Enzo Maresca faces a nightmarish start to life in the Premier League with Chelsea.
The Italian replaced Mauricio Pochettino as the new Blues head coach following the Argentine's departure by mutual consent at the end of last season. After a difficult start, Pochettino guided Chelsea to a sixth-placed finish.
Maresca, formerly an assistant to Pep Guardiola, swapped Leicester City for the Blues after securing the Championship with the former last campaign. The 44-year-old's arrival has been met with anticipation from many corners, with those in the dressing room understood to believe his tactical knowledge is precisely what's needed to restore Chelsea's domestic dominance.
But the bid to do so faces a gruelling first test, with Maresca set for a gruelling reunion with former boss Pep Guardiola and the Spaniard's reigning Premier League champions to mark his first Premier League match.
Guardiola's perennial winners will travel to Stamford Bridge and face the Blues at 4:30pm on Sunday, August 18. Other important dates include a reunion with his former club Leicester City in late November, with the Blues travelling up to Maresca's old stomping ground for a Saturday 3pm kick-off.
Premier League odds and betting tips
The lead-up to the reunion is equally significant, with Chelsea facing a grinding run of clashes against Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Arsenal. Here are the rest of the Chelsea fixtures for the upcoming 2024-25 Premier League fixtures.
18/8 - Manchester City (h) - 4:30pm
24/8 - Wolverhampton (a)
31/8 - Crystal Palace (a)
14/9 - Bournemouth (a)
21/9 - West Ham United (a)
28/9 - Brighton (h)
5/10 - Nottingham Forest (h)
19/10 - Liverpool (a)
26/10 - Newcastle United (h)
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2/11 - Manchester United (a)
9/11 - Arsenal (h)
23/11 - Leicester City (a)
30/11 - Aston Villa (h)
4/12 - Southampton (a)
7/12 - Tottenham Hotspur (a)
14/12 - Brentford (h)
21/12 - Everton (a)
26/12 - Fulham (h)
29/12 - Ipswich (a)
04/1 - Crystal Palace (a)
15/1 - Bournemouth (h)
18/1 - Wolverhampton (h)
25/1 - Manchester City (a)
01/2 - West Ham United (h)
15/2 - Brighton (a)
22/2 - Aston Villa (a)
26/2 - Southampton (h)
08/3 - Leicester City (h)
15/3 - Arsenal (a)
02/4 - Tottenham (h)
05/4 - Brentford (a)
12/4 - Ipswich (h)
19/4 - Fulham (a)
26/4 - Everton (h)
03/5 - Liverpool (h)
10/5 - Newcastle United (a)
18/5 - Manchester United (h)
25/5 - Nottingham Forest (a)
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