Chelsea to Honour Fallen Ahead of Manchester United

Chelsea will honour those lost in conflict and support the Royal British Legion's annual Poppy Appeal at this weekend's Premier League match against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. The fixture is the club's closest men's home game to Remembrance Sunday and the last before Armistice Day.

Remembrance Day commemorations will also take place as part of a special heritage event organised by supporters at the stadium before the game. Poppies will be sold by sellers around the stadium, who will accept both contactless and cash payment. The Royal British Legion uses the funds raised to support serving members of the Armed Forces, veterans and their families.

Inside the stadium, the teams will be led out of the tunnel by Chelsea Pensioners from the Royal Hospital Chelsea. The UK Armed Forces Chelsea Official Supporters Club will hold the poppy centre-circle banner and a new Remembrance-themed banner, which will be unveiled on the pitch.

Remembrance will also be marked in the stands, with a dedicated crowd-surfing banner in the Matthew Harding Stand and a display organised by We Are The Shed at the other end of the stadium. A silence will honour those who lost their lives in conflict across the world, with The Last Post played by a trumpeter of the Central Band of the Royal Air Force.

In Saturday's matchday programme, Xabi Alonso and Reece James will write about Remembrance in their respective manager's and captain's notes. Chelsea FC Women will also mark Remembrance at their match on Saturday 7 November, when they play Everton Women at Stamford Bridge.

Shirts with embroidered poppies, worn and signed by the relevant player, will be auctioned with support from Official Online Match Shirt Auction Partner MatchWornShirt. All net proceeds are donated to the Royal British Legion appeal.

A heritage event, the latest in the Those Were The Days series held with the Chelsea Heritage Partnership, takes place from 10.30am on Saturday in the Tea Bar. It includes Remembrance Day commemorations, with members of the Armed Forces joining, subject to matchday timings. The event focuses on a First World War-era match-fixing scandal, over 100 years ago, in which Chelsea were the victims of manipulation between Liverpool and Manchester United.

The programme includes an on-screen presentation from club historian Rick Glanvill on players and staff who made the ultimate sacrifice in the war, historical artefacts and photos, and on-screen coverage of past matches against Manchester United. The Tea Bar is at the South End of the stadium, where poppies can also be bought.

Chelsea Foundation has also donated to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, funded by a percentage of profits from the Chelsea Pensioners-inspired Heritage Collection sold last year.