Premier League fixtures: Chelsea face tricky start to title defence

Chelsea face a very tough start to their Premier League title defence as Antonio Conte’s men take on Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester City in their first seven matches of the campaign.

Conte’s arrival at Stamford Bridge last season saw them surge to the trophy they had lost in the previous term, eventually winning it by seven points from Tottenham.

And they will meet their closest challengers from 2016-17 in just the second week of the season, following up an opening home match with Burnley by becoming the first team to take on Mauricio Pochettino’s side in a Premier League game at Spurs’ temporary Wembley residence.

They take on Everton a week later, with a home encounter against Arsenal sandwiched by difficult away trips to Leicester City and Stoke City.

Manchester City are the visitors to Stamford Bridge on September 30, with Jose Mourinho and Manchester United arriving five weeks later. The new year begins in a similarly tricky fashion with a January 1 trip to Arsenal.

The return fixture against United on February 24 precedes a potentially decisive month of March in which Chelsea face City and Tottenham, while the final two games of the season see them host Liverpool and travel to Rafael Benitez’s Newcastle United.

The Blues will welcome Burnley to Stamford Bridge on the opening day of the 2017/18 Premier League season…https://t.co/YK2TrLQWxy

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 14, 2017

Chelsea’s 2017-18 Premier League fixtures in full:

12/08/2017 – Chelsea v Burnley
19/08/2017 – Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea
26/08/2017 – Chelsea v Everton
09/09/2017 – Leicester City v Chelsea
16/09/2017 – Chelsea v Arsenal
23/09/2017 – Stoke City v Chelsea
30/09/2017 – Chelsea v Manchester City
14/10/2017 – Crystal Palace v Chelsea
21/10/2017 – Chelsea v Watford
28/10/2017 – Bournemouth v Chelsea
04/11/2017 – Chelsea v Manchester United
18/11/2017 – West Bromwich Albion v Chelsea
25/11/2017 – Liverpool v Chelsea
29/11/2017 – Chelsea v Swansea City
02/12/2017 – Chelsea v Newcastle United
09/12/2017 – West Ham United v Chelsea
12/12/2017 – Huddersfield Town v Chelsea
16/12/2017 – Chelsea v Southampton
23/12/2017 – Everton v Chelsea
26/12/2017 – Chelsea v Brighton and Hove Albion
30/12/2017 – Chelsea v Stoke City
01/01/2018 – Arsenal v Chelsea
13/01/2018 – Chelsea v Leicester City
20/01/2018 – Brighton and Hove Albion v Chelsea
31/01/2018 – Chelsea v Bournemouth
03/02/2018 – Watford v Chelsea
10/02/2018 – Chelsea v West Bromwich Albion
24/02/2018 – Manchester United v Chelsea
03/03/2018 – Manchester City v Chelsea
10/03/2018 – Chelsea v Crystal Palace
17/03/2018 – Burnley v Chelsea
31/03/2018 – Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur
07/04/2018 – Chelsea v West Ham United
14/04/2018 – Southampton v Chelsea
21/04/2018 – Chelsea v Huddersfield Town
28/04/2018 – Swansea City v Chelsea
05/05/2018 – Chelsea v Liverpool
13/05/2018 – Newcastle United v Chelsea