Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has described their start to the season as "incredibly tough".
The eagerly awaited fixture release day handed Stoke an opening day trip to newly promoted Reading, whilst Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United all lie in wait before the end of October.
"It's an incredibly tough start to the season for us, there is no doubting that," Begovic told stokecityfc.com.
"That said we are relishing the opportunity of testing ourselves against those sides so early in the season.
"We did well against the big teams last season, especially at the Britannia Stadium, so we can take heart from that and hopefully try to build upon that when the new season comes around."