chances after the run has concluded just before Christmas.
But we can’t forget Slot still has to juggle Champions League and League Cup fixtures over the coming weeks, which will further test his squad and give us a strong indication of what our expectations could be.
Bring it on!
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