Anyone game for some vital fixture list statistics?

Now that the Football League and the Premier League have completed the extraordinarily complicated process of compiling next season’s fixtures, it’s time for some fate-bating statistics. And who better to provide them than our trend-spotting chums at chickendinner:

1. The last five newly-promoted teams to kick their season off at home all avoided defeat, which is good news for Wolves who open against West Ham.

2. However, the last four to start away from home have all lost. That doesn’t bode well for Birmingham and Burnley, who start at Manchester Utd and Stoke.

3. Chelsea have won their opening game in each of the last seven seasons and this year they kick-off their campaign at home to Hull.

4. Not since Wimbledon in 1999-00 has a team been relegated after winning an away game on the opening day. Of the likely strugglers, Burnley probably have the best chance away to Stoke while Sunderland could ensure they steer clear of a relegation battle this season by winning at Bolton.

5. Arsenal start the season away to Everton. The Gunners have started just four previous Premier League campaigns on the road, but they have finished two of those as champions and two as runners-up.

6. West Ham and Portsmouth are set to meet on Boxing Day for the fourth time in five seasons. Three of this year’s Boxing Day fixtures are repeats of last year’s- only in reverse - as Arsenal again face Aston Villa, and Fulham meet Spurs. In addition, there are clashes with notable similarities to last year’s December 26 meetings - Chelsea face Birmingham instead of West Brom and Stoke face Manchester City rather than Manchester Utd.