Sam Allardyce is eager to start the new Premier League campaign after speaking to the Black Cats’ “?official website, and is already relishing his first fixture of the season.
The upcoming Premier League campaign will see Sunderland travel to Manchester City on the opening day of the campaign, after the full fixture list was announced this morning.
First up for Pep Guardiola and @MCFC, it’s @OfficialBigSam and @SunderlandAFC at the Etihad Stadium #PLfixtures pic.twitter.com/plBi4gDI3K
Sunderland will then host rivals Middlesbrough for the first Wear-Tees derby since 2009 in their first home match, a fixture the fans will look forward to after the relegation of bitter rivals Newcastle.
The North-East side will end the Premier League campaign with a tricky away fixture to Chelsea on the closing day of the season
Sam Allardyce is said to be holding the same excitement ahead of the 2016-17 season, speaking to “?safc.com he said:
”Fixture release day is always an exciting time for the fans as they get set for the new campaign”?
Although it’s a tough start to the new season for Big Sam, away at the Eitihad, the Sunderland boss is looking forward to the challenge:
“We have a tough start, facing Manchester City in Pep Guardiola’s first game on the opening day of the season, but it’s definitely a fixture we’ll be looking forward to, you’ve got to relish these games.”
“Meanwhile Middlesbrough in the first home game is a great fixture.”?
Allardyce’s squad are set to return for pre-season in the upcoming weeks to prepare themselves for the new season in an attempt to build on their 17th place finish last term as they head into their 10th consecutive season in the top flight:
“We know we need to start better than we did last season and everything we do in pre-season will be geared towards making that happen.”
FIXTURES: The 2016-17 @premierleague fixtures have been announced… #FixtureReleaseDay pic.twitter.com/o319tvjBa5
With only a few weeks remaining until the players return for their holidays, or in the case for John O’Shea, Seb Larsson and Giaccherini from the European Championships, Big Sam is keen to start the hard work:
“There’s only a couple of weeks to go until the players return for training and then the hard work will begin.”
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