Chelsea's 2022/23 is shaping up to be a relentless one, with the break for the World Cup in November and December ensuring there are plenty of intense moments either side. The Blues are set to see a manic October unfold as they face six Premier League matches before even acknowledging their Champions League duties.
The Blues will have completed 16 matches in the division before a vast number of their squad head off to compete in Qatar, a figure the Premier League doesn't usually reach until a month later. The Champions League group stage will also have reached its culmination in a truncated period with six rounds of fixtures complete by the opening days of November.
Much like last season's difficult schedule, Chelsea's activity is driven by their success to compete in every competition, so there will be little sympathy from must. However, what Thomas Tuchel and anyone of a Blue persuasion will be pleased to see is where the majority of European fixtures are set to fall.
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Of course, the draw for the Champions League is not until August 25th, and that is when the home and away trips to Chelsea's various opponents will emerge. However, there are some positive early indications that the travels of Tuchel's squad within the United Kingdom won't be too taxing around their European exploits.
football.london takes a look at the matches that await either side of the Champions League game weeks below:
Champions League Matchday 1: 6/7 September 2022 - Chelsea are currently set to welcome West Ham ahead of the European fixture and will the make their shortest trip of the season to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham.
Champions League Matchday 2: 13/14 September 2022 - The west London derby will precede the Blues' second Champions League clash before Chelsea return to Stamford Bridge to take on Liverpool. A difficult outing.
Champions League Matchday 3: 4/5 October 2022 - An away trip to Selhurst Park leads into Chelsea's third group match before Wolves visit Stamford Bridge.
Champions League Matchday 4: 11/12 October 2022 - The home match against Wolves leads into the match before Chelsea's first trip outside of London around a Champions League match as they take on Aston Villa.
Champions League Matchday 5: 25/26 October 2022 - Chelsea take on Manchester United at home before making the trip to Brighton.
Champions League Matchday 6: 1/2 November 2022 - The trip to the south coast is followed by Chelsea welcoming Arsenal to west London as the first portion of the season comes to a close.
Chelsea are fortunate to see their European outings come in tandem with moments they otherwise do not need to leave London with the opening three Champions League fixtures benefitting from less travel than you may usually expect. If the Blues can position themselves to be well on their way to qualification by that point, it should allow Tuchel to utilise the full depth of his squad to manage both the frequency of games and miles travelled throughout October.
Winning those home matches against top-six foes like Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United will remain crucial. Difficult tasks but perhaps a more opportune moment to have them at home than to have to travel.
