Chelsea FC are set to take on arch-rivals Arsenal on Sunday in the Community Shield, and that means the offseason and preseason are now over. Yes, the summer of friendlies have now come to an end and real, meaningful matches will soon be here before you know it.
Not saying the the Community Shield is the biggest event around, but it’s something significant and it signals that the start of the Premier League regular season is just around the corner.
The Blues will be without two key players for the afternoon kickoff at Wembley Stadium. Chelsea FC Manager Conte gave an update at his match preview press conference.
“There are two players, Eden Hazard and Bakayoko. They are working to try to recover very soon but they are not able for tomorrow’s game,” he revealed.
The Italian was then asked if the duo will be match fit by the time the regular season rolls around on August 12.
“Honestly, no. It’s too early,” he said. “We have to wait, to have patience and for sure they are improving a lot, their physical condition. They are recovering very well from their injuries but they are still not ready to start the season.”
“The problem about Eden is an ankle problem, and it’s important to respect the right time to recover, and the same for Bakayoko, because he also had surgery on his knee, but I repeat we are hoping for them to recover very well and the work is going well.”
Chelsea begin their Premier League title defense at home against Burnley. The Bakayoko signing caused a huge stir of excitement this summer within the Blues supporter base. The long, protracted transfer saga had many ups and downs, twists and turns. Chelsea FC fans obviously cannot wait to finally see their new midfielder in action in a match with real meaning.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV.
Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Sound Cloud, LinkedIn and YouTube.
