On Thursday morning Chelsea's 2022/23 Premier League calendar was filled with new fixtures. If you want to be really reductive, yes, the Blues do play 38 games and face each team twice, shock.
But already we are breaking them down, assessing the opening run, the altered festive period for the winter World Cup and where the Blues' annual winter collapse will rear its familiar head. In addition, pre-season preparations are well underway with some players even at Cobham now working to get ready for July.
Thomas Tuchel will hope to have a refreshed squad with potentially some new signings with the likes of Jules Kounde and Ousmane Dembele linked. At the time of writing the club has only officially confirmed three games but one suspects that given the low amount and time in the calendar before the opening game against Everton on the 5th of August, more will be confirmed.
READ MORE: Chelsea 2022/23 Premier League fixtures in full: Everton, Tottenham and Leeds ensure tough start
Chelsea will fly out to the US on the 9th of July for their first tour of the States since 2016 and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is the first time the club has gone outside of Europe since the summer of 2019 to Asia.
The first part of the trip will be to LA for a training camp with likely ties to the LA Dodgers given Todd Boehly's involvement in both the Premier League and MLB clubs. Then they will fly to Las Vegas for the first of three games in the FC Series against Mexican side Club America at the Allegiant Stadium on Saturday the 16th, 8pm kick-off local time/ 3am UK.
Chelsea will then move their training camp to Orlando before flying out to Charlotte to face MLS outfit Charlotte FC at the Bank of America Stadium on the 20th, 4pm kick-off local time/8pm UK. Before rounding off the trip in Orlando's Camping World Stadium against London rivals Arsenal for the Florida Cup on the 23rd, 6 pm kick-off local time/ 11 pm UK.
Football.london will be out in America covering all the games and will keep you updated should any more be confirmed by the club.
Confirmed Chelsea pre-season games
Chelsea vs. Club America – Sunday 17th July in Las Vegas
Charlotte FC vs. Chelsea – Wednesday 20th July in Charlotte
Arsenal vs. Chelsea – Saturday 23rd July in Orlando
