The Premier League roars back into life this weekend as the misery of the international break comes to an end.
With a double derby to look forward to in the form of Arsenal vs Tottenham and Manchester United vs Manchester City, fans have a feast of football to look forward to.
The north London derby kicks it all off with Spurs looking for their first win at the Emirates in many a year while Man United have the unenviable task of slowing down a certain Erling Haaland.
However, after Eric ten Hag won the Premier League Manager of the Month award and with United looking better and better with each passing week, they will be quietly confident of getting one over their neighbours.
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As a whole, teams will be casting a wearied eye to the weeks ahead though with the upcoming schedule a real cause for concern for top-flight squads.
The brutal Premier League schedule ahead of the World Cup
To put it simply, Premier League teams are in for a world of hurt over the next month as they embark on a relentless run of fixtures.
Ahead of the winter World Cup, the major European leagues are looking to cram as much football into the month and a bit remaining before the global carnival kicks off in Qatar.
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The Premier League in particular is set to be a bit of whirlwind with sides set to endure just two day breaks between games while others will spend those days travelling two and from Europe for continental competition.
Graphic highlights the stacked Premier League schedule
A graphic that has been doing the rounds on Reddit alarmingly highlights just how brutal the coming weeks are going to be, branding it '44 days of madness'.
As you looks up and down the graphic, you begin to realise that that title isn't sensationalised at all, with fixtures hidden away in little corners of the weeks counting down to Qatar.
You can check out the graphic below:
Graphic highlights each Premier League team's schedule ahead of the World Cup
'Madness' almost feels like an understatement when you look at that.
Chelsea, among others, to play 13 times ahead of the World Cup
Take Chelsea as just one example. Their longest break between a game will be a four day stretch in mid-October before they fluctuate between two and three-day gaps between games.
For those not in European competition, there will be a little more respite but you can't help but fear for those squads that are a little thinner on the ground than those of the heavy-hitting, mega-rich clubs.
Fulham can look forward to the easiest ride into the World Cup, as they have just eight fixtures to negotiate between now and kick-off.