Chelsea return to pre-season action for the final time on Friday when they take on Udinese in Friuli, Italy.
The Pensioners have not had the best of pre-season tours, losing twice and winning just once. They will head into this fixture off the back of a dispiriting 4-0 loss to Premier League rivals Arsenal.
Thomas Tuchel will be desperate to bounce back from the disappointing defeat to the Gunners and round off his team’s preparations for the 2022-23 Premier League campaign with a strong display against Italian outfit Udinese.
Chelsea Team News
Neither N’Golo Kante nor Ruben Loftus-Cheek were able to travel to the United States due to their COVID-19 vaccination status, but the midfield pair could potentially be in the squad for the upcoming friendly.
Working towards Udinese! 👊 pic.twitter.com/ddGWEUoDbs
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 28, 2022
Ross Barkley and Kepa Arrizabalaga are fitness doubts for Chelsea, but Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso could feature amid the speculation surrounding their future.
Predicted Chelsea Lineup vs Udinese (3-4-2-1)
Goalkeeper
Edouard Mendy would have been disappointed after conceding four goals against Arsenal. The Senegalese shot-stopper will expect a lot more protection from the defenders than the last game and hope to keep a clean sheet.
Defence
After seeing his side ripped to shreds by Arsenal, Thomas Tuchel is expected to revert to a back-three system against Udinese. Summer signing Kalidou Koulibaly will be hoping to make his first start for Chelsea. He could be joined by Thiago Silva and Trevoh Chalobah in central defence.
Ben Chilwell was rested last time out but is expected to feature at left wing-back. On the other side, Reece James could get the nod again, and the English pair will look to exploit Udinese’s weaknesses from wide areas.
Midfield
In the centre of the park, Jorginho should have Mateo Kovacic as his partner. The duo of Jorginho and Kovacic will be tasked to keep things ticking with their passing ability, with the former offering further protection to the defence from the defensive midfield position.
The possible inclusion of Kovacic in the Chelsea lineup will see Conor Gallagher drop out. N’Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are also likely to be available for selection to Tuchel.
Attack
With Timo Werner misfiring in the last game, Kai Havertz becomes the obvious pick for the No. 9 slot for the Pensioners. The Germany international will have the attacking support from Raheem Sterling and Mason Mount, as the trio look to link up well and cause problems to the Udinese backline.
Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi will be hoping to get some minutes from the bench.