It’s Fixture Day! The schedule for the 2017-18 Premier League was released today, an always exciting time that allows for fans of their favorite Premier League clubs to start obsessing and worrying months before balls are actually kicked.
Tottenham Hotspur fans are no exception. Spurs will open their season in the wilderness at newly promoted Newcastle United, before hosting the defending champions Chelsea at Wembley Stadium in week 2.
As we do every season, first let’s take a look at the full schedule. Then let’s break it down.
2017-18 Tottenham Hotspur Schedule
Date | Team | Time |
---|---|---|
Date | Team | Time |
August | ||
Sat 12 Aug | @ Newcastle | 15:00 |
Sat 19 Aug | CHELSEA | 15:00 |
Sat 26 Aug | BURNLEY | 15:00 |
September | ||
Sat 9 Sep | @ Everton | 15:00 |
Sat 16 Sep | SWANSEA CITY | 15:00 |
Sat 23 Sep | @ West Ham | 15:00 |
Sat 30 Sep | @ Huddersfield Town | 15:00 |
October | ||
Sat 14 Oct | BOURNEMOUTH | 15:00 |
Sat 21 Oct | LIVERPOOL | 15:00 |
Sat 28 Oct | @ Manchester United | 15:00 |
November | ||
Sat 4 Nov | CRYSTAL PALACE | 15:00 |
Sat 18 Nov | @ Arsenal | 15:00 |
Sat 25 Nov | WEST BROM | 15:00 |
Tue 28 Nov | @ Leicester | 19:45 |
December | ||
Sat 2 Dec | @ Watford | 15:00 |
Sat 9 Dec | STOKE CITY | 15:00 |
Wed 13 Dec | BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION | 20:00 |
Sat 16 Dec | @ Manchester City | 15:00 |
Sat 23 Dec | @ Burnley | 15:00 |
Tue 26 Dec | SOUTHAMPTON | 15:00 |
Sat 30 Dec | WEST HAM | 15:00 |
January | ||
Mon 1 Jan | @ Swansea City | 15:00 |
Sat 13 Jan | EVERTON | 15:00 |
Sat 20 Jan | @ Southampton | 15:00 |
Wed 31 Jan | MANCHESTER UNITED | 20:00 |
February | ||
Sat 3 Feb | @ Liverpool | 15:00 |
Sat 10 Feb | ARSENAL | 15:00 |
Sat 24 Feb | @ Crystal Palace | 15:00 |
March | ||
Sat 3 Mar | HUDDERSFIELD TOWN | 15:00 |
Sat 10 Mar | @ Bournemouth | 15:00 |
Sat 17 Mar | NEWCASTLE | 15:00 |
Sat 31 Mar | @ Chelsea | 15:00 |
April | ||
Sat 7 Apr | @ Stoke City | 15:00 |
Sat 14 Apr | MANCHESTER CITY | 15:00 |
Sat 21 Apr | @ Brighton & Hove Albion | 15:00 |
Sat 28 Apr | WATFORD | 15:00 |
May | ||
Sat 5 May | @ West Brom | 15:00 |
Sun 13 May | LEICESTER CITY | 15:00 |
Spurs open the season away... again
Death, taxes, Tottenham Hotspur starting the league season away. For the seventh consecutive year, Tottenham will play their first fixture on the road, this time against Newcastle. You have to go back to the 2010-11 season, when Spurs opened against Manchester City, to find the last time Tottenham played their first league match at home. In fact, Spurs will have opened the league twice against Newcastle before they open the season with a match in front of a friendly crowd, and they’ve only started nine of their last 27 week 1 fixtures at home.
I don’t know if this season’s fixture is by design or not. With Spurs playing at Wembley this coming season there could be scheduling reasons why they are again away, but holy crap. After a certain point you have to wonder if there’s something fishy going on, or if the Premier League computer just hates us.
Also, this will be the first time Spurs will travel to St. James’ Park since, y’know, that game. The one we don’t talk about.
Late October - November, and January - February look BRUTAL
There are tough patches in every league schedule, but if you want to circle a couple of key points of the season next year, look at late October through November, and then again January into February 2018. Beginning October 21, Spurs host Liverpool, travel to Old Trafford, host Crystal Palace, and then play an away North London Derby in consecutive weeks. That’s a tough stretch.
But that’s nothing compared to January-Feburary, which will see Spurs play Everton, at Southampton, Manchester United, at Liverpool, Arsenal, and at Palace. If Spurs are going to be title contenders, that’s a stretch in which they will need to do well.
The holiday fixture period looks crammed, as usual
Spurs got somewhat of a reprieve last year from the insane holiday fixture period thanks to the kindness of the scheduling gods and that they were knocked out of the League Cup early. But this year, Spurs are scheduled to play four games in nine days, a staggering example of fixture congestion. Between December 23 and New Year’s Day, Spurs will play at Burnley, whill host Southampton and West Ham, and play Swansea in Wales. Thankfully there are no top six teams in that stretch, but Spurs will need to dig deep and rotate to make it through that period.
The run-in looks pretty good
Between the start of April and the end of the season, Spurs play only one “top six” club, and it’s home to Manchester City on April 14. Otherwise, the run to the end of the season looks pretty manageable. Spurs close the year home to Leicester City.
What are your thoughts on Tottenham Hotspur’s 2017-18 fixture list? Are you pleased? Upset? Are there areas that worry you, and does this impact your expectations for Tottenham’s transfer window in any way? Have your say in the comments.