This season's fixture list has dealt a tough hand to the Premier League's three promoted clubs, Coventry, Hull and Ipswich, each facing a run of daunting early opponents. Coventry begin away to champions Arsenal before a trip to Manchester City, while Hull host Manchester United and Aston Villa before facing Chelsea and Newcastle in their opening five games. The article argues that these fixtures matter more than the "free hit" cliché suggests, since recent history shows points against top clubs can prove decisive in the relegation battle.

Using Opta's opponent ratings and cumulative wage-bill data, all three promoted sides rank among the seven hardest opening five fixture sets in the league, with Ipswich facing three top-seven finishers from last season (Sunderland, Manchester United and Liverpool) straight away. The piece notes that last season's promoted trio fared relatively well against the top seven, with Leeds taking 10 points, Sunderland nine and Burnley eight, whereas the two seasons before saw promoted clubs (Ipswich, Leicester, Southampton, Luton, Sheffield United and Burnley) struggle far more and all suffer relegation.