Top 10 Most Important Fixtures for Everton Next Season

Everton finished above Liverpool for the first time in ages this past campaign.

The high hope for 2012-13 is to once more beat their rivals in the table and maybe, just maybe find their way back to a possible Europa League place or a cup final.

However, to get there the Toffees have to first win matches. Not just any, but the important ones that they mostly failed to win last season.

David Moyes has no problem getting results with his club against the bottom 12. However, it is against the top six or Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle United and Tottenham, as well as rivals Liverpool that they have a problem.

Against those teams the Toffees only managed to earn five out of a possible 42 points in the league. That is due to a record of one win, two draws and 11 defeats.

The Toffees must improve in order to move up and that is where we find the club's most important fixtures of the coming season.

Everton start their season off with a tough test as Manchester United travel to Goodison Park for the club's opening match of the 2012-13 season.

Although the last time these two sides met Everton made a dramatic comeback in the last 30 minutes to level the score at a 4-4 draw, this season will be a new ball game.

United will undoubtedly have spent their summer drilling to make a strong return after suffering multiple frustrations last campaign.

Both Everton and United need an opening day victory to get their seasons off on the right foot.

Everton split their two matches with Newcastle United last season, and will hope to manage at least a draw with the Magpies in their first clash of 2012-13.

The Toffees ended their previous season with a 3-1 victory at Goodison against Newcastle, and will hope to have a repeat of that in September as the club look to get a good start going into the campaign.

If Everton are going to finish higher than Liverpool for a second straight season under David Moyes, then the best chances they will have is starting with defeating Liverpool in the first Merseyside Derby of the season.

Liverpool beat the Toffees in all three of their matches last season. Both league fixtures and the FA Cup semifinal at Wembley.

In order for the blue side of Merseyside to regain their faith against their rivals, they must defeat them on their home ground.

Everton came so close to getting some points from Arsenal last season. However, the Gunners managed two 1-0 victories to blank the Toffees last year.

Moyes has to start getting points off of clubs like Arsenal early in the season before they hit full form or risk suffering another double defeat.

Everton get to have the majority of the opening season big matches at home. But, that means their biggest and more important matches will be played away from home later in the season.

The first major test of the season away from home against top-six competition comes when the Toffees travel to Manchester City in December.

With the match falling at the first of the month the Toffees will not have the advantage of a worn out City come the end of December and will have to fight for any chance of points.

Everton faced Chelsea three times last season, twice in English Premier League action and once in the Carling Cup.

It was a split decision in the league with the Blues winning their first match on October 15, 2011 and winning once more on October 26, 2011 to knock the Toffees out of the Carling Cup.

However, David Moyes would get some revenge in February as the Toffees defeat of the Blues helped to usher out the reign of Andre Villas-Boas.

The second installment of Manchester United and Everton in the 2011-12 season was a cracker of a match.

With Sir Alex Ferguson doing all he could to will his club toward a title they needed all the points they could get against David Moyes' side.

It looked as thought it was a sure victory for the Red Devils as they had a 3-1 lead heading into the final half-hour of play.

However, Everton fought back and earned a frantic 4-4 draw. Those two points dropped are just one reason that Manchester United failed to lift another record-breaking league title.

If Everton want to find a way to magically break back into the top six with their low budget program, they have to manage to keep getting results against the big clubs when they face them.

A second showdown with Arsenal in March will start the true run-in for Everton in the final three months.

David Moyes' club almost always has a stronger second half than first, and that resiliency will be key.

Although Arsenal are already shaping up to be a completely different club this season than last, if they lose Robin van Persie it will be interesting to see how they fair throughout the entire season.

Arsene Wenger will for sure be ready for the Toffees, but Moyes can always find a way to eek out results when needed, and could do so against the Gunners.

In a match that could decide much of the fate for both Liverpool and Everton's season, the two rivals meet in their second Merseyside Derby of the year in their 36th fixture at the beginning of May.

Both sides will have been tested all year and at this point it will be a massive fixture if it is to help decide who finishes above whom in the table.

Everton and Chelsea meet at Stamford Bridge on the last day of the season in a match that could be of monumental importance.

The Blues will be hoping to be challenging for the title of the UEFA Champions League places. However, the Toffees could possibly be pushing for the Europa League and at the least to finish above Liverpool.

With all the drama that went down on the final day of the season in 2011-12, this could be a blockbuster showdown.