Manchester United will likely once again be relying heavily on Cristiano Ronaldo if they are to revive their fortunes in 2022/23.
The Portuguese superstar was one of the few standout performers for the Red Devils in a largely underwhelming 2021/22, as United faltered to finish sixth in the Premier League — a massive 35 points adrift of their rivals from across Manchester, as City won the title.
That uninspiring campaign ultimately cost both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and then Ralf Rangnick their jobs, with Erik ten Hag announced as the new man at the helm ahead of this season, fresh from leading Ajax to the Eredivisie title.
Ten Hag has already made known his admiration for Ronaldo, who looks set to be central to his plans.
Here, The Sporting News takes a look at Ronaldo's upcoming matches and his records against the Premier League's 'Big Six.'
When is Cristiano Ronaldo playing for Manchester United in 2022/23?
Ronaldo will be in action in the Premier League on the following dates, fitness permitting. The fixtures are also subject to change as the schedule moves due to broadcast requirements.
| Match | Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Time (BST) | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun, Aug. 7 | Brighton | H | 2 p.m. | 9 a.m. |
| 2 | Sat, Aug. 13 | Brentford | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 3 | Sat, Aug. 20 | Liverpool | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 4 | Sat, Aug. 27 | Southampton | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 5 | Tue, Aug. 30 | Leicester City | A | 7.45 p.m. | 2.45 p.m. |
| 6 | Sat, Sept. 3 | Arsenal | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 7 | Sat, Sept. 10 | Crystal Palace | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 8 | Sat, Sept. 17 | Leeds United | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 9 | Sat, Oct. 1 | Manchester City | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 10 | Sat, Oct. 8 | Everton | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 11 | Sat, Oct. 15 | Newcastle United | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 12 | Wed, Oct. 19 | Tottenham | H | 8 p.m. | 3 p.m. |
| 13 | Sat, Oct. 22 | Chelsea | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 14 | Sat, Oct. 29 | West Ham | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 15 | Sat, Nov. 5 | Aston Villa | A | 3 p.m. | 9 a.m. |
| 16 | Sat, Nov. 12 | Fulham | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 17 | Mon, Dec. 26 | Nottingham Forest | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 18 | Sat, Dec. 31 | Wolves | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 19 | Mon, Jan. 2 | Bournemouth | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 20 | Sat, Jan. 14 | Manchester City | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 21 | Sat, Jan. 21 | Arsenal | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 22 | Sat, Feb. 4 | Crystal Palace | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 23 | Sat, Feb. 11 | Leeds United | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 24 | Sat, Feb. 18 | Leicester City | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 25 | Sat, Feb. 25 | Brentford | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 26 | Sat, March 4 | Liverpool | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 27 | Sat, March 11 | Southampton | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 28 | Sat, March 18 | Brighton | A | 3 p.m. | 11 a.m. |
| 29 | Sat, April 1 | Newcastle United | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 30 | Sat, April 8 | Everton | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 31 | Sat, April 15 | Nottingham Forest | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 32 | Sat, April 22 | Chelsea | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 33 | Tue, April 25 | Tottenham | A | 7.45 p.m. | 2.45 p.m. |
| 34 | Sat, April 29 | Aston Villa | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 35 | Sat, May 6 | West Ham | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 36 | Sat, May 13 | Wolves | H | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 37 | Sat, May 20 | Bournemouth | A | 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| 38 | Sun, May 28 | Fulham | H | 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. |
What is Cristiano Ronaldo's record against the Premier League 'Big Six'?
Ronaldo is a big-game player, as his record against the other members of the Premier League's traditional 'Big Six' shows.
He is unbeaten in Premier League matches against Tottenham, winning nine of his 13 games against them, while also being directly involved in 14 goals (scoring eight times).
The Portugal captain has also scored seven times in 13 appearances against Arsenal, although his record against the Gunners is mixed overall, winning only five times against them.
Chelsea are the team Ronaldo has had the least success against among the 'Big Six' to date, winning three and losing four of his 12 meetings with the Blues heading into 2022/23, while scoring only once. He did, however, score in his only game against them in the UEFA Champions League, helping United to win the 2008 final.
Ronaldo has also scored and remained unbeaten against Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal in the Champions League, as well as netting four times in four appearances against Tottenham in Europe.
Manchester United's confirmed pre-season schedule
| Date | Opponents | Location | Time (BST) | Time (ET) |
| Tues, July 12 | Liverpool | Rajamangala Stadium (Bangkok, Thailand) | 14:00 | 09:00 |
| Fri, July 15 | Melbourne Victory | Melbourne Cricket Ground (Australia) | 12:00 | 07:00 |
| Tues, July 19 | Crystal Palace | Melbourne Cricket Ground (Australia) | 12:00 | 07:00 |
| Sat, July 23 | Aston Villa | Optus Stadium (Perth, Australia) | 10:45 | 05:45 |
| Sat, July 30 | Atletico Madrid | Ullevaal Stadium (Oslo, Norway) | 13:00 | 08:00 |
| Sun, July 31 | Rayo Vallecano | Old Trafford | 16:00 | 11:00 |
Premier League TV channels, live streams
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| TV channel | Sky Sports, BT Sport | USA Network, Telemundo, Universo | — | — |
| Streaming | NOW TV, Sky Go, Amazon Prime | fuboTV, Peacock | fuboTV | Optus Sport |
UK: Matches are carried across Sky Sports and BT Sport streaming and TV platforms, with select matches on Amazon Prime.
USA: Select matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels can be streamed on fuboTV. The rest of the matches are streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.
Canada: Every Premier League game streams live and on demand exclusively via fuboTV.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream matches live and on demand on Optus Sport.