By Egbe Emmanuel
Antonio Conte will get one last glimpse of his team in match action
before returning to London for the English season's curtain-raiser
against Arsenal.
Chelsea conclude their International Champions Cup schedule with a game against Inter in Singapore on Saturday.
The Blues have beaten Arsenal and lost to Bayern Munich so far in
pre-season as they gear up for competitive action in August, which kicks
off with a Community Shield clash against the Gunners.
Inter, meanwhile, have consistently improved during pre-season,
following up a disappointing loss to Nurnberg with a draw against
Schalke as well as wins over Lyon and Bayern.
| Game | Chelsea vs Inter |
| Date | Saturday, July 29 |
| Time | 19:35 local / 12:35 BST / 07:35 ET |
TV CHANNEL & LIVE STREAM
In the UK, the match will be available to watch live on television on Premier Sports and
by stream via the Premier Sports Player. Viewers should note that the
game kicks off in the early hours of Sunday morning, due to time
difference.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Premier Sports | Premier Player |
In the US, the match will be available to watch live on television on
ESPN 2 and in Spanish on ESPN Deportes. It can also be streamed live on
WatchESPN.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| ESPN2 / ESPN Deportes (Spanish) | WatchESPN |
SQUADS & TEAM NEWS
| Position | Chelsea squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Courtois, Caballero, Eduardo, Bulka |
| Defenders | Azpilicueta, Cahill, Luiz, Christensen, Clarke-Salter, Kalas, Tomori, Alonso |
| Midfielders | Moses, Fabregas, Kante, Pasalic, Baker, Scott, Kenedy, Willian, Musonda Jr., Boga, |
| Forwards | Batshuayi, Remy, Morata |
Alvaro Morata is in line to start for the Blues after featuring from
the bench in the defeat to Bayern and it will be interesting to see
whether Conte prefers to use him as a lone striker or just behind.
Michy Batshuayi has done well leading the line in the absence of
Diego Costa, so the Italian coach may opt to squeeze both attackers into
his XI against Inter, with Willian just behind.
As well as Costa, Nemanja Matic is not part of the squad, while Pedro
was forced to withdraw from the tour after suffering a serious
concussion in the game against Arsenal.
Potential starting XI: Courtois; Luiz, Azpilicueta, Cahill; Alonso, Moses, Kante, Fabregas; Willian, Morata, Batshuayi.
| Position | Inter players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Berni, Handanovic, Padelli, Pissardo |
| Defenders | Ansaldi, D'Ambrosio, Miranda, Murillo, Nagatomo, Ranocchia, Skriniar, Vanheusden, Valietti |
| Midfielders | Borja Valero, Brozovic, Emmers, Gagliardini, Joao Mario, Kondogbia, Rivas |
| Forwards | Gabigol, Biabiany, Eder, Candreva, Icardi, Perisic, Pinamonti |
Mauro Icardi has been included in the Inter squad for their
pre-season tour, but the Argentina international has not yet been deemed
ready to play by Luciano Spalletti. Eder has led the line in his
absence and should start against Chelsea having bagged two in the win
over Bayern.
Ivan Perisic has featured prominently for the Nerazzurri despite
speculation that he is set to leave the San Siro club, while new
signings Borja Valero and Milan Skriniar have been given a chance to
showcase their abilities.
Potential starting XI: Handanovic; Nagatomo, D'Ambrosio, Miranda, Murillo; Kondogbia, Gagliardini, Joao Mario, Perisic, Candreva; Eder.
BETTING & MATCH ODDS
Chelsea are 7/10 favourites to win, according to dabblebet, while Inter are considered 10/3 bets to triumph against the Blues. Odds of 3/1 are given for the teams to draw.
GAME PREVIEW
Chelsea's game against Inter wraps up their pre-season preparations
ahead of their 2017-18 campaign curtain-raiser against Arsenal, which
takes place at Wembley just over a week later on August 6.
Conte's side have played just two games and, while it is unwise to
read too much into such friendlies, there have been positive signs from
the players as they prepare to defend their league title as well as
return to the Champions League.
Speculation surrounding the futures of Costa and Matic - two key men
in last season's Premier League success - has seemingly had little
effect on the Blues squad, who have performed well in the difficult
weather conditions, with Batshuayi standing out in particular.
Having played a bit-part role last season, Cesc Fabregas looks set to
be a leading man for Conte's side this term, while new signing Morata
will undoubtedly see a shift in the dynamic of the Chelsea attack, and
the game against Spalletti's side is their last chance to test things
out before competitive action resumes.
Inter, meanwhile, are preparing to launch a renewed assault on Serie A
as they attempt to rival the likes of Juventus, Roma, AC Milan and
Napoli. The Nerazzurri finished a disappointing seventh last season, but
are already beginning to look like a much better team under their new
coach.
If they manage to keep hold of Perisic and Icardi regains his fitness
in time for the big kick-off, they will have high hopes about their
chances of climbing back up the table and into Europe's elite.
Having already beaten Lyon and Bayern well, the scalp of the Premier
League champions would be a major boon for the San Siro outfit, with
friendlies against Villarreal and Real Betis to come before their season
opener against Fiorentina.
0 Comments