Chelsea fixtures 2024/25 Premier League: Can Maresca live up to Guardiola expectations and end Arteta’s Arsenal record? | OneFootball

The Enzo Maresca era is set to begin at Chelsea and there is work to do in restoring the club among England’s elite.

It’s been a downward spiral for the Blues since their 2021 Champions League success, with third their best Premier League finish, followed by slumps to 12th and sixth. There have been some near misses in the cups with an FA Cup final defeat and two EFL Cup final losses — all to Liverpool — but they haven’t lifted a major trophy since that night against Manchester City in Porto.

Making a good start will be vital for Maresca for multiple reasons, not least to inspire confidence among his players, proving to them he is the real deal, while also giving the fans something to be excited about and quickly earning their trust.

With that in mind, let’s see how their fixtures for the 2024/25 Premier League season look…

When do Chelsea first play Arsenal?

Chelsea vs Arsenal is always a fixture to look forward to and in the modern era, it’s one that has often had a big say in who will win the title or finish in the Champions League places. There’s a bit of a wait, however, when it comes to seeing Maresca’s Blues take on the Gunners for the first time, with them not due to lock horns until November 9th at Stamford Bridge.

Fans will be desperate to see Maresca return Chelsea to dominance in this fixture. The Blues have endured misery against the Gunners in recent times, winning just one of their last 10 meetings across all competitions and losing seven times during that run. The most recent clash saw them thumped 5-0 at the Emirates in April as Arsenal pushed Manchester City all the way in the title race while the aggregate score across the last five games — during which Chelsea have taken just a single point — is 15-5 in Arsenal’s favour.

In fact, Arteta has lost just two of his 11 meetings with Chelsea as a manager.

When do Chelsea face their big-six rivals?

Is it still even a ‘big six’? Newcastle and Aston Villa have emerged as genuine forces, while Chelsea themselves have floundered in recent years, alongside inconsistency from Manchester United and Tottenham. Nevertheless, fixtures between those usual six clubs still raise an eyebrow and can have massive consequences in the battles at the top. Of course, Chelsea don’t have to wait long for their first such clash as they take on Maresca’s former club, Manchester City, in a nightmare opening weekend fixture.

That looks horrendous on paper given they’re facing the four-in-a-row Premier League champions. However, it does give Maresca a great opportunity to test himself against his old employers, with the Italian managing City’s Elite Development Squad (EDS) between 2020 and 2021, winning the Premier League 2 title.

During his time at the Etihad, Maresca certainly left an impression on Pep Guardiola, who said in 2021 after that title win: “We are delighted, like Enzo Maresca has done all the organisation with the EDS. He showed he will become an extraordinary manager in the future.

“Extraordinary, I feel it like I felt it when I saw Mikel Arteta, it’s the same with Enzo. He’ll be an extraordinary manager, he helped to develop many, many young players.”

Can Maresca follow in Arteta’s footsteps and live up to Guardiola’s billing?

A kinder six-game run follows that opener, before the Blues meet Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal in the space of four games, with Newcastle sandwiched between and the club Maresca left to join Chelsea, Leicester City, straight after.

Chelsea’s full 2024/25 Premier League fixture list:

Fixture dates and times are subject to change.