Chelsea FC: The International Briefing
The Premier League along with top leagues around the world sit back this weekend as international matches take precedence. Ahead of this (unwelcome) break from our regularly scheduled programming, let’s see where Chelsea squad members will be headed to over the next week or so.
More from The Pride of London
- Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea player ratings: Abysmal, reckless, wasteful
- Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea: 3 Blues talking points
- Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 1 Blue Mauricio Pochettino should drop
- Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 3 Blues who must start
- Predicted Chelsea lineup vs Bournemouth: Palmer starts in 4-2-3-1
As discussed last week, Gary Cahill is the sole English participant. He’ll be expected to start the EURO qualifier against Lithuania on Friday at Wembley Stadium before flying to Turin to take on the Azzurri on Tuesday. The extent of Cahill’s involvement in the second game is more uncertain as England boss Roy Hodgson may want to see the likes of Phil Jones and Chris Smalling instead.
Meanwhile, both Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa have been called up by Vicente Del Bosque only for the latter to pull out due to a hamstring injury picked up in the win against Hull. Cesc, though, will also have a Friday/Tuesday split as his national side take on Ukraine in a qualifier before travelling to Amsterdam to face the Netherlands. As usual with the intense competition within the Spanish squad (especially in the midfield), Fabregas will not necessarily be a nailed on starter but should feature in some form in both matches.
More from Chelsea FC News
- Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 1 Blue Mauricio Pochettino should drop
- Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 3 Blues who must start
- Predicted Chelsea lineup vs Bournemouth: Palmer starts in 4-2-3-1
- Chelsea sporting directors finally reveal why they sign so many young players
- These 3 new signings may never get a game at Chelsea
Chelsea’s Belgian duo of Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois will have two qualifiers to participate in. First they welcome Cyprus on Saturday before travelling to Israel on Tuesday to play a match rescheduled from last September due to security concerns. With only one win in their first three qualifiers, this underachieving Belgian squad will see this as a crucial week in their quest to reach the tournament proper next summer. As highly-skilled and vital players, Hazard and Courtois should start both ties, a realisation that Jose Mourinho is probably not too happy with.
Serbia only have the one game in Portugal over this period with Branislav Ivanovic and Nemanja Matic set to be heavily involved. Similar to Belgum, Serbia have not got off to the greatest start in this campaign and with the docking of three points after the farcical game against Albania, this will be a crucial meeting for captain Ivanovic’s men.
Elsewhere, Petr Cech is (naturally) in the Czech Republic squad as they host Latvia on Saturday in a qualifier before Tuesday’s friendly in Slovakia. After seemingly stating his desire to move away from West London in the summer, this will provide ample exposure for him to show that his standards have in no way fallen.
Chelsea FC
There is also a potential international debut in the offing as Kurt Zouma prepares to host Brazil on Thursday and Denmark on Sunday in friendlies. The Brazil game could see him take on teammates Oscar, Filipe Luis and Willian before the South American outfit face Chile at the Emirates on Sunday. Meanwhile Chelsea’s newest South American asset, Juan Cuadrado, will tour the Middle East facing off against Bahrain and Kuwait on Thursday and Monday respectively.
That should have you up to speed with the various goings-on for Chelsea squad members. Further to this there is a plethora of talent getting involved at youth levels while loaned players should get some game time too, details of which can be found here. I always struggle to cope with the international break partly because the games are at odd times but mostly because it is often a bore to watch (especially if you happen to be English), so I guess the most that can be said is that hopefully there will be no injuries. Enjoy!
Photos by @cfcunoffical. On Twitter and at CFCUnofficial.com