Chelsea Welcomes Inter Milan for Preseason Friendly

This weekend, Chelsea will wrap up their busy preseason schedule with a final friendly match at home against Inter Milan. Unlike Chelsea’s whirlwind tour across the United States, this will be Inter’s first and only preseason game outside of Italy.

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca is eager to end the preseason on a positive note and build a good connection with the fans, saying, “Finally, we are at home and with our fans, and we need them throughout the season. They are going to be very important for us.” He emphasized the need for their support, especially in challenging times.

The match is scheduled for Sunday, August 11, 2024, at 15:00 BST at Stamford Bridge. The weather is expected to be quite warm, making it a nice day for a football game.

As for team updates, Chelsea’s preseason hasn’t been ideal, but they came back from the U.S. tour with no new injuries—a bit of good news! However, some players like Nicolas Jackson and Axel Disasi still haven’t played, and they may not be ready for next week’s season start. On a brighter note, Cole Palmer and Marc Cucurella have returned from their breaks after the Euros, and there’s buzz about the potential new signing of Pedro Neto.

On the other side, Inter Milan is coming off a successful season where they clinched their 20th league title, and they’ve been quiet this summer regarding new signings. They’ve added some solid players like Davide Frattesi and Mehdi Taremi while letting go of some veterans.

Interestingly, this friendly marks Chelsea’s first match at Stamford Bridge in the preseason since 2018. Back then, they played a goalless draw against Olympique Lyon. The last competitive match against Inter was back in 2010 during the Champions League, a memory long cherished by fans.

However, not everyone will be available for Inter. Midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu is out due to a slight muscle issue, while other players like Mehdi Taremi and Piotr Zielinski are also recovering from injuries. Despite this, the Inter captain, Lautaro Martinez, is expected to play, gearing up for the team’s Serie A opener soon.