Fixtures Time!

I've been so swept up in the Euro's this year that I almost forgot about the Premier League fixtures coming out tomorrow. It's a big day in the male side of the Lee family household as we eagerly anticipate the fixtures and immediately look for who Everton and Arsenal are playing on the opening day, when the derbies are, who each team is playing arounc Christmas, where our first away game will be, that sort of thing.

I'll be scouring the internet, including arsenal-mania.com, for rumours tonight as there are usually some correct rumours as to who Arsenal have got on the opening day of the season. Although how they know is beyond me. Funnily enough though, the most exciting thing for me on fixture release day isn't Arsenal's fixtures, it's Everton's, because I go to the majority of their games and look forward to when they play the likes of Liverpool and Man Utd at home.

My Dad says wherever Everton are playing on the opening day of the season, we'll go. Even if it means a mega treck down to Southampton. So I'm personally hoping for that sort of fixture, because it'll be like a bonus game to go to. If they get a home game or an away game at somewhere like Wigan, we'll be going to that anyway, so I'd like one we wouldn't normally go to.

We have the fortune of being in the '6+ away games and season ticket holders' category in the ticketing system at Everton so can go to any game we want pretty much. The only thing I ask is that it's not Arsenal v Everton or Everton v Arsenal on the opening day. (Although last time that happened in 2009, Arsenal won 6-1 at Goodison Park... ah good times.)

So, it's exciting and the fixtures I'll be looking for first will be the opening day games for Everton and Arsenal, when Everton are playing Arsenal, Liverpool, Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea and Tottenham at home and who they play around Christmas. Bring it on!

My predictions for the opening day are:

Arsenal v Aston Villa (new manager sydrome danger)
Everton v West Ham