Chelsea’s next six fixtures after Premier League opener against Liverpool

Does anybody have any idea what Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea are going to be in year one?

The club’s Premier League opener against Liverpool suggests that the Blues will be one of the most watchable out of the bunch at the start of 2023/24.

Nevertheless, the new manager has been dealt a kind hand by the schedule makers, as Chelsea have a great opportunity to get their fresh era underway with a bucketload of early points.

Here’s who Chelsea take on following their 1-1 draw with Jurgen Klopp’s Reds

We’re likely to see a different-looking West Ham United to the one that lined up against Bournemouth for their 1-1 draw on the opening weekend.

The Hammers had been mute in the market after selling Declan Rice, but they perked up before the season got underway and we could see James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez, and maybe even Harry Maguire make their West Ham debuts against Chelsea.

In the wake of those arrivals, this could be a tricky encounter for Poch’s side. They’ll be expected to have plenty of the ball in east London.

It was a rude awakening for Rob Edwards’ Luton Town on their Premier League bow as they were brushed aside by Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton.

Many suspect the lion’s share of their points will come at Kenilworth Road, but Chelsea will first take on the Hatters at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues will have to deal with an aggressive and direct outfit who seek to progress and create via their wing-backs, but Chelsea should have too much quality for the debutants.

Chelsea’s dismal campaign last time out saw them finish well off the European places, and they were thus thrust into the EFL Cup second-round draw.

This is a competition that the Blues haven’t won since they beat Pochettino’s Spurs in the 2015 final, but it’s probably their best chance of claiming any silverware during the Argentine’s debut campaign.

Their cup journey begins on home soil with League Two outfit AFC Wimbledon coming to town.

Steve Cooper’s side were historically poor away from home last season, yet they still took points off the Blues at Stamford Bridge. Nottingham Forest’s 2-2 draw in west London was one of the undisputed highlights on their travels.

After surviving the drop last time out, Forest will be expected to be in another dogfight this term. Although, there were positive signs in a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal for their opening fixture. The combination of Taiwo Awoniyi and Anthony Elanga certainly looks like it could bear fruit for Cooper.

Following three successive home games, which Poch’s men will be expected to win, Chelsea are back on the road after the September international break.

Bournemouth away is a fixture that’s filled Blues supporters with dread over the years, but they were successful on their previous visit to the south coast. Frank Lampard secured the rarest of victories at the Cherries towards the end of his interim tenure.

However, while it’s all change in west London, Bournemouth, too, will expect to look a whole lot different from recent iterations under Andoni Iraola.

Aston Villa’s triumph at Stamford Bridge last season was indicative of the two clubs’ fortunes in 2022/23. The 2-0 defeat was nothing short of sobering for Graham Potter, who was sacked the following day, and it also showed just how much progress the Villans had made under Unai Emery in a short space of time.

However, perhaps the tables will quickly turn as the two sides face off in west London in September. Chelsea’s appointment of Pochettino and Villa’s humbling opening-day loss against Newcastle United could suggest that their respective fortunes are altering once again.

On this edition of Son of Chelsea, part of the 90min podcast network, Daniel Childs reacts to the latest Chelsea news, including the club’s interest in Michael Olise, Christopher Nkunku’s injury and more!

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