Fair to say, Chelsea fans are not feeling on top of the world right now. The Blues go into an elongated international break without a win in three and back down in tenth in the table, following Friday night's 3-0 drubbing at Brentford. Nevertheless, there is still optimism that Xabi Alonso is the man to sort things out and get this team heading in the right direction.
As Chelsea fans look forward to seeing their team return to action, the Premier League confirmed on Monday afternoon when all fixtures in November will take place. This features some particularly spicy encounters for the Blues.
First up, we now know that Chelsea's visit to the Stadium of Light will take place on Sunday 8 November, kicking off at 2pm UK time. This has been pushed back a day due to Sunderland's involvement in the UEFA Europa League, hosting GNK Dinamo Zagreb the Thursday before. Thus, it will be something of an early start for the 3,110 visiting fans heading to Wearside, while everyone else can watch this match on Sky Sports in the UK.
After that, with another international break in between, Alonso's side will welcome Leeds United to Elland Road. This, surprisingly, has remained on Saturday 21 November, kicking off at 3pm, thereby not being broadcast live on TV in the UK. This is despite the fact the pair are hated rivals, as well as they fact they served up a nine goal thriller in the Carabao Cup earlier this month, with Chelsea coming from 2-0 down to prevail 6-3.
Lastly, Chelsea's trip to the City Ground has been chosen for broadcast. The Blues' clash with Nottingham Forest has been moved to Friday 27 November, kicking off at 8pm, live on Sky Sports. While not ideal for match-going fans, this is probably useful for Alonso. That's because, the following mid-week sees a full card of Premier League matches, giving him two more days to prepare than opponents Crystal Palace for that meeting.
Overall, this news means we now know when all of Chelsea's matches until December will take place.
Chelsea's October and November fixtures
- Saturday 10 October: Bournemouth (H). Premier League. Kick off 3pm (Not on UK TV).
- Saturday 17 October: Everton (A). Premier League. Kick off 12:30m (TNT Sports).
- Saturday 24 October: Tottenham Hotspur (H). Premier League. Kick off 5:30pm (Sky Sports) .
- Wednesday 28 October: Liverpool. (A). EFL Cup. Kick off 8pm (ITV1).
- Saturday 31 October: Manchester United (H). Premier League. Kick off 12:30pm (TNT Sports).
- Sunday 8 November: Sunderland (A). Premier League. Kick off 2pm (Sky Sports).
- Saturday 21 November: Leeds United (H). Premier League. Kick off 3pm (Not on UK TV)
- Friday 27 November: Nottingham Forest (A). Premier League. Kick off 8pm (Sky Sports).
- Note: All dates, kick off times and TV listings are UK.
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