Chelsea's EPL Fixture Schedule Offers Title Advantage over Rivals

After weeks of anticipation, the Premier League fixtures for 2013/14 were released on Wednesday morning, and as suspected each of the 20 teams will play the other 19 twice—once at home and once away between August 17 and May 11.

In that regard there is absolutely no advantage to one side or another, but when you look deeper into the scheduling of games and who plays who when, then the much-fabled "fixtures computer" has churned out some fairly friendly sequences for Chelsea. The full fixture list can be found on the official club website.

Newly promoted Hull City will snip the ribbon on Jose Mourinho's second spell as manager of the Blues when they visit Stamford Bridge for the season opener, and given Chelsea have won 10 of their last 11 curtain raisers, you'd fully expect "The Special One" to kick-start things with an ordinary accumulation of three points against Steve Bruce's Tigers.

After that Chelsea face a visit to champions Manchester United for David Moyes's home bow in the Red Devils dugout, and personally I don't think there's a better time to face the post Sir Alex Ferguson era Reds.

United aren't particularly noted for lightning-quick starts to the season; could they possibly maintain the same aura of invincibility throughout the campaign without their long-time leader?

Mourinho will know the importance of getting one over your rivals early doors, and the Portuguese gaffer can call on ample big-game experience pitting his wits against sides likely to be in the shake-up whereas Moyes, quite simply, cannot.

After that it's Aston Villa at home in a tie Chelsea usually do well in, before it's back up north to a traditionally tricky venue that may not have the same pitfalls due to another managerial change.

Clashes at Goodison Park aren't usually for the faint-hearted but with Everton now under the command of Roberto Martinez rather than Moyes, how well will the Toffees be acclimatising to the new ball-playing approach their Spanish boss will instill?

From there on it's Fulham at home and Tottenham away, and indeed, before the halfway point Chelsea face away trips to several grounds that can often prove problematic for the visitors.

Before the turn of the year, the Europa League winners must travel to United, Everton, Tottenham, Newcastle, West Ham, Stoke and Arsenal, but although that looks like a bit of a handful, the flip side, of course, is that the return legs over the more arduous second half of the season will all be played on home soil.

It's also worth pointing out that Chelsea have some comfortable tasks following Champions League activity between September and December. The Londoners will barely have to stray out of the capital following midweek duties, with five home games against Fulham, Manchester City, West Brom, Southampton and Crystal Palace—as well as an away game at Norwich City—all following on from European action.

That's in direct contrast to champions United, who have to face City and Arsenal at home in addition to away clashes with Sunderland, Tottenham and Aston Villa.

Manuel Pellegrini will also have to succeed where Roberto Mancini failed at home as well as abroad, and that cause won't be aided by travelling to United and Chelsea, as well as hosting Arsenal and bogey team Everton after returning from Europe.

So it's fair to say Chelsea have an advantage over their competitors in that respect, and I think they've also got a decent stretch over the business end of things too.

United, Arsenal and Tottenham will all have to come to Stamford Bridge past the turnaround, with Chelsea's most difficult away tasks being City, Liverpool and Aston Villa, mixed in with meetings at the likes of Southampton, Hull, Fulham, West Brom, Crystal Palace and Swansea.

United on the other hand must go to Chelsea. Stoke, Arsenal, West Ham, Newcastle and Everton, whilst City will need to deal with days out at Newcastle, Tottenham, Arsenal, Liverpool and Everton.

It's also worth looking at Chelsea's run-in over the last six weeks of the season when climaxes of multiple competitions can come to a head, and from the beginning of April until the end of the campaign, Chelsea face Stoke (H), Swansea (A), Sunderland (H), Liverpool (A), Norwich (H), Cardiff (A). There have been harder itineraries.

Which way round you play your games is, of course, academic if you don't win them, but on paper, at least, it looks as though Chelsea have been dealt a decent hand by the fixtures computer.

What do you think? Will this schedule aid Chelsea's quest to be crowned Premier League champions, and whose set of fixtures would you rather have?

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