Premier League fixtures: Ex-Leeds United striker's verdict on Everton opener as blunt survival message sent
Leeds United will need to hit the ground running upon their return to the Premier League.
Ross McCormack believes Leeds United ‘couldn’t have got much better’ than Everton at home on the first weekend of next season - albeit the two games that follow make it a hugely important opener.
Leeds’ two-year hiatus from the Premier League will end on Monday, August 18, with Everton the visitors to Elland Road for Sky Sports’ first 2025/26 edition of Monday Night Football. The Toffees finished 13th last season and while there is growing optimism of improvement on Merseyside, Farke’s men will be confident they can get an early result.
Things don’t get any easier for Leeds either, with Champions League pair Arsenal and Newcastle United - who finished second and fifth respectively last season - next up before August is out. It’s a stark reminder of the challenge Farke’s side face in picking up enough points to survive but McCormack is confident they can at least get off to a good start.
“Everton at home, you couldn’t really have got much better to be honest,” McCormack told Sky Sports. “You wouldn't really want any of the big boys, first game of the season. I think Everton have shown they've improved a lot under David Moyes so it'll be a tough game but you're looking at it, you’re probably needing something already because of the two after against Arsenal and Newcastle. It's a tough start.”
Leeds fans will already be scouring through the schedule for pockets of fixtures in which they can hope to take decent points, and there are plenty of opportunities. Every result will see them edge closer to the all-important 40-point mark that so often guarantees safety, with survival the only goal.
Chairman Paraag Marathe recently admitted anything above 18th next season would be ‘gravy’ but even that will be a huge challenge, as evidenced by the fact all of the last six newly-promoted teams have gone straight back down. Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton pipped Leeds to promotion in 2023/24 but all endured miserable top-flight returns, picking up just 12 wins between them and conceding 248 goals.
“In the last two years, the three teams that have been promoted from the Championship, it's been shown the gap to stay up in the Premier League is getting bigger,” McCormack added. “But Leeds will be hoping with the size of the club, the fanbase, the way they won the league last year that they'll be in a good position to stay up.
“Don't worry about trying to get in the top 10. 17th is perfect and you can build from there. You look back to Nottingham Forest staying up their first season and look where they are now. It's all about consolidating in that first season. Then if the owners want to dip into their pockets, spend more and start to have loftier ambitions then fair enough, but the first season is all about staying up.”