12 Key Dates and Fixtures for Tottenham Hotspur in 2012-13

With goings on at Euro 2012 dominating most things football this summer, the announcement of the Premier League fixtures for the upcoming season were not quite as hotly anticipated as they would have been in a summer without competitive action to keep fans occupied.

Nonetheless, the release of dates for the 2012-13 season is still welcome, serving as a reminder that club football will be back again before we know it.

For Tottenham Hotspur, this news brings with it some of the only certainty they can count on right now (subject to dates being changed in accordance with Europa League and television games) as they search for a new manager to replace Harry Redknapp.

A summer of fresh starts, if not upheaval, awaits the White Hart Lane club as they wait to see what the new man has in mind.

Yet, even if Redknapp had not been sacked, the campaign ahead promised to be an as Tottenham attempt to maintain their recent position among the Premier League's elite.

Whatever Tottenham's prospects, there are certain fixtures that players and supporters alike always look to forward to, with the hope being several of these will also carry with them the importance of having implications at the top end of the Premier League.

The season starts away at Newcastle United on the weekend of Aug. 18, beyond that, here are 12 more key dates and fixtures for Spurs...

Saturday, Sept. 22: Queens Park Rangers at Home

Tottenham's first London derby of the season sees them play host to last season's unlikely survival act Queens Park Rangers.

Spurs comfortably beat them 3-1 at home but found QPR a much tougher proposition by the time they met again in April with five games remaining.

Mark Hughes does not want another relegation battle on their hands, which will mean they will want to get off to the best start possible, ensuring this September meeting could be an extremely competitive early season encounter with capital pride at stake.

Sept. 25/26: Capital One Cup Third Round

Tottenham make their entry into the League Cup, this year re-branded the Capital One Cup, in the Third Round due to their involvement in the Europa League this season.

Four years and counting since Spurs's last piece of silverware, when they beat Chelsea to win the then-Carling Cup, this competition will once more provide one of their best hopes of securing some silverware.

After being drawn away at Stoke City in the competition last season, a fixture a young side lost on penalties, a kinder draw will be hoped for as they attempt to make their way in the competition again.

Saturday, Sept. 29: Manchester United Away

With due respect to the teams Tottenham face prior to this, the meeting with Manchester United in late September will provide one of the first serious tests of their credentials as a legitimate top four threat this season.

The corresponding fixture last season was Spurs' first of the campaign after their original opening fixture against Everton had to be postponed following riots in London.

Though early in the season again, they will be grateful to avoid last season's runners-up straight away, and will be hopeful of building up some positive momentum in their early fixtures heading into this.

Saturday, Oct. 20: Chelsea at Home

Chelsea's Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich secured them another crack at the competition for this season, at the expense of the place Tottenham had earned by right of finishing fourth in the Premier League.

So, then, expect a fiery atmosphere at the Lane for this one, with Chelsea supporters keen to gloat at getting one up over their rivals while Spurs seek to exact a measure of revenge.

Saturday, Nov. 17: Arsenal Away

The last time Tottenham met their north London neighbours, Arsenal came back from two goals down to win 5-2 at the Emirates stadium in a victory that derailed Spurs' promising season with devastating effect and let the Gunners back in the race for third place.

For what this season has in store for these fierce rivals we will have to wait and see, but derby games rarely come as enthralling as the ones these two clubs serve up on a consistent basis.

Saturday, Nov. 24: West Ham United at Home

Straight after one derby game is another, as West Ham United take on Spurs for the first time since being promoted from The Championship in May's Playoff final at Wembley.

Spurs Player of the Season for 2011-12 was in West Ham colors the last time these two met, moving onto White Hart Lane following the East End club's relegation.

The Hammers fans will not have taken kindly to seeing their old hero become a favourite of the supporters of their hated rivals, and going by past experience with Jermain Defoe, will not greet him too kindly on their trip to White Hart Lane.

Wednesday, Dec. 26/Boxing Day: Aston Villa Away

The Christmas period is one of the most exciting parts of the Premier League season, with fixtures coming thick and fast in a hectic couple of weeks that can leave fans of full of festive cheer or feeling like the Grinch depending on how your club has performed.

Spurs visit Aston Villa for the second Boxing Day in three years. Last time out they beat them 2-1 with Rafael van der Vaart scoring twice.

Saturday, Jan. 5: FA Cup Third Round

The traditional Christmas and New Year's period concludes with the FA Cup Third Round weekend, five days into 2013.

As clubs from the top two divisions enter the competition to meet teams from throughout the English football, there is a renewed sense of possibility regardless of what level you come from.

The FA Cup might offer Tottenham their best chance of success for the season by this point, but even if there is still something else at stake, the White Hart Lane faithful will be keen for their team to get started on a campaign to bring back a trophy they haven't won since 1991.

Last season's Third Round tie saw Spurs beat Cheltenham Town 3-0 at home, beginning an eventful cup run that saw them reach the semifinals before they were defeated by Chelsea.

Saturday, March 2: Arsenal at Home

By this stage of the season, we should have a good idea of what kind of year it is shaping up to be for Spurs.

Regardless of how things are going, they will be desperate to beat Arsenal at White Hart Lane again following on from a 2-1 win last season.

Kyle Walker sealed the win last time around with a spectacular long-range effort, scoring his first goal for Tottenham in a season in which he would be voted by the Professional Footballers Association as their Young Player of the Year.

Saturday, April 20: Manchester City at Home

Manchester City proved to be a major irritation for Tottenham last season, thrashing them 5-1 at White Hart Lane before narrowly and controversially winning 3-2 at home in a match that went someway to deciding both clubs' fates in the hunt for the title.

City should still be in the running to retain their crown by this point in mid-April, ensuring this should be an exciting occasion wherever Spurs are themselves.

Sunday, May 12: Stoke City Away

Any visit to Stoke City generally means a tough couple of hours work.

Tottenham face the difficult prospect of heading to the Britannia Stadium in their penultimate game of the season, which if anything is still at stake by this point, could make for a very tense match.

Hopefully for Spurs' sake Chris Hoy will not be officiating the fixture this time around.

Sunday, May 19: Sunderland at Home

Tottenham's 2012-13 Premier League campaign concludes as they welcome Sunderland to White Hart Lane.

May 2013 seems an awful long way away right now, but the season will soon fly by, and we will know just how the new Tottenham boss and his team did in their first season together.