Five fixtures for West Brom fans to circle in the diary

With no local derbies in the 2016/17 season for West Brom supporters to look forward to, Albion reporter Matt Wilson picks out five fixtures for fans to circle in the diary.

moreThe Baggies kick off their 2016/17 Premier League campaign on August, 13, with a trip to Tony Pulis's old team Crystal Palace and their first game at The Hawthorns is a week later against Ronald Koeman's Everton.

The last three games of the season are Burnley (a), Chelsea (h), and Swansea (a), but the computer hasn't been kind to the club's festive schedule, sending them to Arsenal on Boxing Day and Southampton on New Year's Eve.

But which other fixtures should Albion fans be keeping an eye on?

1) Stoke (a) - September, 24

After Aston Villa's relegation last season, the Baggies are the only West Midlands club left in the Premier League.

Stoke are 40 miles away, but Mark Hughes's side now provide the nearest competition in the top tier, making the two games against the Potters the local derby for next season.

Add to that the fact Tony Pulis managed Stoke for a total of 10 years and it could become a big game.

For years the Staffordshire side were Albion's bogey team, but Pulis broke that hoodoo when he joined the Baggies and he did the double over his old team last season.

2) Manchester City (h) – October, 29

Pep Guardiola won everything at Barcelona before joining German giants Bayern Munich.

Three titles later, he comes to Manchester off the back of a double-winning season, promising to bring his tiki-taka passing game to the Premier League.

City will be hot favourites for the title next season, but Guardiola hasn't come up against a Tony Pulis side yet.

The Welshman will no doubt be licking his lips at the opportunity to frustrate one of the world's most revered managers.

3) Manchester United (h) – December, 17

Albion beat Louis van Gaal's team 1-0 at The Hawthorns last season and they drew 5-5 with United in Sir Alex's Ferguson final ever game in the hot seat.

But it'll be interesting to see what sort of team new boss Jose Mourinho brings to The Hawthorns just before Christmas.

By then United could be slugging it out at the top with City, or if last season is anything to go by, Mourinho could be struggling to keep his job.

This fixture takes place exactly a year after the Special One was sacked by Chelsea.

4) Middlesbrough (a) – January, 31

After seven years in the Championship, Boro are back in the big time.

Their fellow promoted sides Hull and Burnley have both bounced straight back from relegation so many Albion away fans will be circling this long trip to the Riverside in their diaries.

But the big question still remains to be answered. Will James Morrison be wearing the red of his home town club or the blue and white stripes of the Baggies?

5) Burnley (a) – May, 6

Hopefully the Baggies won't be worried about relegation come next May, but if they are, this fixture will probably be a must-win.

The four games leading up to it are Southampton, Liverpool, Manchester City and Leicester. The match afterwards is against Chelsea.

Sean Dyche's team may also be scrapping it out at the bottom of the table so there's a potential that this could be a six-pointer.

Of course, both teams could also be clear of trouble, making this a nice relaxing trip to Turf Moor to enjoy in the May sunshine.