Chelsea vs Inter Milan
Enzo Maresca has had a rough start in his first few games as the new Chelsea boss, so they’ll be looking for some home comfort when they host Inter Milan for their final Club Friendly match on Sunday.
Chelsea were held to a high-scoring draw against Wrexham before losing to Celtic, Manchester City, and Real Madrid, and their only victory was a 3-0 result against Club America.
Some fans argue that Chelsea have played too many exhibition matches (five games in 14 days), but either way, their poor stretch of Club Friendly 2024 results indicate that Maresca will have his work cut out for him.
Inter Milan, on the other hand, recorded two wins, one draw, and one loss against Al-Ittihad last night. The Nerazzurri want to win at Stamford Bridge to give them a shot in the arm ahead of their Serie A title defence, and they’re slightly favoured by the Club Friendly 2024 odds to win.
As we look forward to another intriguing exhibition clash, SBOTOP lists down the key points you need to know about this game.
Talking points
Chelsea have been weak defensively
One particular area that Enzo Maresca needs to address is their anemic defence, which has conceded 12 goals. So far this preseason, the manager has mixed and matched various back four combinations, with new signing Filip Jorgensen in goal.
Benoit Badiashile and Levi Colwill haven’t panned out as planned for the Blues, so Wesley Fofana and Tosin Adarabioyo could get the nod against the Nerazzurri this weekend, while Reece James and Malo Gusto will likely start as the two inverted full-backs.
It’s good to see Reece James back in action if you’re a Chelsea fan, but he will need time to rebuild his fitness and confidence following a difficult 2023-24 campaign that was marred by a hamstring injury that kept him out for at least five months.
Following this match against Inter Milan, James will serve his three-match suspension after he was sent off in their win against Brighton in May, which should give him the space to work his game.
Moreover, don’t expect Cole Palmer, Marc Cucurella, and Nicolas Jackson to return on Sunday, as Palmer and Cucurella were afforded a break after reaching the Euro 2024 final, while Jackson is still nursing an ankle injury he suffered while playing for Senegal.
With the three of them out, this could open an opportunity for soon-to-be signing Samu Omorodion to make his long-awaited Chelsea debut.
Injuries and knocks haunt Inter Milan
Simone Inzaghi is also facing a lineup dilemma since his squad is not at full strength. According to reports, Inter Milan won’t have Mehdi Taremi, Marko Arnautovic, and Piotr Zielinski on Sunday, while Stefan de Vrij is a huge doubt.
Taremi, Arnautovic, and Zielinski all suffered knocks in the team’s previous friendly encounters, while de Vrij will need to undergo medical tests after tweaking his thigh against Al-Ittihad.
If de Vrij is going to be absent, Francesco Acerbi will likely take his place in the starting XI, while Benjamin Pavard could draw a start.
Inter Milan are also bringing back Lautaro Martinez slowly after he was given some time off following their latest Copa America triumph. With the team captain sidelined, Marcus Thuram and Joaquin Correa will continue to lead up front.
History
Chelsea and Inter Milan are set to square off for the first time since the Round of 16 of the 2009-10 Champions League.
In what was a battle between two fine managers (Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho), the Special One won the matchup via an aggregate tally of 3-1.
Inter Milan won 2-1 in the first leg, as Diego Milito and Esteban Cambiasso found the back of the net while Salomon Kalou scored the consolation goal for Chelsea.
Samuel Eto’o scored the lone goal in the second leg. And when Didier Drogba was sent off in the 87th minute, Chelsea finished the match down by one player.
From there, the Nerazzurri never looked back, as they went all the way to win the Champions League trophy, beating CSKA Moscow, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich in the succeeding rounds.
Chelsea and Inter Milan have been partners in the transfer market recently.
After winning the Scudetto in 2020-21, Inter Milan sold Romelu Lukaku for a record fee of £97.5 million, but the Belgian striker found his way back to San Siro (via loan) after falling out with the Blues management in 2022. Lukaku is still with Chelsea today, and the Blues have been selling him ever since.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
