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Official Pre-season 12/13 Thread

3K views 51 replies 13 participants last post by  Madman 
#1 ·
Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce the two final dates on our 2012 US summer tour.

We will be playing Paris St Germain at the Yankee Stadium, New York City, on Sunday, July 22 and AC Milan at Sun Life Stadium in Miami on Saturday, July 28.

These two exciting dates are added to our previously announced fixtures against Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink Field on July 18 and Philadelphia on July 25 where we will meet the MLS All-Stars at PPL Park.

Chelsea have not played in New York City since the summer of 1954, but we now look forward to a debut at one of sport's iconic venues - the new Yankee Stadium - which was opened in 2009 in the Bronx district of New York. A soccer game has never before been staged in the stadium.

Replacing the old Yankee Stadium, which had stood across the road since 1923, the new venue's features closely mirror the original and include an eye-catching Indiana limestone exterior.

In its three years the stadium has already hosted boxing events as well as performances from Jay-Z and Eminem and Paul McCartney, with Madonna set to perform in September. The venue has a 54,000 capacity when configured for football.

The game brings Chelsea a first reunion with former manager Carlo Ancelotti, who was in charge at Stamford Bridge for two years from 2009 until 2011, winning the Premier League and FA Cup Double in his first season. He is assisted in Paris by Chelsea legend Claude Makelele and former coach Paul Clement.

Our former defender Alex, a popular figure among Blues fans due to his rocket-like free-kicks, is also on the books with the French side having played for us between 2007 and 2011.

AC Milan will be familiar opposition on Chelsea's first ever visit to Florida in what promises to be a keenly contested game. We met Milan last in the summer of 2009 in Baltimore, when goals from Didier Drogba and Yuri Zhirkov earned us a 2-1 win in front of more than 70,000 fans. A year earlier we had beaten the Italians 5-1 thanks to four goals from Nicolas Anelka, and they were also our first ever Champions League opponents way back in 1999.

Sun Life Stadium has a capacity of 75,540 and since it opened in 1987 has hosted five Super Bowls and two baseball World Series.

'We are very excited to announce these two final fixtures in our summer tour,' said Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay.

'Chelsea Football Club is delighted to be heading to New York after such a long time away, and it will be a real pleasure to visit Yankee Stadium for what is sure to be a competitive game.

'Paris St Germain represents a true test for us in our preparations for the new season. We know Carlo well and respect the superb job he did for us, and continues to do in France. It should be a fantastic game.

'Southern Florida is a hotbed of football support and we cannot wait to resume our friendly rivalry with AC Milan at a packed stadium.

'The four fixtures we have lined up in the US offer an exciting schedule and as a club we cannot wait to sample the ever-growing appetite for the game in America.'
 
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#3 ·
I'm a bit worried we're going to be a bit short of players in the pre-season. Mata, Sturridge, Bertrand and David Luiz will go to the Olympics, and Terry, Cole, Cech, Meireles or Torres (I don't count Malouda) will return later.

Only Ivanovic and Cahill in the first pre-season weeks at the back (Chalobah for sure), and only Lukaku as striker.
 
#4 ·
I forgot Oriol Romeu, who is called with Mata to represent Spain. So, five Chelsea players to the Olympics.

I think our pre-season starts tomorrow, and I can see the following first-team players involved: Ross Turnbull, Henrique Hilario, Branislav Ivanovic, Gary Cahill (maybe injured), David Luiz, Sam Hutchinson, Paulo Ferreira, Ryan Bertrand, Oriol Romeu, Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel, Frank Lampard (maybe injured), Ramires, Josh McEachran, Kevin De Bruyne, Marko Marin, Gael Kakuta, Eden Hazard, Ulises Davila, Daniel Sturridge, Romelu Lukaku.

David Luiz, Bertrand, Romeu and Sturridge will leave in a few days for the Olympics. Youngsters like Jamal Blackman, Todd Kane, Nathaniel Chalobah or Lucas Piazon are expected to train with the first team too. I don't know anything about Yossi Benayoun.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Pre-season started today. First video and photos: http://www.chelseafc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10268~2833109,00.html

So, we have Hazard with #17, Marin with #21 and De Bruyne with #14. I'm sure Maicon would get #13 if he finally arrives. The number #11 still free...

In the video you can see the return of some loaned players last season, like Yossi Benayoun, Josh McEachran, Gael Kakuta or Patrick van Aanholt. Tomas Kalas is there too, but he will play another season at Vitesse after a wonderful spell. Thibaut Courtois continues at Atletico and Jeffrey Bruma, with Hamburg.
 
#18 ·
McEachran with two assists, three if we get technical (;))... hasnt got a flashy name though.
 
#22 ·
PSG leading 1-0 against Chelsea at HT. Pastore owning Cahill and Kakuta in the process

Chelsea only threatened somewhat from long shots, although understandable as 3 of the 4 upfront are unproven and Hazard is still new to the team.
 
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