Chelsea next four fixtures compared to Liverpool, Man…

Chelsea next four fixtures compared to Liverpool, Man United and Tottenham in top four battle

Chelsea are heading into the World Cup break eight points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur following 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United. The Blues extended their winless run in the Premier League to five games.

A few weeks of rest-bite couldn't have come at a better time for the west Londoners, with numerous key players currently out injured. Graham Potter has been without Reece James and Ben Chilwell lately but the full-backs are set to be available again once the squad congregate after the international tournament.

This comes as a huge boost for the Chelsea boss as he scrambles to transform his side's dwindling form. And, what better two fixtures are there to come back to then clashes against two newly-promoted clubs.

So, with that being said, football.london has taken a look at what fixtures Chelsea have upon the return of the World Cup.

Bournemouth (H) - December 27

Where Chelsea lay ahead of the league's resumption in seven weeks, who knows. They will have an extra day of rest though after not being given a Boxing Day slot.

Bournemouth themselves have slipped after a mini-revival following Scott Parker's sacking and have won just one of their last six. Chelsea have a poor record against the Cherries at Stamford Bridge though and have lost three of their five league meetings at home.

World Cup pending, Chelsea should be able to call upon the services of James, Fofana and Kepa for this match and may have a better indication of Kovacic and Koulibaly's long-term fitness too.

Nottingham Forest (A) - January 1

Putting a torrid 2022 behind them, Chelsea enter the new year with a trip to newly promoted Nottingham Forest as the January transfer window opens.

After a tough patch of fixtures throughout November and December, two new teams provide Potter a chance to build some form into the second half of the season.

Manchester City (A) - January 5

After several games to get accustomed to club football again Chelsea will be back at the Etihad, this time in the league. Pep Guardiola's men are hitting top form and have the World Cup coming at the wrong time for them, but with Erling Haaland having the chance to rest over the next six weeks, the Norweigan will be ready and in full flow by the time Chelsea visit.

This will be a big test of how quickly Potter's men can get back up to speed.

Crystal Palace (H) - January 14

Palace have a number of wildcard attackers in their side who could very easily spark into action against Chelsea. Wilfried Zaha, who spearheads the Eagles' attack, has endured a turbulent first-half of the season having shown glimpses of great promise here and there.

Coming up against Patrick Vieira's side is no easy job, especially seeing as the south Londoners and Potter were once archenemies. This could be a feisty affair...

Tottenham's next four fixtures:

Brentford (A) - December 26

Aston Villa (H) - January 1

Crystal Palace (A) - January 4

Arsenal (H) - January 14

Liverpool's next four fixtures:

Aston Villa (A) - December 26

Leicester City (H) - December 30

Brentford (A) - January 2

Brighton (A) - January 13

Manchester United's next four fixtures:

Fulham (A) - November 13