Chelsea’s fixtures for the 2021/22 Premier League campaign have just been released and it looks as though the Blues will have a tough run of games at the start of next season.

After a fairly straightforward first match at home against Crystal Palace, they will face four of their top-six rivals in a five-game run between late August and late September:

21/8/2021 – Arsenal (a)
28/8/2021 – Liverpool (a)
8/9/2021 – Tottenham Hotspur (a)
25/9/2021 – Manchester City (h)

Thomas Tuchel‘s side then have a relatively easy run of things until after the international break in November, when they face two big clashes against Leicester and United in the space of a week:

20/11/2022 – Leicester City (a)
27/11/2021 – Manchester United (h)

Luckily, the fixtures in the second half of the season are a bit kinder, although they do still have a fair few big games to play in a short period of time in January and February next year:

1/1/2022 – Liverpool (h)
15/1/2022 – Manchester City (a)
22/1/2022 – Tottenham Hotspur (h)
12/2/2022 – Arsenal (h)
26/2/2022 – Leicester City (h)

Chelsea don’t have any high-profile league fixtures in March or April, though, with their last massive game coming in the second to last match of the campaign at Old Trafford.

15/5/2022 – Manchester United (a)

Some of these dates will be changed due to television coverage, though, so do bear that in mind, but it certainly seems like the Blues will need to start next season firing on all cylinders to get the results they need.