Leeds United kick off their 2026/27 season at Nottingham Forest and will hope for a strong start to their second Premier League campaign. Daniel Farke’s side head to the City Ground on August 22 before welcoming Brentford to Elland Road for their first home clash the following weekend.
Those two games represent part of a decent start for Leeds, who despite kicking things off away from home are at Elland Road three times in their opening five. In fact, Opta have ranked each team’s first handful of fixtures based on their power rankings, which rate teams between zero and 100.
For reference, reigning champions Arsenal are rated 100 while Hull City - the lowest Premier League team but still a top-flight outfit - have a power rating of 82.2. Take a look below to see where Opta rank Leeds’ opening five fixtures compared to their 19 rivals.
1. Manchester United
First 5 fixtures: Hull (A), Ipswich (H), Everton (A), Man City (H), Fulham (A) | Average Opta opponent rating: 89.3 | Steven Paston/PA Wire
2. Newcastle United
First 5 fixtures: Liverpool (H), Tottenham (A), Bournemouth (H), Leeds (A), Hull (H) | Average Opta opponent rating: 89.9 | Getty Images
3. Liverpool
First 5 fixtures: Newcastle (A), Nottingham Forest (H), Ipswich (A), Fulham (H), Bournemouth (A) | Average Opta opponent rating: 90.7 | PETER POWELL / AFP via Getty Images
4. Brentford
First 5 fixtures: Tottenham (H), Leeds (A), Sunderland (H), Bournemouth (A), Chelsea (H) | Average Opta opponent rating: 90.8 | George Wood/Getty Images
5. Crystal Palace
First 5 fixtures: Everton (A), Man City (H), Fulham (A), Ipswich (H), Leeds (A) | Average Opta opponent rating: 90.8
6. Everton
First 5 fixtures: Crystal Palace (H), Bournemouth (A), Man Utd (H), Tottenham (A), Ipswich (H) | Average Opta opponent rating: 90.8 | Peter Byrne/PA Wire