There has been a lot of controversy boiling around fixture releases in the last couple of weeks, as the London stadium, due to hold the IAAF World Athletics Championship in August, was also to hold Southampton’s opening fixture.
Meanwhile, Charlton Athletic was subject to a duplicate fixture date in the EFL cup.
Southampton Football Club has agreed therefore to swap their reverse fixtures around to make way for the athletics tournament, while Charlton AFC will travel away to Exeter, not Cheltenham Town.
The Premier League fixture list was announced a week ago, as Saints were drawn Swansea City at home in their first match and West Ham away. However, they will now begin with back-to-back home ties to Swansea and West Ham, two tough ties but at least they’re at home.
Next up in August, they travel to the latest team to enter the Premier League Huddersfield Town, where there is no indication yet how much of a test this could prove.
Their first big six clash of the season is against Manchester United, which will be played at St Mary’s Stadium and promises to be a sell-out. Here was the build-up last season:
They play Brighton in their first derby fixture on 28th October, at the Amex Stadium, another new team to the English top flight, and will prove stern opposition for the Southampton Saints.
Both teams are rumoured to have been fighting for Manchester City midfielder Aaron Mooy. However, Huddersfield Town, where Mooy has spent the season out on loan, are very close to signing the player valued around £10,000,000.
Huddersfield Town are ready to clinch a record £10m deal to sign Manchester City midfielder Aaron Mooy this summer. [Sun] pic.twitter.com/WuXULPV4lc
— City Chief (@City_Chief) June 15, 2017
On 18th November 2017 Southampton faces an away fixture with Liverpool, a match that every football supporter shall have one eye on, with the possibility of Virgil van Dijk playing for the home side along with former Saints players Sadio Mané, Nathaniel Clyne, and Adam Lallana.
It isn’t the worst run in we’ve ever seen, however, there are three newly promoted sides, with the likes of Newcastle looking to come back to their best and an impressive Brighton side performing well under Chris Hughton. Do not underestimate the quality of David Wagner either.
Given the recent fixture controversies, it will be a relief once the real fixtures begin to get underway.
Southampton will begin their Emirates FA Cup journey on Saturday 6th January 2018 in the third round, but we will have to wait until after the 2nd December for the exact fixture, once the second round results have unfolded.
They will be no means be underdogs this year, having reached the final phase of the competition last year, narrowly missing out on the trophy vís-a-vís a late goal from Zlatan Ibrahimovic.