Premier League Fixture List

Bloody Hell! Who's doing the fixture list? A Liverpool fan?! What a tough start.

Graeme Sharp believes Everton have the chance to make an early statement in the 2017/18 Premier League season after the fixture computer threw out some exciting matches in the opening two months of the campaign.

The Toffees open up with a home clash at Goodison Park against Stoke City on 12 August.

This is quickly followed by four consecutive games against clubs that have qualified for the Champions League in 2017/18, three of which are away from home.

Everton’s second and third matches of the season are at the Etihad Stadium and Stamford Bridge, before returning to Goodison to face Tottenham Hotspur and then next another away trip, this time to Manchester United.

“They are big, big games,” said Blues legend Sharp. “You want to start with a home clash - we’ve got that against Stoke and it will be great for our fans.

“After that, there’s a difficult run of fixtures but I actually think it’s a good time to play those games. Teams will still be bedding down and, although they will have gone through pre-season, they won’t be at their maximum yet.

“For our players, waking up this morning and looking at those fixtures, right away they will be rubbing their hands and thinking: ‘bring it on!’

“Everybody wants to get a good start - of course they do - but it’s also important to remember that the season doesn’t revolve around the opening five or six matches. It’s a long campaign.

“The fixtures are the fixtures - there’s not a lot you can do about it but the early games are the type you want as players.

“We’ll prepare in pre-season and I’m sure Ronald Koeman will have the boys fired up for the exciting start to the season.”

There are three away matches Sharp is particularly looking forward to this coming season.

Everton make their first-ever journey to Brighton & Hove Albion’s Amex Stadium in mid-October, while the penultimate away match is at Huddersfield where the Toffees last travelled to for a League Cup tie in 1998.

With Tottenham Hotspur currently in the process of relocating to a new stadium, Blues boss Koeman will take his team to their temporary home at Wembley Stadium in January.

“It will be interesting to see how Tottenham adapt - they played in those surroundings in the Champions League and suffered," added Sharp. "Certainly for our supporters, they all want a trip to Wembley in the domestic cup semi-finals and finals but they will definitely be looking forward to going there in January.

“Huddersfield isn’t too far for us to travel, although Brighton is. Going to those grounds will be something new for the fans.

“But the Premier League is a cut-throat business and when we go to those grounds and away from home, we have to focus on us and try to have a successful season.”

Everton