Chelsea are set to begin a new preseason, and they’ll do so in a very familiar place from last season- they have injury/fitness concerns. Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and forward Nicolas Jackson were out injured at the end of last season, so they may miss out on the USA Preseason tour opener against Wrexham. New manager Enzo Maresca may not risk them at the start, and instead opt to ease them back in slowly.
Elsewhere, Kepa Arrizabalaga is back with the club after his loan deal at Real Madrid has now expired.
Preseason Friendly FYIs
Wrexham AFC vs Chelsea FC
Kickoff (local time): wed July 24, 7:30 pm, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA, USA
Chelsea Preview Content: Team News I Team News II Latest Transfer Talk Starting XI Prediction
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Fun fact: these two clubs faced each other in a preseason friendly, on American soil, last summer as well.
Blues Team News
He does not want to play for Chelsea anymore, and the club wants to get rid of him, so this is awkward, to say the least. We covered that already here.
In sticking with the goalkeepers union, youngster Gabriel Slonina, an Addison, Illinois native is not with the club for Chelsea’s tour of his home country. He is busy representing the USA at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympiad. Elsewhere in between the sticks, Djordje Petrovic did not make the trip across the ocean, as he’s nursing a small injury.
He could join up later. Winger Mykhaylo Mudryk saw his Ukrainian side eliminated early from the Euros, so he might be involved here.
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 and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.