The Premier League returns in just a matter of days. Whilst we have enjoyed the brilliant summer of football – with the Euros and the Copa America – and sport in general (Olympics, Wimbledon, the golf Open and everything else), it will certainly feel like an old friend coming home when the cut and thrust of the Premier League returns on the 16th of August.
The Friday night clash between Man United and Fulham gets things started. Chelsea feature in the penultimate clash of the four-day round, being the late kick-off on Sunday afternoon. That game is usually reserved for the biggest clash of the week and that is certainly the case for the Blues’ opening game of the 2024/25 campaign.
First Fixture at Home Against Man City
Enzo Maresca’s first competitive fixture as Chelsea boss is just about as big as they come, with the Blues welcoming Pep Guardiola and his champions, Manchester City, to Stamford Bridge. That could be a cracker and might well set the tone for the rest of the season. We’d like to think we might be wrong, but we suspect many supporters are looking at the campaign ahead with more hope than expectation when it comes to a positive outcome.
If Maresca can guide Chelsea to a win in their opening game, or even a draw, or maybe, even, a narrow defeat but a strong performance, then they will have something to build on and may be able to outperform expectations. On the other hand, if the hosts are as bad as many fear they might be, and City are at their rampaging best, it could well be a heavy loss that immediately eliminates even the faintest hint of optimism. We could then be in for a very long season. And by ‘we’, we mean the fans – it could be a very short season as Chelsea boss for Maresca!
Anyway, enough of this negative thinking and getting too far ahead of ourselves. Pre-season has been poor but we shouldn’t worry about that as the name of the game is very much fitness at this stage. What matters is that come 4.30pm on Sunday the 18th of August the Chelsea players are ready to hold their own against Pep’s troops. But what fixtures await beyond that?
Time to Settle in with Winnable Games
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If the opener is a baptism of fire then things quickly get easier for Maresca. The second game of the campaign comes just a few days later in the Europa Conference League and at home the Blues should have more than enough against likely opponents Braga (though it could be against Swiss minnows Servette). They then face their first away game the following Sunday, travelling to Wolves. September starts with another Sunday game in the PL, this time at home to Palace.
There is then a break for international fixtures, meaning most of Chelsea’s huge squad will be in action around the globe. Club football returns on the 14th of September and a Saturday game, albeit an 8pm kick-off, away at Bournemouth. The following Saturday is a much more exciting clash as we make the trip to the London Stadium to play/hammer the Irons (or, West Ham United, for those unfamiliar)! With back-to-back home games against Brighton and Forest after that, there is every chance that Chelsea could be well-placed in the league come autumn.
Things Get Tougher
Maresca and co will certainly hope that they make hay in the warmer months as on the 19th of October they face a trip to Anfield for a big test. Next they host Newcastle and then travel to the North West again to face Man United, before welcoming Arsenal to the Bridge on the 9th of November.
Those four games will be a really important point in the season and Chelsea simply have to do well in them if they are to have a chance of battling it out for the top four this term. It is a sad sign of how far the club have slipped that a home game against anyone can be seen as a bit of a free hit but that is the case to a degree in the season’s opener. However, this run of four games is where we will really see if the club are moving in the right direction.
The next highlight comes in the shape of a trip to Spurs on the 7th of December, although we should note that some of these games further down the line are subject to change. In terms of the festive fixture frenzy, as we feel contractually obliged to label it, there is a trip to Everton currently scheduled for the 21st of December. Boxing Day sees Fulham make the short journey to the Bridge, before we head into the wilds of Suffolk to play Ipswich on the 29th of December.
Is It 2025 Already?
Yes it will be, although we’ll have to wait until the 4th of January to see the Blues in action. The hangovers might well have cleared by then but if not it is a mercifully short trip to play Crystal Palace. This is where we see similar fixtures to the start of the season so after a run of winnable games it is the toughest of the lot and a trip to the Etihad to play Man City on the 25th of January (provisionally). The 1st of February sees the return fixture (at home) against West Ham, with another big game coming in mid-March (on or around the 15th) away at the Gunners.
Who knows how many managers will have come and gone by this point, but if Enzo is still in the dugout we can assume Champions League qualification is still on the cards. Consecutive games against the north London mob, with a home clash with Spurs on the 2nd of April could be massive in that contest. Fingers crossed!
The final game of the season is against Forest but the really hard work will come before that. A week earlier Man United will travel south, whilst before that Chelsea fans will be making the long journey to the North East to face Newcastle. And before that, in the fourth-last fixture of the campaign, it is Liverpool who come to the Bridge. Let’s hope we’re still fighting at the right end of the table by then!