Chelsea beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 earlier today, with both goals coming from players who joined the team this summer. That has to be encouraging, for Blues supporters everywhere- the new guys are quickly integrating into the team, and getting things done! And with the first of the two home friendlies this weekend in the books, well, time to move on to AC Milan already!
With the title run of the Club World Cup, and then the well-deserved holiday after that, there just isn’t/wasn’t much time for preseason friendlies.
Club Friendly FYIs
Chelsea FC vs AC Milan
Kickoff: Sun Aug. 10, 3pm, Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Preview Material for Both Sides: Team News Starting Lineup Predictions
So that’s how we ended up with two preseason exhibitions within a 48 hour period. Expect to see some squad rotation here. Oh and look, Mike Maignan!
The guy that Chelsea came close to signing away from Milan. So there is another storyline for this one.
Starting Lineup Predictions
AC Milan
Mike Maignan; Fikayo Tomori, Mateo Gabbia, Strahinja Pavlovic; Alexis Saelemaekers, Samuele Ricci, Luka Modric, Yunus Musah, Perves Estupinan; Rafael Leao, Alex Gimenez
Chelsea FC
Robert Sanchez; Malo Gusto, Trevoh Chalobah, Josh Acheampong, Marc Cucurella; Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia; Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, Jamie Gittens; Joao Pedro
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 USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter