Chelsea reacted angrily yesterday to a fixture change that will force them to play two potentially crucial league matches in the space of four days next month, accusing BSkyB and the Premier League of threatening the integrity of the competition.

At the behest of television, the club's visit to Everton has been brought forward 48 hours to Thursday, April 17, only three days after another televised match against Wigan Athletic at Stamford Bridge, whereas Manchester United and Arsenal will have five days' recovery between matches on April 13 and 19.

Chelsea made representations to the Premier League on the ground that the change could seriously influence the title race, but their objections were ignored, leading to yesterday's strongly worded statement.

“We believe the decision to hold the match on Thursday, April 17 undermines the sporting integrity of the competition by giving our rivals for the Premier League title an unnecessary competitive advantage at a critical time of the season, with more recovery time from their previous match and preparation time for their next fixture when we have to play two games during the same period,” the statement read.

“There has been no consideration given to our fans, who will be presented with serious travel, work and other issues. The decision sets a dangerous precedent in changing match days still further when fixture congestion does not exist and when a sensible solution regarding other television matches that weekend was suggested. Football has benefited greatly from the backing of television and Chelsea as much as anyone else. However, this decision is one step too far.”

Chelsea's preparations for the match at home to Middlesbrough tomorrow have been hampered by the illness of Frank Lampard, who has been unable to train since returning from international duty. John Terry has shrugged off a tight hamstring, while Lampard is hoping to return to training today to prove his fitness.

“Frank Lampard is not feeling so well,” Avram Grant, the Chelsea first-team coach, said yesterday. “He didn't train today, but we'll see tomorrow. John Terry trained and I think he'll be OK.”

Grant is wary of Middlesbrough's threat after they drew with Arsenal in their most recent away match. “It won't be easy, but I don't think Arsenal are out of the race,” Grant said. “We were many points behind Arsenal and now we're above them. But they're still in the race. That's my opinion. Not even one team will take all the points. We have a game every three days for the next few weeks. We're not just thinking about the next game but other aspects, like physical condition. We have to think like that.”