Chelsea begin with tricky ties

PREMIER LEAGUE Champions face Tottenham, Arsenal and City in first seven games of new season

Chelsea face a very tough start to their Premier League title defence as Antonio Conte’s men take on Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester City in their first seven matches of the campaign.

Conte’s arrival at Stamford Bridge last season saw them surge to the trophy they had lost in the previous term, eventually winning it by seven points from Tottenham.

And they will meet their closest challengers from 2016-17 in just the second week of the season, following up an opening home match with Burnley by becoming the first team to take on Mauricio Pochettino’s side in a Premier League game at Spurs’ temporary Wembley residence.

They take on Everton a week later, with a home encounter against Arsenal sandwiched by difficult away trips to Leicester City and Stoke City.

Manchester City are the visitors to Stamford Bridge on September 30, with Jose Mourinho and Manchester United arriving five weeks later. The new year begins in a similarly tricky fashion with a January 1 trip to Arsenal. Chelsea’s absence from European competitions last season was seen as a contributor to their domestic dominance since the players could rest more than their English rivals.

However, not only are they certain to play six matches as direct entrants into the Champions League group stage, they will also have little time to rest with tough English fixtures following. Chelsea host Arsenal after their first group stage match (Sept 12-13), Man City after their second (Sept 26-27), and Man United after their fourth (Oct 31-Nov 1). They also visit Liverpool on Nov 25 after their fifth Champions League group match (Nov 21-22). Arsenal Man City Man United Tottenham Liverpool Chelsea Liverpool Man United Arsenal Man City Liverpool Arsenal Tottenham Chelsea Man United Arsenal Man United Chelsea Man City Tottenham Tottenham Man United Liverpool Chelsea Man City Tottenham Man City Chelsea Liverpool Arsenal