For the first time since 2019, when Liverpool FC squared off against Borussia Dortmund in the Jurgen Klopp Cup (preseason version), Notre Dame Stadium will host world football. Or metric football; whatever you want to call it, as long as you don’t call it American football. Chelsea FC will take on Celtic this Saturday at the House that Rockne Built, but former Major League Soccer (the American top flight) hero Djordje Petrovic won’t be there.
He stayed back in London to nurse a minor injury, so Robert Sanchez will likely get the call in between the sticks here.
Roberto Di Matteo has touched down in Notre Dame! ??
We face @CelticFC there in late July. ?#BluesInTheUSA
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 19, 2024
FC Series FYIs
Chelsea vs Celtic
Competition: club friendly
Kickoff: Saturday July 27, 4pm EST, Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN, USA
Chelsea Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
New signings Renato Veiga and Kieran Dewsbury-Hall did not feature in the draw against Wrexham last night that was staged out on the left coast, so this match should bring their Chelsea debuts. Meanwhile the following four players are still away on holiday, having put in long tours of international duty at the Euros and the Copa America: Cole Palmer, Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo and Conor Gallagher.
Finally, we just have to say- what could possibly sound more Gaelic than Celtic playing at the home of the Fighting Irish?
Of course, Celtic is SCOTTISH and not Irish, but I am sure that won’t stop local media here from running with their fallacious narratives.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.