Everton face tough start to 2017/18 Premier League season

Everton will play four of last year's top-six in the opening five games of the 2017/18 season.

The Blues will begin the new campaign at home to Stoke City, before facing Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in a challenging start to the season.

Challenging start to 2017/18 season

Ronald Koeman's side begin their season with a Europa League qualifier on 27 July and 3 August, but their first domestic fixture will be a home fixture against Stoke City on the opening day of the new Premier League season (Saturday 12 August).

The Dutchman will then take his side to the Etihad Stadium (19 August) and Stamford Bridge (26 August), before hosting Tottenham Hotspur (9 September) and travelling to Old Trafford to play Manchester United (16 September).

The month of September is rounded off with two home fixtures against Bournemouth (23 September) and Burnley (30 September). The Blues' first game against the newly promoted sides is a visit to Brighton (14 October), before a home tie against Arsenal (21 October) and an away trip to 2015/16 champions Leicester City (28 October).

November begins with a home fixture against Watford (4 November), before successive away trips to Crystal Palace (18 November) and Southampton (25 November). The month ends with the Blues welcoming West Ham United to Goodison Park on Wednesday 29 November.

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A busy festive period, including a trip to Anfield

Championship play-off winners Huddersfield Town will travel to Goodison on Saturday 2 December at the start of a busy month for the Blues amid a run of seven games in 28 days during the final month of the year. The first Merseyside derby of the season takes place at Anfield on 9 December for only the second time in the last 15 seasons.

Everton supporters will be hoping that this is an omen as the last time the Blues won an Anfield derby was 1999, when the Anfield derby was the first of the season. The Blues will then play against Newcastle United (13 December) and Swansea City (16 December), before they host Chelsea on 23 December and travel to West Bromwich Albion on Boxing Day.

A long away day at Bournemouth is how Everton will finish the calendar year, before beginning 2018 with a home fixture against Manchester United on New Year's Day. A trip to Wembley Stadium is next for the Toffees (13 January), with Tottenham playing their home games in 2017/18 at the national stadium. Koeman's side will then welcome West Brom (20 January) and Leicester City (31 January) to Goodison Park before the end of January.

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The final few months

Everton will make two trips to London in February to play Arsenal (3 February) and Watford (24 February), while they will welcome another London club to Goodison Park when they host Crystal Palace on 10 February. March will see away trips to Burnley and Stoke City as well as home fixtures against Brighton and Manchester City.

The Goodison derby is set for 7 April, with the run-in pitching Everton against Swansea City (a), Newcastle United (h), Huddersfield Town (a), Southampton (h), before the Blues end their season with a trip to the Olympic Stadium to play West Ham United.

The final Premier League game might not, however, be Everton's final game of the campaign with the Europa League final taking place on Wednesday 16 April at Parc Olympique Lyonnais in France and the FA Cup final taking place on Saturday 19 May.

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