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Xabi Alonso's Chelsea visit Anfield as Premier League fixtures hand Liverpool a reunion date

The 2026/27 Premier League fixture list confirms Liverpool will host Xabi Alonso's Chelsea on May 1, with the first meeting at Stamford Bridge on December 5. It will also mark the first managerial clash between Alonso and new Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola, childhood friends who once played in the same youth team.

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Xabi Alonso's Chelsea visit Anfield as Premier League fixtures hand Liverpool a reunion date
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Liverpool will face Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea twice in the 2026/27 Premier League season, with the fixture list confirming a December 5 trip to Stamford Bridge and a return at Anfield on May 1.

The reunion carries a personal dimension beyond the football. New Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola will meet Alonso in a competitive dugout for the first time, despite the pair sharing a childhood connection — they played for the same boys’ team growing up in the Basque Country.

Alonso was confirmed as Chelsea manager in May, four months after leaving Real Madrid. The 44-year-old officially begins his role on July 1 and has signed a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

“Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in world football and it fills me with immense pride to become manager of this great club,” Alonso said upon his appointment. “From my conversations with the ownership group and sporting leadership, it is clear we share the same ambition. We want to build a team capable of competing consistently at the highest level and fighting for trophies.”

Alonso spent five years at Liverpool between 2004 and 2009, winning the Champions League and FA Cup under Rafa Benitez. His coaching career brought further silverware at Bayer Leverkusen, where he guided the club to an unbeaten Bundesliga title in 2024 — the first in the club’s history — and the DFB Pokal. He stayed a further year before taking the Real Madrid job, but lasted just over six months at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Alonso had long been linked with a return to Anfield as Jurgen Klopp’s successor in 2024, though those rumours came to nothing as Arne Slot was appointed instead. Slot himself addressed the speculation with characteristic dry humour in January, joking that Alonso had called him for a team briefing ahead of a supposed takeover.

Alonso’s representative firmly denied any agreement with Liverpool in March, and the Spaniard acknowledged his bond with the club while making clear his focus lay elsewhere at the time. Now, as a rival manager, he will get his first taste of Anfield from the away dugout.

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