Despite the large number of teams from the capital in the Premier League each season, this will be only the fourth time we’ve faced a local rival to kick off our campaign since the English top flight was rebranded in 1992.

The previous three were each memorable in their own right, while there has also been plenty to capture the imagination in a few opening-weekend derbies that came before the Premier League. Here’s a little taster of some of the best over the years…

Bright beginnings

With the English football season typically beginning in August (last season was a rare exception), it will come as no surprise to most readers that there are typically more debutants in this month than any other. None at Chelsea have gone on to enjoy a career quite like Jimmy Greaves (below), whose path to greatness began with a first-team debut on the opening day of the 1957/58 campaign. Selected to face Tottenham, the club he would later join, the most natural goalscorer in the history of the English top flight marked his first appearance at the age of 17 with our late equaliser in a 1-1 draw. He went on to finish with 22 goals in his maiden campaign and left Chelsea in 1961 having netted 132 times.

Back in the big time

In 1984, after five long years in Division Two, Chelsea announced their return to the English top flight with a memorable visit to Highbury to face Arsenal. Some estimates suggest as much as half the crowd that day were Blues fans and the picture of Kerry Dixon celebrating his equalising goal (below) is one of our most iconic images, with joyous scenes playing out in the stands behind him. The legendary blond hitman, our third-highest scorer of all time, went on to share the Golden Boot that season as we finished sixth on our return to Division One.

World Cup ‘winners’

When Chelsea met West Ham on the opening day of the 1966 season, they came up against the newly crowned world champions. Well, that’s what the Hammers would have you believe, as Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters walked around the pitch with the World Cup ahead of kick-off. For a proud Scot like Charlie Cooke (below), making his first league appearance for Chelsea, that was all the encouragement he needed. The Bonnie Prince made Moore look human after all, on his way to scoring the winning goal to start the season with a bang.

Super Mario

There have been some spectacular opening-day goals from the Blues in the Premier League – we’re thinking Gus Poyet versus Sunderland, Hernan Crespo against Wigan and, most recently, Reece James with a stunner at Brighton last season. Perhaps Mario Stanic (below) scored the pick of the bunch, though, when his poor first touch was followed by a couple of keepie-uppies and then an absolute belter into the top corner from 30 yards! It was on his Premier League debut, too, in a 4-2 win over West Ham on the opening day in 2000, when Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was also on target on his first league outing as a Blue.

Double delight

Wimbledon were our first sparring partners – note the deliberate cliche for the Crazy Gang – in two seasons either side of 1990, the first of which featured a late Kevin Wilson winner. However, it’s the second we’re focusing on as a 2-2 draw featured goals from two Chelsea debutants. Paul Elliott, the classy centre-half who would soon become club captain, netted the first, while our second came from Joe Allon, a centre-forward who was best mates with Vinnie Jones.

Don’t call it a comeback

Chelsea didn’t like facing Charlton Athletic in the early-Noughties and it looked like the Addicks were going to secure local bragging rights on the opening day in 2002, when they took a two-goal lead against us at The Valley. However, a red card turned the game on its head, as the 10-man Blues came roaring back. Frank Lampard scored late on (above) to complete a thrilling comeback and it set the tone for a season when we’d secure our spot back in the Champions League.

Start as you mean to go on

West Ham feature for the third time in this article, with this our most recent local derby to start a Premier League season. It was a tricky way for Antonio Conte to begin his reign in 2016 and it very nearly didn't go according to plan. Although Eden Hazard got the ball rolling with a confident penalty kick, the Blues looked like we'd have to settle for a point after a surprise equaliser from centre-back James Collins. However, Diego Costa struck late on to ensure Conte's reign began with a win – the first of 30 on our way to becoming Premier League champions.