Premier League 2025/26 fixtures: Man Utd v Man City derby dates as Liverpool fixtures scheduled in

Manchester United and Manchester City have found out when they will face each other next season as the Premier League fixtures have been released on Wednesday morning after disappointing seasons for both Manchester sides.

United will be keen to improve under Ruben Amorim, considering that they had the worst Premier League finish in United’s club history, ending 15th on 42 points from 38 matches.

Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola will hope that his City side can come back and challenge for the Premier League title yet again, after finishing behind Liverpool and Arsenal this past season.

When is the Manchester derby and games against Liverpool?

Amorim and Guardiola will be looking forward to the season to start, but none more so than when they will face each other in the Manchester derby next season. Last year, United were unbeaten against City, winning their meeting in December at the Etihad 2-1, and a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford in April.

The first meeting between United and City will be on Saturday 13 September at the Etihad Stadium, before the reverse fixture comes during the January transfer window, on Saturday 17 January at Old Trafford.

However, Man United’s rivalry against Liverpool didn’t go as well last season. They saw a 3-0 defeat in September when Erik Ten Hag was still the manager. In their second meeting in January, the two sides drew 2-2 at Anfield. Man City, meanwhile, lost both of their games against Liverpool 2-0 last season.

Amorim’s side first play against the reigning champions in October, with a meeting at Anfield on Saturday 18 October, before they welcome the Reds to Old Trafford for their fourth-to-last game of the season on Saturday 2 May, a day which could have huge implications for both the race for Europe and the Premier League title.

Other games to look out for is City’s meetings with Arsenal, which always deliver entertainment and drama. Last season, the two sides drew 2-2 in September, and then Arsenal won 5-1 in February. They first meet on Saturday 20 September at the Emirates, before City then welcome the Gunners to the Etihad on Saturday 18 April, a day which could be a huge top of the league six pointer.

The fixture release was announced on Wednesday 18 June at 9am GMT, and the full fixture lists are available on the Premier League website.

How does the Premier League decide the fixtures?

The fixture lists concern a lot of issues for the Premier League to contend with, including congestion, FA Cup games, European games and international breaks. Furthermore, the Premier League don’t want to allow teams several games at home or away in a row.

On their website, the Premier League said: “We start when we know the composition of each division, so after the last Football League playoff. We place each club in a pairing grid, which defines the dates they will be at home.

“For every date in the season, the fixture computer knows which clubs are at home and who are away and then it will mix them up randomly to determine the matches. In any five matches there should be a split of three home fixtures, two away or the other way around. A team will never have more than two home or away matches in a row, and, wherever possible, you will be home and away around FA Cup ties.

“A club will never start or finish the season with two home or two away matches because it would be unfair for a team to finish with two aways. Around the Christmas period, if you are at home on Boxing Day you will be away on New Year's Day or an equivalent date.

“We also try to maintain a Saturday home-away sequence throughout the season wherever possible. Most clubs will have a partner club with whom they cannot clash, such as Manchester United and Manchester City, or Liverpool and Everton. In London it gets a bit more complex and less obvious.”

In other news, Manchester United hold talks over Viktor Gyokeres transfer alternative who is 'mix of Neymar and Mbappe'.