Their form in the pre-season has also been less than convincing till now, hence Tuchel will expect his side to get their act together with the new campaign not far away from commencing.
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Chelsea will hope to bounce back from their shocking 4-0 loss to Arsenal when they face Udinese in a pre-season friendly on Friday night. The Blues were completely beaten in every department during the last match by their London rivals. Although it was a friendly encounter, still the result sent shockwaves among the Blues’ support base. Thomas Tuchel was also not happy with what he saw, as he let his frustrations known during the post-match press conference. Hence, Chelsea will be eager for a response to show their supporters and their manager what they are capable of when they take to the field on Friday.
| Udinese vs Chelsea | Key Details |
| Date | 29 July, 2022 |
| Venue | Stadio Friuli |
| Kickoff time India | 12:30 am (Saturday) |
| Kickoff time England | 8 pm (Friday) |
| Kickoff time Italy | 9 pm |
Finishing third in the Premier League last season, Chelsea managed 74 points from 38 games. A season that began with high expectations concluded with the team slipping considerably behind the top two teams in the table and two cup final defeats to Liverpool. Their form in the pre-season has also been less than convincing till now, hence Tuchel will expect his side to get their act together with the new campaign not far away from commencing. Meanwhile, Udinese finished 12th in the Serie A last season with 47 points from 38 games. This is also their last match in the pre-season hence they would be keen to end it on a high.
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Thomas Tuchel has endured a frustrating summer transfer window till now. The Blues have been linked with a lot of players and have even reportedly gone close with a few of them but they have not been able to get all the players they have wanted. Raphinha was heavily linked with a move from Leeds United to Stamford Bridge but he ended up choosing Barcelona. From the looks of it, Sevilla defender Jules Kounde could also follow a similar path after being frequently linked to Chelsea this summer and last. Nonetheless, the Blues have made a couple of signings – Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly.Â
Despite these two additions, they will be keen to add more defenders after Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen left the club. Furthermore, Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso are also rumoured with a move away from Stamford Bridge. Hence, it is not clear if the duo will play on Friday night. There are also fitness concerns about Kepa Arrizabalaga and Ross Barkley’s participation. Meanwhile, Udinese have also been busy in the transfer window, with a lot of players coming and leaving the club. Sandi Lovric and Adam Masina are joined by Jaka Bijol, Leonardo Buta and Beto among others. It will be interesting to see how many of these players will play on Friday.
Udinese possible line-up: Padelli, Abankwah, Guessand, Benkovic, Ebosele, Jajalo, Pereyra, Bijol, Masina, Success, Beto
Chelsea possible line-up: Mendy, James, Koulibaly, Sarr, Chilwell; Jorginho, Kovacic; Mount, Havertz, Sterling, Werner
The pre-season friendly match between Udinese and Chelsea will take place at Stadio Friuli on Saturday at 12:30 am IST.
The live coverage of the upcoming friendly match between Udinese and Chelsea will be available on the 5th Stand and the official Chelsea website. Further details can be found on their official club website.
