Chelsea’s Under-18 schedule for the 2013-14 season was confirmed on Wednesday morning, with a new-look 31-game fixture list ahead for Adi Viveash’s group.
In the latest reshuffle by the Premier League, the nation’s 22 Category One academies have been split North and South into two equal divisions of eleven. Teams will play everyone in their group both home and away, and then play each of the other teams in the league once home OR away, making for a total of 31 outings.
The top two teams in each league will play off at the end of the season in national semi finals (the North winners will play the South runners-up, and vice-versa) ahead of a final to determine the Under-18 Champions.
Chelsea’s group features Arsenal, Aston Villa, Fulham, Leicester City, Norwich City, Reading, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United, meaning a welcome return of the often keenly-anticipated clashes with Arsenal; absent from the 2012-13 season due to quirks of the draw.
The Blues will also be taking part in both the NextGen Series and the UEFA Youth League, meaning there will be considerable action for all across both Under-21 and Under-18 age groups.
The full list of games is as follows:
Aug 17: Sunderland (H)
Aug 24: West Ham United (H)
Aug 28: Norwich City (A)
Aug 31: Everton (A)
Sep 14: Liverpool (H)
Sep 21: Blackburn Rovers (A)
Sep 28: Middlesbrough (H)
Oct 05: Southampton (H)
Oct 19: Tottenham Hotspur (A)
Oct 26: Stoke City (A)
Nov 02: Wolverhampton Wanderers (H)
Nov 16: Arsenal (A)
Nov 23: Aston Villa (H)
Nov 30: Leicester City (A)
Dec 07: Fulham (H)
Dec 14: West Bromwich Albion (A)
Dec 21: Reading (H)
Jan 11: Norwich City (H)
Jan 18: Tottenham Hotspur (H)
Jan 25: West Ham United (A)
Feb 01: Southampton (A)
Feb 15: Arsenal (H)
Feb 22: Aston Villa (A)
Mar 01: Leicester City (H)
Mar 08: Fulham (A)
Mar 15: Reading (A)
Mar 22: West Bromwich Albion (H)
Mar 29: Manchester United (A)
Apr 05: Bolton Wanderers (H)
Apr 12: Newcastle United (A)
Apr 26: Manchester City (H)
Viveash’s boys are back in pre-season action this Saturday against Stevenage at Cobham.