Chelsea face having to procrastinate Premier League games against Brighton and Arsenal in February because of the scheduling of the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup.
A potential FA Cup fourth round fixtures could also be rearranged if Chelsea make it to that stage of the competition, which is very possible.
FIFA have confirm that the Club World Cup will be played from 3-12 February. Chelsea, as Europe’s representatives after winning the Champions League, will get a bye to the semi-finals, but travelling to the UAE and ensuring enough rest between matches will still have an impact.
The first round will kick start on 3 February with host club Al Jazira taking on OFC’s nominated representatives Auckland City. A date for the semi-final has not been confirm yet, but with the final to be played on 12 February, Chelsea’s first match is likely to be 9 February.
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This implies that Premier League games that is currently scheduled for 8 February and 12 February against Brighton and Arsenal respectively will need to be postponed and rearrange again.
The FA Cup fourth round is due to take place on the weekend of 5-6 February, which again maybe moved to allow Chelsea to travel to the FIFA competition.
Playing on 5 February could be feasible if they travelled on 6 February for a game on 9 February, but the quick turn around and inadequate rest will be far from ideal after already coming through an unbelievable congested fixture list in December and February.
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Chelsea are yet to win the Club World Cup, ending up as runner-up in their only previous entry in 2012. The Blues lost to Brazilian side Corinthians on that day and were actually the last European team not to come away with the Cup.
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