The Premier League has set the dates and kick-off times for four of Chelsea's December league games, with Liverpool visiting Stamford Bridge at lunchtime on the Saturday after a Wednesday night game against Crystal Palace. The Aston Villa fixture remains the one open question, and its date depends on how far the clubs go in the Carabao Cup.

• Chelsea host Crystal Palace at 7.30pm on Wednesday 2 December, live on Sky Sports.
• Liverpool visit Stamford Bridge at 12.30pm on Saturday 5 December, live on TNT Sports.
• Chelsea travel to Manchester City at 5.30pm on Saturday 12 December, live on Sky Sports.
• The home game with Aston Villa is set for 8pm on Monday 21 December but could move to 8pm on Saturday 19 December depending on Carabao Cup progress.

Chelsea’s December league calendar is now fixed, and its sharpest turn comes in the first week. The date of the Liverpool fixture has not changed, but its kick-off has been brought forward to the 12.30pm slot, Chelsea said.

The changes cover the first three weeks of the month and include games moved for live UK broadcast and games moved because of UEFA competitions, following the earlier amendments for 26 December to 7 January, the league said. With the Coventry and Ipswich fixtures already in place, every Chelsea league game in 2026 now has a confirmed date and kick-off time.

Liverpool face the same short turnaround before the Bridge

The quick return from midweek is not one-sided. Liverpool host Sunderland at 7.30pm on Wednesday 2 December, live on Sky Sports, according to Liverpool FC, so both teams come into the Saturday lunchtime game from evening matches on the same night.

Manchester City’s week has a similar shape. They host Leeds at 7.30pm on 2 December and play away at Brentford at 8pm on Saturday 5 December, a week before Chelsea visit the Etihad, according to the Premier League. For supporters, the early start on 5 December means a second trip to the Bridge within a few days of the Palace game.

Villa date hinges on Chelsea’s Carabao Cup run

Aston Villa have passed the same caveat on to their own supporters. The fifth round of that competition is set for the week starting 14 December, the same week as the possible weekend switch, This Is Anfield reported. Villa’s own December already includes a home game against Everton at 8.15pm on 2 December and a trip to Coventry City at 4.30pm on Sunday 13 December.

Beyond that, the festive schedule was settled earlier. Only seven Premier League games are on Boxing Day, and Chelsea’s game at Coventry is on Sunday 27 December at 2pm, live on Sky Sports. The Ipswich away game stays on Wednesday 30 December, its kick-off moved later to 8.15pm when the festive picks came out. The first fixed date of 2027 is away at Crystal Palace on Wednesday 6 January at 7.30pm, also on Sky Sports.

The run that decides the Villa date starts at Anfield. Chelsea reached the fourth round by beating Leeds 6-3, and the tie will be shown live in the UK on Sky Sports and ITV, according to Liverpool FC. The club’s allocation of 6,025 away tickets is entirely digital, and the tickets will be sent by email from Wednesday 21 October, a week before the 8pm kick-off at Anfield on Wednesday 28 October.

Sources

Citations and primary documents this article references. Captured at the time of writing.

📷 Stamford Bridge: Arne Müseler, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons