All eyes will be on the opening day of the Premier League after the fixture list was released, but there are a few other fixtures every club will look at and accept they mean more than just the three points available to be picked.
Chelsea will face Manchester United in their first game of the season, and that by no means is less important than any other fixture in the course of the season. Matches against London rivals Crystal Palace, West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal stand very high on the list of priority wins regardless of the circumstances.
A new inclusion in recent years is Manchester City. Not only for their prowess in the Premier League since the take over by the oil-rich owner Shiekh Mansour, but also for recent occurrences. Pep Guardiola has transformed the Citizens into something monstrous since 2016, devouring almost every opponent and tearing them into shreds, but the 6-0 trouncing of Chelsea last season will not easily be forgotten by anyone.
Achievement unlocked 🙃 pic.twitter.com/8SrCoTTauy
— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 10, 2019
Chelsea immediately sought retribution a few days later in the Carabao Cup final, and although they didn’t find the best result, it was a respectable one – losing on a penalty shootout.
Now this season, on November 23, the Blues will travel to the Etihad for the first time since that humiliating result, with one mindset – to make amends. It will not be easy because Man City will be strengthening while Chelsea battle FIFA’s decision not to make any transfers this summer.
Chelsea also are uncertain who will be their head coach for the 2019/20 season and many other factors that could derail their chances. But it’s worth fighting for.
