The fixtures screen is the ideal place to take stock of your club's performance.

Click on the scoreline of a previous game and you can review the details of that match.

Click on the blank scoreline space for a forthcoming match and the panel at the bottom of the screen reveals an overview of the match details, listing players from both sides who are likely to be unavailable to play. This is a good starting point when you come to plan your line-up.

The 'View' option enables you to see all dates or view other dates due to come up in the calendar. These options are useful when you want to arrange a Friendly and, in the case of the 'Show Important Dates' option, they allow you to see whether your opponents are likely to be involved in potentially tiring games in the build up to your clash. In other words, if you're facing a side in a top continental competition, for instance, it will pay to know when their next gruelling away tie will take place. You can also change the view to show the goalscorers in each fixture.

The Past Meetings button brings up a table showing previous encounters between your side and the highlighted club. This option is useful for seeing how your players fared against their opposite numbers and should be considered when you come to make changes to your approach in Tactics. You can also use the past meetings option to inform your media comments in the build up to a game. If a respectful build up to your previous encounter didn't bear dividends, it may be time to issue a rabble-rousing verbal assault on your rival boss.

The 'Arrange Friendly' option enables you to approach a team and set conditions for a suggested match-up. When you click this option the split-screen panel on the left shows you the dates your team is free to play. Left-click to select one, then use the panel on the right to choose your prospective opponent and alter the rules for the match.

When arranging Tours, you can select multiple dates (up to a maximum of four opponents) by simply clicking on the dates you wish to play on. From there, you select your opponent in the same manner as with a regular friendly match. This also applies for custom Cup and League competitions.

In pre-season you should be careful not to select opponents that are greatly stronger than your own side. A demoralising drubbing on the eve of the new season will do few professionals any favours.

Note that, when you select an opponent, an estimation of the revenue you'll gain from the encounter will show you how lucrative the match will be. Friendlies are a great way to raise funds, but you'll only attract teams if you offer them enough of the pot to make it worth their while. Around half of the pot is usually fine, unless you're a big club playing a minnow, in which case you can afford to offer a far larger slice of the revenue.