Chelsea won’t play a meaningful game again until December 27, when they’ll take on AFC Bournemouth in a Premier League fixture. As we said in the midst of November, as the World Cup break commenced, their holiday comes at just the right time.
It’s a perfect break period to regroup and reset, because their season is in a bad place right now. The road back begins in Abu Dhabi, as the west London side embarks on a warm weather training trip, and a friendly against Aston Villa.
Chelsea FC vs Aston Villa FYIs
Kickoff: 2:10pm UK time, Sunday Dec. 11
Where: Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Watch: Stream on Villa TV
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
World Cup Preview Segments: WGN Radio NTD News Insert Name FC
Chelsea Team News
Raheem Sterling’s family reported a burglary over the weekend after discovering some valuables, including jewelry had been stolen. The forward left England’s camp in Qatar and returned to the UK ahead of their last-16 win over Senegal. Police have arrested two individuals that they believe could be connected to the break-in, but the investigation remains ongoing.
Included in the Blues travel squad are the convalescing crew of N’Golo Kante, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Wesley Fofana, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Carney Chukwuemeka and Reece James.
Manager Graham Potter gave injury updates on a cadre of players.
‘”Reece is not quite fully training but he’s integrating into training along with Wesley,” the gaffer said about James and Fofana.
“Wesley is a little bit further behind but not too far.”
He then proceeded to provide an update on Chilwell and Kante.
“Ben has come back from his individual work in Dubai and he’s now working closer with the guys but still not team training,” Potter continued.
“N’Golo is a little bit further away but again he’s progressing well. There are lots of players at different levels and that’s the challenge but we’re making progress so that’s the positive.”
Chelsea Travel Squad to Abu Dhabi
Kepa, Bettinelli, Beach, Humphreys, Gilchrist, Chalobah, Rankine, Brooking, Chilwell, James, Cucurella, Fofana, Hall
Casadei, Webster, Elliot, Jorginho, Kante, Loftus-Cheek, Chukwuemeka, Hutchinson, Mothersille, Burstow, Aubameyang, Broja
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager 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’s written for numerous publications, including Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.