Enzo Maresca may well have just been given a huge Premier League title boost if history is anything to go by. The Blues finished last season in fourth place, 15 points behind eventual league winners Liverpool, but secured a return to the Champions League.
Current focus may be on the Club World Cup and competing for that crown, with transfer plans well underway in preparing for next season. The Italian head coach will be hoping his side can keep up the pace with the title challengers, having impressed in the first-half of the 2024/25 campaign before going off the boil.
The recent fixture list reveal for the 2025/26 seasons has laid out Chelsea’s campaign and their route to the title, should they look to kick on.
Interestingly, a fixture quick from Chelsea’s last two Premier League title triumphs repeats itself here. The last two times the Blues have played Sunderland on the final game of the season in the Premier League, they have won the top flight crown.
Jose Mourinho’s Blues won the title in 2014/15 finishing eight points clear of Manchester City, with Diego Costa top scorer that season, while Eden Hazard was the Premier League Player of the Season, FWA Footballer of the Year and PFA Players’ Player of the Year.
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The FIFA Club World Cup will see 32 of the world’s best club teams including Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern Munich play across 63 games from June 14-July 13.
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On the final day of the season, Chelsea defeated Sunderland 3-1 at Stamford Bridge, with Costa and Loic Remy on hand to complete a comeback after Steven Fletcher’s opener.
Fast forward two seasons later to 2016/17 and the Blues would face the Black Cats on the final day of the season once again, with the Premier League title awarded after finishing seven points clear of Spurs.
This time, it was Antonio Conte at the Stamford Bridge helm and his side turned in an emphatic display against the Wearsiders. Much like their previous final day visit to London, Sunderland took the lead with Javier Manquillo breaking the deadlock after just three minutes.
However, their joy was short-lived as the title winners showed their class. Willian equalised just five minutes later before second-half strikes from Hazard, Pedro and a brace from Michy Batshuayi secured a 5-1 win.
Hazard, again, was one of the standout performers with 17 goals in all competitions, though it was N’Golo Kante who scooped the individual awards come the end of the season.
Unlike their previous final day meetings with Sunderland, the Blues will be on the road for their 2025/26 clash, and Maresca will be hoping for similar end-of-season celebrations to build on last year’s Europa Conference League triumph.
