Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel, Premier League
Ben King
Chelsea are in Italy to face Udinese this evening in what will be the final game of their pre-season campaign before their Premier League season kicks off next weekend against Everton.
The Blue’s preseason has been somewhat underwhelming so far, with their only victory coming in a 2-1 win over Club America.
Most recently they faced a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of London rivals Arsenal, prompting Thomas Tuchel to question the mentality and commitment of his players.
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Speaking after the game, the German boss stated: “We deserved to lose, which is fair enough because we were simply not good enough, we were absolutely not competitive."
The English side will be hoping they can soon find some of the form that helped them win the 2021 Champions League final.
As for Udinese, the Italian side have been busy so far this preseason, playing four games already, including a 2-1 win against Pafos, and a 3-3 draw against Bundesliga side Union Berlin.
Chelsea have announced that their final pre-season clash vs Udinese will be available to view for free on The 5th Stand app, and also on their website, in the UK, Ireland, and many other countries around the world.
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The tie will take place at the Dacia Arena in Udine on Friday 29th July and will kick off at 9pm local time, which is 8pm for UK viewers.
Chelsea could potentially welcome back midfield maestros N’golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek who were unable to join the club’s North American tour due to their Covid-19 vaccination status.
Koulibaly will be hoping to make his first start for his new club in a defence that could also welcome back Ben Chilwell.
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Amando Broja could also feature despite many rumours linking him away from the West London side.
Udinese Manager, Andrea Sottil, is likely to name an experienced team capable of giving Chelsea a real test.
New signings Jaka Bijol and Adam Masina are expected to take part.