Tottenham will host champions Man City on a mouthwatering opening weekend of the new Premier League season, while Thomas Tuchel faces a nightmare start to his first full campaign in charge of Chelsea, with trips to three ‘Big Six’ rivals in the first five matches.
Tuchel and his Chelsea side have been handed a daunting start to their 2021-22 Premier League campaign, with four of their opening six fixtures against the Big Six.
However, the German will be encouraged by the run-in his team has been handed as he looks to challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title, after triumphing in Europe in his first season at the club.
No club has been handed a trickier start to the campaign, but keeping pace with those at the top of the table will put them in a strong position going into the second-half of the season – with only one fixture planned against the Big Six in their final thirteen outings.
The Blues kick off their season by welcoming fellow Londoners Crystal Palace to Stamford Bridge on August 14, before making the short trip to the Emirates the weekend after to face Arsenal.
They also travel to Liverpool before August is out, with September bringing in the prospect of back-to-back clashes against Tottenham away and Manchester City at home.
It is a far easier start for Manchester United, meanwhile, with Leeds, Southampton, Wolves, Newcastle, West Ham, Aston Villa and Everton ahead of the first international break of the season.
In fact, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side don’t face a top-six rival until October 16 when they travel to Leicester, before hosting Liverpool the following weekend.
It is a series of matches that, while challenging on paper, should not provide the west London club with any real fear. Tuchel has beaten each of the three sides already in his short Chelsea reign having only arrived at the beginning of this year.
January provides a similarly tricky patch, with the Reds, City and Spurs providing the opposition for the first three matches in the new year.
Liverpool travel to the Bridge on New Year’s Day, before Chelsea visit City on the weekend of January 15, following the first FA Cup weekend. They then welcome Tottenham on the weekend of January 22.
However, should Tuchel’s side be able to keep pace at the top of the table, then the run-in could facilitate a push for the title.
In their final 13 matches, the Blues face just one of the traditional Big Six – visiting Manchester United on the second-to-last weekend of the campaign.
That includes a run of five fixtures between March 5 and April 9 that sees them face Burnley, Newcastle, Norwich, Brentford and Southampton – sides that are either newly promoted or were busy staving off relegation last season.
They then wrap things up by welcoming Watford to the Bridge on May 22.
2021-22 OPENING WEEKEND FIXTURES
Brentford v Arsenal
Burnley v Brighton
Chelsea v Crystal Palace
Everton v Southampton
Leicester City v Wolverhampton
Manchester United v Leeds United
Newcastle United v West Ham United
Norwich City v Liverpool
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City
Watford v Aston Villa
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