Whilst Chelsea are playing more than a dozen games between now and the Premier League breaking up for the winter World Cup, Graham Potter's former team are only involved in nine.
The Blues have a manic October coming up with nine games in one month alone whilst Brighton only have six. Every midweek is full for Potter and his players now as a rush to finish the first part of the season strongly comes together.
For the new manager it may well feel like the start of a new season. It's been nearly one month since Chelsea's last Premier League match, a game Potter was still in charge of Brighton for when it happened. After the long break there will be no more excuses for Chelsea despite there being more reasons than ever to expect inconsistencies.
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This, for Potter, may well be the toughest task of his managerial career to date as he looks to balance European away trips to Italian champions AC Milan with fixtures around England on top of keeping his squad fresh. With a large playing group and resources that would be the envy of most other teams there isn't much room, even early on, for error, especially not in the Champions League.
None of this is bypassing the 47-year-old either. Speaking ahead of his first league match in charge at Chelsea against Crystal Palace on Saturday, Potter said: "We've got six weeks and 13 matches, using the players the right way and winning matches in the toughest league in the world. That's the challenge in the short term.
"It's a challenge. It's what I have to deal with and we have to be smart with how we work. In a world with lots of challenges, you don't want to hear me complaining about less time on the pitch."
It is a sprint finish for the group but at the start of the season in an unprecedented situation that again poses lots of different challenges to Potter and his new team.
Given the sluggish start after high expectations of Chelsea this season, there is no doubt that the pressure will be on Potter, who is trying to steer the ship to calmer waters, but Potter admitted he wasn't shying away from the big change for him.
"The first thing to say is change is good, bad and challenging, it's how you deal with it and work for it. It's well documented what has happened. It's part of life sometimes. A bit more than a short term challenge. The resources, or history doesn't guarantee you anything in this league. It's about getting everything lined up and everyone working together and the strategy clear.
"Vital sounds a bit life or death and a bit dramatic. I can't control people's perception or what we're looking at in May, I only focus on the next game or next session."
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