{"id":1478109,"date":"2026-08-13T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=gaming&#038;p=1478109"},"modified":"2026-08-10T13:00:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T12:00:15","slug":"fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai","status":"publish","type":"gaming","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/gaming\/fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2026\/27 FPL teams with the best opening fixtures according to AI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>There\u2019s a new feel to the start of this FPL season.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the change in calendar, there are five gameweeks before an extended first international break in late September. So, which sides have the best fixtures for those opening spells of games?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Three reasons to join Fantasy Football Hub:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/go.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk\/ai-team-rating?utm_source=squawka&amp;utm_medium=partnership&amp;utm_campaign=preseason-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><em>Get your team rated instantly<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em> by AI for free, simply by uploading a screenshot and then explore your AI recommended transfers.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/go.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk\/landing\/money-back-26?utm_source=squawka&amp;utm_medium=partnership&amp;utm_campaign=preseason-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><em>Win your league or your money back<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>. Fantasy Football Hub are so confident that you\u2019ll win your league following their AI advice, that if you don\u2019t you\u2019ll get a full refund. There\u2019s also 50% off right now.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/app.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><em>A New App, Built to Win<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>. The Fantasy Football Hub App has been rebuilt from scratch, ready for the 2026\/27 season.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/go.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk\/ai-team-rating?utm_source=squawka&amp;utm_medium=partnership&amp;utm_campaign=preseason-2026\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-1024x427.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1478097\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-1024x427.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-768x320.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-400x167.png 400w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-480x200.png 480w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-144x60.png 144w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-150x63.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-178x74.png 178w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Three reasons to join Fantasy Football Hub:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/go.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk\/ai-team-rating?utm_source=squawka&amp;utm_medium=partnership&amp;utm_campaign=preseason-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><em>Get your team rated instantly<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em> by AI for free, simply by uploading a screenshot and then explore your AI recommended transfers.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/go.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk\/landing\/money-back-26?utm_source=squawka&amp;utm_medium=partnership&amp;utm_campaign=preseason-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><em>Win your league or your money back<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>. Fantasy Football Hub are so confident that you\u2019ll win your league following their AI advice, that if you don\u2019t you\u2019ll get a full refund. There\u2019s also 50% off right now.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/app.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><em>A New App, Built to Win<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>. The Fantasy Football Hub App has been rebuilt from scratch, ready for the 2026\/27 season.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/go.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk\/ai-team-rating?utm_source=squawka&amp;utm_medium=partnership&amp;utm_campaign=preseason-2026\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-1024x427.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1478097\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-1024x427.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-768x320.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-400x167.png 400w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-480x200.png 480w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-144x60.png 144w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-150x63.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-178x74.png 178w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-5-man-utd\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Man Utd<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>First five fixtures: <\/strong>Hull (A), Ipswich (H), Everton (A), Man City (H), Fulham (A)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/manchester-united\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Manchester United<\/a> certainly have the best opening pair of fixtures, travelling to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/championship\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Championship<\/a> play-off winners <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/hull-city\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hull City<\/a>, before entertaining fellow promoted side <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/ipswich-town\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ipswich Town<\/a> in Gameweek 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They rank second for clean sheet potential in Gameweek 1, and then top in Gameweek 2, which sees their defensive assets popular. Goalkeeper <strong>Senne Lammens (\u00a35.0m) <\/strong>kept eight clean sheets last season, with six of those coming in the 17 games since Michael Carrick took charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s other sound options in the defence too. <strong>Harry Maguire (\u00a35.0m) <\/strong>poses a significant aerial threat from set-pieces, and <strong>Luke Shaw (\u00a34.5m)<\/strong> started every single league game last season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124236\/image9-1024x768.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1478111\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124236\/image9-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124236\/image9-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124236\/image9-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124236\/image9-356x267.png 356w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124236\/image9-267x200.png 267w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124236\/image9-80x60.png 80w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124236\/image9-150x113.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124236\/image9-99x74.png 99w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124236\/image9.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Bruno Fernandes (\u00a312.0m) <\/strong>earns essential status in the attack and could even be the main captain pick for Ipswich at home in Gameweek 2. He delivered an attacking return in every home game under Michael Carrick last season, including five double-digit hauls in a nine-game period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The strength of the fixtures makes an attacking double up appealing. <strong>Bryan Mbeumo (\u00a38.0m) <\/strong>and <strong>Matheus Cunha (\u00a38.0m) <\/strong>come in at the same price point, wirh little to separate them. Mbeumo gets the slight edge for me, with his minutes more secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-4-man-city\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Man City<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>First five fixtures: <\/strong>Bournemouth (H), Crystal Palace (A), Coventry (H), Man Utd (A), Sunderland (H)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/manchester-city\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Manchester City<\/a> also have a kind run of opening fixtures, with a home tie against Championship winners <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/coventry-city\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Coventry City<\/a> a key highlight. Enzo Maresca has replaced Pep Guardiola after a 10-year spell in charge, making Man City slightly unpredictable. Let\u2019s hope we get less rotation!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maresca has called <strong>Josko Gvardiol (\u00a35.5m), Phil Foden (\u00a37.0m) <\/strong>and <strong>Erling Haaland (\u00a315.5m) <\/strong>the three pillars in his squad. So I\u2019m automatically highly interested in them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gvardiol comes in at a kind price tag compared to teammates <strong>Nico O\u2019Reilly (\u00a36.5m) <\/strong>and <strong>Marc Guehi (\u00a36.0m), <\/strong>in a defence we regularly rely on for clean sheets. He\u2019s averaged five goal involvements a season in his three seasons at the club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I have high hopes that Phil Foden can replicate his form from the 2023\/24 season where he produced 19 goals and eight assists. However, Fantasy Football Hub\u2019s AI predictions suggest that <strong>Antoine Semenyo (\u00a38.5m) <\/strong>and <strong>Jeremy Doku (\u00a37.5m) <\/strong>have similar potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124612\/image2-1024x768.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1478112\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124612\/image2-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124612\/image2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124612\/image2-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124612\/image2-356x267.png 356w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124612\/image2-267x200.png 267w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124612\/image2-80x60.png 80w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124612\/image2-150x113.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124612\/image2-99x74.png 99w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124612\/image2.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Haaland is already in around 75% of fantasy teams, so given the strength of their fixtures, it probably makes sense to add a Man City midfielder into the mix too. Haaland is renowned for making a fast start to the campaign, but World Cup involvement could cause some rare fatigue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-3-arsenal\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Arsenal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>First five fixtures: <\/strong>Coventry (H), Aston Villa (A), Chelsea (H), Sunderland (A), Brighton (A)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Premier League champions <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/arsenal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Arsenal<\/a> kick off the entire campaign on Friday 21st August against Championship winners Coventry at the Emirates. They\u2019ll be big favourites to keep a clean sheet in that fixture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>David Raya (\u00a36.0 million) <\/strong>is up in price by \u00a30.5 million, having kept 19 clean sheets on the way to that historic Premier League title. AI predictions suggest he\u2019s worth the high price tag, projected to be the top-performing goalkeeper over the opening five gameweeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plenty of fantasy managers will be highly motivated to invest in the Gunners back-line following their consistency last campaign. Bt <strong>Gabriel (\u00a38.0 million) <\/strong>sees a price hike of \u00a32.0 million, while fellow centre-back William Saliba will miss the beginning of the season through injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That opens the door for <strong>Cristhian Mosquera (\u00a35.5m) <\/strong>to deputise, providing a significant saving over Gabriel. I prefer <strong>Riccardo Calafiori (\u00a35.5m) <\/strong>at this price point though, and AI predictions also give him the edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124752\/image3-1024x768.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1478113\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124752\/image3-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124752\/image3-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124752\/image3-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124752\/image3-356x267.png 356w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124752\/image3-267x200.png 267w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124752\/image3-80x60.png 80w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124752\/image3-150x113.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124752\/image3-99x74.png 99w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124752\/image3.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Investing in Arsenal\u2019s attack is trickier, especially with <strong>Bukayo Saka (\u00a39.5m) <\/strong>and <strong>Declan Rice (\u00a37.5m) <\/strong>late returning from the World Cup. Doubling up on the Gunners defence is the smarter play here, with the best AI team for Gameweek 1 recommending the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-2-nottingham-forest\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Nottingham Forest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>First five fixtures: <\/strong>Leeds (H), Liverpool (A), Tottenham (H), Aston Villa (A), Coventry (H)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s optimism around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/NOTtingham-forest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nottingham Forest<\/a> going into this new campaign following the recruitment of Oliver Glasner as manager from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/crystal-palace\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Crystal Palace<\/a>. And with no European involvement this season, you\u2019d expect to see an improvement in their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/premier-league\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Premier League<\/a> performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124921\/image4-1024x768.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1478114\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124921\/image4-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124921\/image4-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124921\/image4-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124921\/image4-356x267.png 356w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124921\/image4-267x200.png 267w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124921\/image4-80x60.png 80w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124921\/image4-150x113.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124921\/image4-99x74.png 99w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10124921\/image4.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Neco Williams (\u00a35.0m) <\/strong>stands out as the clear favourite among the Nottingham Forest defence, with clean sheet potential high in their three home games in this spell: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/leeds-united\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Leeds United<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/tottenham-hotspur\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tottenham Hotspur<\/a> and promoted Coventry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We expect them to set up in a 3-4-3 formation, with Williams likely to play high and advanced, providing a similar output to what Daniel Munoz produced at Palace last season, where he registered eight goal involvements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Ola Aina (\u00a34.5m) <\/strong>has similar potential on the opposite flank at a cheaper price point, but he returned just two assists last season, compared to Williams with two goals and three assists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Elliot Anderson is a big miss from the heart of Nottingham Forest\u2019s squad following his departure to Man City this summer, but that should see <strong>Morgan Gibbs-White (\u00a38.0m) <\/strong>take a greater share of set pieces. Keep an eye on striker <strong>Igor Jesus (\u00a36.0m) <\/strong>too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-1-brentford\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Brentford<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>First five fixtures:<\/strong> Tottenham (H), Leeds (A), Sunderland (H), Bournemouth (A), Chelsea (H)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/brentford\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Brentford<\/a> are one of the most settled sides in the Premier League, with managerial consistency provided by Keith Andrews. They narrowly missed out on a chance of European football on goal difference, but from an FPL perspective, that\u2019s good news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Clean sheet potential is seemingly high for their first two home games against Tottenham who finished 17th last season and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/sunderland\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sunderland<\/a>. <strong>Michael Kayode (\u00a34.5m) <\/strong>initially represented good value in the defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10125120\/image6-1024x768.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1478115\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10125120\/image6-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10125120\/image6-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10125120\/image6-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10125120\/image6-356x267.png 356w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10125120\/image6-267x200.png 267w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10125120\/image6-80x60.png 80w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10125120\/image6-150x113.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10125120\/image6-99x74.png 99w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10125120\/image6.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, with news that Sepp van den Berg set to miss the start of the campaign through injury, <strong>Kristoffer Ajer (\u00a34.5m) <\/strong>provides greater routes to points in the Brentford defence, with two assists and nine defensive contribution bonuses from 20 starts last season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When it comes to looking at the Brentford attack, it\u2019s difficult to back against <strong>Igor Thiago (\u00a38.0m) <\/strong>who produced a remarkable 22 goals last season. There\u2019s huge potential for goals in his opening games, knowing he prefers home comforts, plus he\u2019s on penalties.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Club record signing <strong>Mamadou Sangare (\u00a35.5m) <\/strong>comes in at a kind price point with plenty of potential for defensive contribution points. He would have hit the defensive contribution bonus in 18 of 27 appearances in Ligue 1 last season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Fantasy Football Hub is purpose-built to turn FPL managers into FPL winners. From their industry-leading AI to the experts who reveal their teams every gameweek, it\u2019s no surprise tens of thousands of managers gain the edge with the Hub every season. <\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/go.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk\/ai-team-rating?utm_source=squawka&amp;utm_medium=partnership&amp;utm_campaign=preseason-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><em>Get your team rated<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em> today!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/go.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk\/ai-team-rating?utm_source=squawka&amp;utm_medium=partnership&amp;utm_campaign=preseason-2026\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-1024x427.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1478097\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-1024x427.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-768x320.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-400x167.png 400w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-480x200.png 480w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-144x60.png 144w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-150x63.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1-178x74.png 178w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/08\/10115426\/image1.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s a new feel to the start of this FPL season. With the change in calendar, there are five gameweeks before an extended first international break in late September. So, which sides have the best fixtures for those opening spells of games? Three reasons to join Fantasy Football Hub: Three reasons to join Fantasy Football&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":451,"featured_media":1451923,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"fpl opening fixtures","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"The five teams with the best opening five fixtures in the 2026\/27 FPL season according to AI. | FPL tips and advice","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"squawka-category":[],"class_list":["post-1478109","gaming","type-gaming","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The 2026\/27 FPL teams with the best opening fixtures according to AI | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The five teams with the best opening five fixtures in the 2026\/27 FPL season according to AI. | FPL tips and advice\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/gaming\/fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The 2026\/27 FPL teams with the best opening fixtures according to AI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The five teams with the best opening five fixtures in the 2026\/27 FPL season according to AI. | FPL tips and advice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/gaming\/fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Squawka | EN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3EHFY31-1024x683.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"683\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@squawka\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/gaming\\\/fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/gaming\\\/fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai\\\/\",\"name\":\"The 2026\\\/27 FPL teams with the best opening fixtures according to AI | Squawka | EN\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/gaming\\\/fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/gaming\\\/fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/3EHFY31.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-13T10:00:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"The five teams with the best opening five fixtures in the 2026\\\/27 FPL season according to AI. | FPL tips and advice\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/gaming\\\/fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/gaming\\\/fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/gaming\\\/fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/3EHFY31.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/3EHFY31.jpg\",\"width\":7791,\"height\":5194,\"caption\":\"3EHFY31 Arsenal players celebrate their Premier League title with the trophy after the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal in London, England, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo\\\/Kin Cheung)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/gaming\\\/fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Squawka\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Gaming\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/gaming\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"The 2026\\\/27 FPL teams with the best opening fixtures according to AI\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Squawka | EN\",\"description\":\"Football News, Stats, and More...\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The 2026\/27 FPL teams with the best opening fixtures according to AI | Squawka | EN","description":"The five teams with the best opening five fixtures in the 2026\/27 FPL season according to AI. | FPL tips and advice","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/gaming\/fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"The 2026\/27 FPL teams with the best opening fixtures according to AI","og_description":"The five teams with the best opening five fixtures in the 2026\/27 FPL season according to AI. | FPL tips and advice","og_url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/gaming\/fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai\/","og_site_name":"Squawka | EN","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":683,"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3EHFY31-1024x683.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@squawka","twitter_misc":{"Estimated reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/gaming\/fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai\/","url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/gaming\/fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai\/","name":"The 2026\/27 FPL teams with the best opening fixtures according to AI | Squawka | EN","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/gaming\/fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/gaming\/fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3EHFY31.jpg","datePublished":"2026-08-13T10:00:00+00:00","description":"The five teams with the best opening five fixtures in the 2026\/27 FPL season according to AI. | FPL tips and advice","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/gaming\/fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/gaming\/fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/gaming\/fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3EHFY31.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3EHFY31.jpg","width":7791,"height":5194,"caption":"3EHFY31 Arsenal players celebrate their Premier League title with the trophy after the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal in London, England, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo\/Kin Cheung)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/gaming\/fpl-2026-27-teams-best-opening-ai\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Squawka","item":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Gaming","item":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/gaming\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The 2026\/27 FPL teams with the best opening fixtures according to AI"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/","name":"Squawka | EN","description":"Football News, Stats, and More...","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"}]}},"yoast_title":"","yoast_description":"The five teams with the best opening five fixtures in the 2026\/27 FPL season according to AI. | FPL tips and advice","yoast_keyword":"fpl opening fixtures","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/gaming\/1478109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/gaming"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/gaming"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/451"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/gaming\/1478109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1478120,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/gaming\/1478109\/revisions\/1478120"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1451923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1478109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1478109"},{"taxonomy":"squawka-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/squawka-category?post=1478109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}