14 banana skins and defining games for Arne Slot in his first season at Liverpool

Arne Slot will now be finalizing his plans for his first season in charge of Liverpool.

With the Reds’ Premier League fixtures now confirmed for the 2024/25 campaign, the new era at Anfield comes into focus following Jurgen Klopp’s departure. We still have a few months to go before things kick off at Ipswich in August, but all eyes will be on Slot as he looks to continue the good work of his predecessor.

Already fans will be marking their calendars with all the key fixtures for the new season, with some big games – and potential banana skins – along the way. Liverpool.com took a look at some of these key figures.

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Ipswich Town (A) – 17 August

Starting with the first game, you don’t get much more banana skin than a promoted team playing their first season in the top flight for 22 years. In addition, the Reds will start in the dreaded 12.30pm kick-off.

Slott will be keen to get off to the perfect start in his first competitive game, but while Liverpool will be favorites against Ipswich, the Premier League has done the Reds no favors here.

Manchester United (A) – 31 August

Slot will get his first taste of a Liverpool-Manchester United clash at Old Trafford in just his third game in charge. Despite dominating games in 2023/24 and finishing 22 points ahead of their arch-rivals, the Reds failed to beat their arch-rivals last season – they will want to put that right.

Crystal Palace (A) – 5 October

Liverpool’s title challenge really collapsed after their 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Anfield in April. Oliver Glasner’s side have gone from strength to strength since then and a trip to Selhurst Park could be a daunting prospect if the Eagles can continue the kind of form they showed at the end of last season.

Arsenal (A) – 26 October

The first of the real big guns from last season and it’s a trip to North London for Slott’s first meeting with Arsenal. The Reds had mixed fortunes at the Emirates last season, winning there in the FA Cup before falling to defeat in the league.

Manchester City (H) – 30 November

If Liverpool are to play in the title race next season, they will almost certainly have to beat Manchester City once again. The Reds were unlucky not to win this game last season, with City barely hanging on for a point thanks in no small part to a howler from the referee and VAR.

Everton (A) – December 7

Slot’s first Merseyside derby will be at Goodison Park – not only that, but it could be his last at the ground. Revenge after the 2-0 defeat in April will no doubt be on the minds of Liverpool’s players.

Tottenham (A) – December 21

Liverpool return to the scene of the biggest VAR mistake just before Christmas. Luis Diaz’s disallowed goal still makes the blood boil to this day and hopefully Slott can banish those memories on his first trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Manchester United (H) – January 4

A game that could be moved due to FA Cup commitments, but whenever it happens, United at Anfield is a game that could dictate Slot’s relationship with the supporters.

Brentford (A) – January 18

It was a simple enough affair last season, but away from home Brentford always offer the potential for a banana skin. Ivan Toney might not be there by then, but Thomas Frank sure knows how to make things uncomfortable for the big parties.

Manchester City (A) – February 22

We’ll have a much better idea of ​​Liverpool’s title chances by this point, and if the Reds are in the mix, that could decide who comes out on top. It could be Pep Guardiola’s last season in charge of City and what better way for Slot to mark the new era than to send him off with a defeat.

Aston Villa (A) – March 15

How will Aston Villa cope with Champions League football? You’d expect Unai Emery’s side to leave Europe in March, but will they be back in the race for the top four?

Everton (H) – April 2

Slot’s first derby at Anfield. No ifs, no buts, this is a must play for him.

Chelsea (A) – 3 May

Liverpool have quite a tough end-of-season fixture, starting with a trip to Stamford Bridge at the start of May. There are almost always a few rearranged games to fit around this time as well, so it’s imperative to start the last month off right.

Arsenal (H) – 10 May

How big could this game be? If Slot has Liverpool in the title race by this point, it could very well make or break his chances of a perfect first season in charge.