2025/26 OPPOSITION FOCUS: CHELSEA

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As we gear up for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign we take a closer look at our opponents

2025-06-20T09:00:00.000Z

2025/26 OPPOSITION FOCUS: CHELSEA

As we gear up for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign we take a closer look at our opponents

2025-06-20T09:00:00.000Z

As we gear up for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign we take a closer look at our opponents

Today we take a look at the Blues...

What's their history?

Five-time Premier League winners Chelsea were founded by businessman Gus Mears in 1905, the year after he had acquired Stamford Bridge.

Yo-yoing between the First and Second Divisions in their early years, the Blues became a club who were attracting large crowds despite having little success during the inter-war years.

Ted Drake, who laid the foundations for a successful youth system at the club which still exists today, led Chelsea to their first major trophy – the League Championship – in 1955.

Replaced by Tommy Docherty, the London outfit went close to a treble in the 1964/65 season, but faltered late on and came out with just the League Cup.

Winning the FA Cup in 1970, they eventually claimed a first European honour with victory over Real Madrid in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.

A re-development of Stamford Bridge saw financial issues in the 1980s and the Blues were relegated, even coming close to the drop in the Second Division before achieving stability following promotion back to the top flight in 1989.

Roman Abramovich took control of the club in June 2003 and with his backing the Blues didn’t look back. Over a near 20-year spell, they were successful domestically, but in Europe too winning both the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League twice respectively.

Abramovich moved on in 2022, with Todd Boehly taking charge and after a turbulent 2022/23 campaign, with three separate managers, the Blues have gone on to secure 6th and 4th place finishes in the last two seasons, as well as lifting the UEFA Conference League trophy in May.

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Stadium

An iconic football stadium within the English game, Stamford Bridge has been home to the Blues since 1905, although officially opened over 30 years prior to that to host London Athletic Club.

With a current capacity of around 40,000 seats, it is one of the more intimate venues among Premier League giants, offering a close-up view of the action.

As well as hosting Chelsea, Stamford Bridge has seen three FA Cup finals played there and six international fixtures over the years of the historic venue.

Burnley have faced the Blues at their London home over 50 times, picking up some memorable results over the years with the most recent trip a 2-2 draw two years ago.

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Last season

Last year marked a significant turnaround for the Blues, with new Head Coach Enzo Maresca making his mark instantly with a European trophy and UEFA Champions League spot for next season secured.

With a new boss at the helm and a new-look squad, after signing 10 first team players and a similar number of departures, it was certainly the start of a transition period for the Stamford Bridge side, but that didn't effect results on the pitch.

The Blues picked up memorable wins in the Premier League against the likes of Liverpool, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, but did however bow out in the fourth-round of both the Carabao Cup and Emirates FA Cup.

As well as finishing in the league's top four, Maresca's side went on to win the UEFA Conference League trophy in May, after defeating Real Betis comfortably in the final.

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Who's the boss?

Enzo Maresca was appointed as Chelsea boss in the summer of 2024, following a successful spell at Leicester City, where he guided the Foxes to promotion.

Following a challenging couple of seasons, Maresca was tasked with revitalising Chelsea's fortunes and bringing some silverware back to the bridge and that's exactly what he did.

Steering the Blues to a 4th place finish, the highest since 2021/22, Maresca also led his side to victory in the UEFA Conference League, which saw Chelsea become the first club to win all five major UEFA European club competitions.

Maresca will be looking to build on last seasons success, with the London club competing in the UEFA Champions League once again.

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Memorable meeting

12/08/2017 - Chelsea 2 - 3 Burnley (Stamford Bridge)

Burnley kicked off the opening day of the 2017/18 campaign with a fabulous 3-2 win over Premier League champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

A fine first-half display saw the Clarets three goals ahead at half-time, after Sam Vokes opened the scoring with a pin-point header, before Stephen Ward lashed in a fierce strike from just inside the area to double the visitors' lead.

With half-time approaching, Burnley then bagged a third of the afternoon when Vokes volleyed home his second and Sean Dyche's side's third, to give the away side a three goal cushion at half-time.

The Blues did pull a goal back through substitute Alvaro Morata on the hour mark, before David Luiz clawed another goal back late on, but the Clarets ensured they held on to secure three points.

Burnley: Heaton, Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Ward, Cork, Gudmundsson (Walters 75), Defour (Arfield 75), Brady, Hendrick, Vokes

Substitutes: Pope, Long, Taylor, Westwood, Barnes

Chelsea: Courtois, Rudiger, Luiz, Cahill, Azpilicueta, Kante, Alonso, Willian, Boga (Christensen 18), Batshuayi (Morata 59)

Substitutes: Caballero, Kenedy, Musonda, Tomori, Scott