Fans react on Twitter as Chelsea told 2022/23 Premier League fixture list
Chelsea have just officially announced the Premier League fixtures for next season, as confirmed by the club website. Fan reaction to the schedule has been mixed, but mostly concerning.
The upcoming season is not poised to be a regular one either, with the World Cup in Qatar later this year splitting the campaign into two halves.
The opening weekend will see Chelsea travel to Merseyside to take on Frank Lampard’s Everton on August 6. The following game is back at home, but a big one – an early-season London derby against Antonio Conte‘s Tottenham Hotspur.
Speaking of London derbies, West Ham and Fulham await on successive weekends in September – on the 3rd against the Hammers and the 10th versus the newly-promoted Cottagers. The Blues will host Arsenal on Bonfire night i.e. November 5 while the return fixture at the Emirates is scheduled towards the business end, on April 29.
Liverpool will be visiting Chelsea on September 17, just before the first international break of the season. The Blues’ return leg at Anfield is set for January 23.
Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United will travel to Stamford Bridge on October 22, while Chelsea’s trip to Old Trafford is set for exactly six months later on April 22.
The date and timings of some of these fixtures could change, of course, depending on Chelsea’s participation in other competitions and the will of the broadcasters.
United’s arch-rivals and defending champions Manchester City are set to visit SW6 on Jan 1 – the very first day of the year while Chelsea’s trip to Etihad is set to be both sides’ penultimate game – on May 20. If both City and Chelsea are involved in a title race at that juncture, then this match could very well be a title-decider.
However, Chelsea fans on Twitter don’t seem to be very optimistic. Whether it’s due to the perceived lack of transfer activity, or the fact that Chelsea have let players like Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen leave for free, no one knows but the general reaction is not very positive.
