Chelsea will take on Inter Milan in their final International Champions Cup pre-season match on Saturday. Here are five things to look for from the Blues before they head home.
Chelsea face Inter Milan in their last scheduled match before raising the curtain on the English season in the Community Shield against Arsenal. Apart from the first half against Bayern Munich, the Blues have delivered solid performances in Asia.
Antonio Conte heads into the Inter Milan match with a slightly smaller squad, after the injury to Pedro and several players departing on loan. However, Antonio Rudiger will make his Chelsea debut and Alvaro Morata will likely play a larger role than he did against Munich.
Antonio Conte will be keen to end the tour on high note, and return to England with a clear picture of what – and who – his squad still needs. Here are five things to look for as the Blues wrap up the post-season tour.
Antonio Rudiger in Chelsea colors for the first time
Saturday will be the unofficial debut of Chelsea’s newest recruit in the defence. Antonio Rudiger recently joined the training sessions with the squad, and will take the pitch for the first time in Chelsea’s backline.
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Chelsea fans will be eager to see what he can provide to the team. He is riding in a good wave of confidence after Germany’s recent triumph in the Confederations cup. His place in the squad is far more certain than where on the pitch he will play. Look for Antonio Conte to experiment with formations, positions and tactics among his defenders.
Last audition for youngsters to stake claim in the first team
Antonio Conte gave match time to many youngsters in the preseason fixtures so far. Players like Jeremie Boga, Tomas Kalas and Fikayo Timori all had good showings.
Tomas Kalas is already on loan, after signing a new four-year contract with the club. Some of the other young players may be sent on loan or sold once the team returns to England. A few of them will remain with the team for the season. The pressure will be on them to make use of whatever time they have on Saturday to give themselves the best prospects for the coming season.
Alvaro Morata settles in to his role
Alvaro Morata had a decent outing against Bayern Munich considering the lengthy travel and abbreviated training he had before the match. Now that he has had a few more days with the team, he will be settled and will have more understanding with his new team-mates. The fans can expect more from him against Inter Milan, and Antonio Conte will be watching closely to see how much he has picked up in his short time with the squad.
Michy Batshuayi showing what he can do yet again
Despite not getting the desired minutes under his belt last season, Michy Batshuayi is happy to be part of Chelsea. His overall performances have been impressive, with three goals in the two preseason matches.
With Alvaro Morata in the squad, Batshuayi must fight even harder for Antonio Conte’s attention, if not favour. Morata will start taking over as Chelsea’s lead striker. Michy Batshuayi should play and act as though the role is his, showing that he is ready to fill in should Morata be unavailable and make himself an indispensable part of the squad.
Willian takes the leadership role in attack
The majority of Chelsea’s goals last season came from Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Pedro. Since all of them are absent in Asia after Pedro’s injury, Willian has taken up the leadership role on the front line.
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Willian is the oldest and longest-serving Blue on the attack. While Chelsea’s captain and vice-captain anchor the defence, Willian has the opportunity to show how well he can lead and mentor the young players like Batshuayi and Jeremie Boga and the new arrival, Alvaro Morata.