The third and final match of our pre-season tour of the US as part of the “World Series of Football”.
Jose Mourinho has attempted to give as many members of the squad as possible between forty-five and sixty minutes playing time during the first two tour matches against AC Milan and DC United, usually fielding two completely different teams either side of half-time.
But for this second match in a week against Milan he will not use every member of the squad. “It is time to start moving towards a team,”? he revealed on the official club website.
Whether today’s starting eleven will be the team that starts against Arsenal in the Community Shield next Sunday is not clear, but it’s sure to be close.
Arjen Robben is unlikely to play after pulling out of training yesterday. It is reported that there’s no serious problem with the Dutchman and it was only a precautionary decision. Joe Cole or Wright-Phillips will likely replace him.
Score prediction: AC Milan will want revenge for the 1-0 defeat they suffered to The Blues this time last week and are likely to improve on a poor performance. But with Mourinho indicating he wants to field his preferred starting eleven for this match, the Italians are sure to struggle again. 2-1.
The match kicks off at 8pm BST and is live from the New York Giants’ stadium on Chelsea TV, and online for a one-off fee of £2.99.
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Chelsea 1 – 1 AC Milan · Update
A draw was enough for Chelsea to win the “World Series of Football” tournament in the US.
The Blues took the lead on 64 minutes when Didier Drogba powered past several Milan defenders before slotting the ball past an advancing ‘keeper.
Milan nicked an equaliser with 10 minutes remaining after Rui Costa curled a delightful shot past Cech.
Injuries to Gallas and Makelele meant they were both substituted during the second half. The extent of their injuries is not known.
Proper reports: Sky Sports; Channel4; BBC Sport; The Independent; Daily Telegraph; The Guardian; Official Chelsea FC Website; Blue and White Army.
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