Chelsea next four fixtures compared to Liverpool, Man…

Chelsea next four fixtures compared to Liverpool, Man Utd and Tottenham in top four challenge

Chelsea face a huge few weeks ahead of them in the race to finish in the top four, coming up against rivals in the opening stages of the new year. They would have hoped to go into that run with a much-needed win over struggling Nottingham Forest on the first day of January.

They made an ideal start to that plan too as Willy Boly's attempt to stop a cross saw the ball ricochet off the crossbar, with Raheem Sterling taking advantage of that by scoring the rebound. The second half wasn't quite as kind to the Blues though as former Tottenham full-back Serge Aurier equalised.

Forest continued to look on top, but neither side were able to find the breakthrough, meaning the points were shared between them. It leaves Chelsea in eighth, seven points off of the top four, meaning there's plenty of work for Graham Potter to do to get his side challenging for a Champions League place.

With that said, here's a look at the West London outfit's next four Premier League fixtures compared to their rivals.

Manchester City (H) - January 5

Next up for Chelsea is a trip to champions Manchester City, who will look to respond to their recent 1-1 draw with relegation candidates Everton. The Citizens are now seven points behind league leaders Arsenal, meaning there's little room for them to slip up in the coming weeks.

Fulham (A) - January 12

After a tough test at the Stamford Bridge, the Blues make a short trip down the road to fellow London side Fulham at Craven Cottage. The Whites have been in ideal form since returning to the division, sitting above Chelsea in seventh and as a potential outsider for a European finish.

Crystal Palace (H) - January 15

A double header of London clubs means that a home game against Crystal Palace shortly follows, with the Eagles hopeful of keeping clear of relegation troubles. They currently sit 11th, eight points clear of the drop zone after registering a huge 2-0 win over Bournemouth last time out.

Liverpool (A) - January 21

A tough trip to Anfield is on the horizon against a Liverpool side that started slowly, but will be hopeful of returning to some form in the race for the top four. The Reds sit sixth, four points behind fourth and on a four-game winning run.

Manchester United's next four fixtures:

Bournemouth (H) - January 3

Man City (H) - January 14

Arsenal (A) - January 21

Crystal Palace (H) - February 4

Tottenham's next four fixtures:

Crystal Palace (A) - January 4

Arsenal (H) - January 15

Man City (A) - January 19

Fulham (A) - January 23

Liverpool's next four fixtures:

Brentford (A) - January 2