Everton 2015/16 Premier League fixtures announced

Roberto Martinez’s Everton will start at home against newly promoted Watford as the Premier League released the 2015/16 fixtures.

Everton will be hoping for a better season than last time out and will be hoping Martinez can replicate the success of the 2013/14 season, but they have been handed a tough start including fixtures against newly promoted Watford, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea within the first two months.

The first Merseyside derby of the season will be played at Goodison Park on October 3rd. This fixture will probably be moved for TV and Liverpool would have a Europa League fixture, should they qualify for the group stages. Everton will travel to Anfield on February 27th for the return fixture, hoping to break a 17-year wait for a victory.

Festive cheer?

The festive period has produced some tricky games for the Toffees to navigate. Trips to Norwich City and Newcastle United, the traditional Boxing Day game, will not be easy for Everton. With home games against Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Stoke City, Everton will be looking to give their fans some festive cheer but they won’t be handed gifts from those games.

Everton will be hoping for a better finish than the 11th placed finish of last season, and will be targeting a return to form and to be challenging for the Champions League and Europa League spots in the league table.

With no Europa League distractions, Everton will be playing one game a week for the majority of the season, giving them a chance to recover between games. With a relatively small and older squad compared to most of the Premier League, Everton will be able to rest older players like Gareth Barry and Phil Jagielka - who are key players but played the majority of last season despite their age.

They will finish the season off with a trip to Leicester City and the final home game against Norwich City. These games could see either side battling against relegation and would give Everton a tough end to the season and with no room to relax when wrapping their league campaign.