Chelsea vs Celtic – Match Preview | USA Pre-Season 2024

Ashu Ranjeet
By Ashu Ranjeet
9 Min Read

Chelsea are set to lock horns against the Scottish Champions Celtic in a pre-season friendly clash on the USA Tour 2024 on Saturday.

The Blues embark on a fresh new beginning under their new boss Enzo Maresca, marking his first game in charge of the club. Following a thrilling 2-2 encounter against League One outfit Wrexham AFC in the USA pre-season tour opener. The Blues are set to face Liga MX side Club America, Premier League champions Manchester City, and European champions Real Madrid during the entire USA summer tour.

On the other hand, Celtic are buoyed by their impressive 4-3 victory over the English champions Manchester City on Wednesday. So far, they are on a run, boasting an undefeated streak, recording three wins and a draw in their four pre-season games. The Scottish club managed by Brendon Rodgers could potentially cause trouble for Chelsea as they are still acclimating under their new Italian boss.

When and Where?

Date: Saturday, 27 July 2024
Time: 21:00 BST
Venue: Notre Dame Stadium, Indiana.

Team News

Embed from Getty Images

Enzo Maresca is deprived of working with a full-strengthened squad since Chelsea’s 28-member squad for the Tour is missing several key players who participated in the Euro 2024 and Copa America 2024. Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher, Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo, and Enzo Fernández will join later following their break. A few other names left out of the squad list, such as Trevor Chalboh, Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, and Romelu Lukaku, are likely to leave the clubs.

The latest recruit, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and Mykhailo Mudryk could also miss the second game to recover from their injuries. Meanwhile, the long-term absentees from last season, Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia, were back in action against the Welsh side and are expected to secure some minutes.

Brendan Rodgers has a full squad at his disposal for selection, though Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnson are unavailable due to international duty over the summer in Copa America and are being rested.

Fortunately, The Bhoys have no fresh injuries reported ahead of their clash against the London club in their final friendly, as they will look to keep themselves safe and injury-free ahead of their 2024–25 season opener in the Scottish Premiership next weekend.

Pre-Match Analysis

Embed from Getty Images

Pre-season preparations hold significant importance for Enzo Maresco and the squad to seek the right balance for the team, as the former Leicester City boss is keen to experiment and test his playing style during the five-game series in the United States.

The 44-year-old manager is keen to give chances to some of the players who started on the bench against Wrexham. The team struggled to execute Maresca’s plan of building up from the back, leading to two errors and goals from quick counters as the defense was often caught out of position in the previous game.

Despite having most of the ball possession, the players were scrappy in transition, build-up, and switching play. Nonetheless, it was only Enzo Maresca’s first game in charge, and they will need time to implement the Italian manager’s tactical methods properly.

Maresca would continue with a 3-4-3 tactical shape, with Robert Sanchez in goal and new arrival Tosin Adarabioyo to start after a fairly impressive debut combined with the duo of Benoit Badiashille and Levi Colwill in the three-man backline. Malo Gusto and Ben Chillwell to start on wide flanks; Reece James in his new role as the midfielder; and Lesly Ugochukwu may get a start after netting the equalizer in the previous game.

Embed from Getty Images

On the left wing, Raheem Sterling will have an opportunity to prove his credentials to the new boss after a decent shift in the first game. On the right, Noni Madueke will get another chance despite an average performance in the opener. Christopher Nkunku is set to operate as the center forward.

Last season, Brendon Rodgers returned to Celtic Park as their head coach and guided the Glasgow club to the third Scottish Premiership title under his management, with an imposing record of 35 victories in 50 matches across all competitions and only 8 defeats.

The preseason followed a similar story, with three wins out of their last four friendlies, including an exhilarating 4-3 triumph over Manchester City, extending their decent preseason run. It is expected that the Celtic boss will pick his strongest possible eleven against Chelsea.

This will be the Scottish club’s last pre-season game before they kick off the 2024–25 season. The formation is likely to be 4-3-3, with an unchanged eleven from the match against Pep Guardiola’s side.

Kasper Schmeichel will be between the sticks, with Antony Ralston and Greg Taylor tasked with full-back duties. Stephen Welsh and Liam Scales form the center-back duo, completing the four-man defense. The midfield trio will consist of Matt O’Riley, Callum McGregor, and Reo Hatate. Nicolas Kuhn, the hero of Celtic’s recent win, will team up with the Japanese attacking duo of Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda as the front three.

Key players

Christopher Nkunku

Embed from Getty Images

The highly promising forward endured a tough start in the English capital after moving to the Premier League last summer. Nkunku suffered a series of injuries last season that forced him to miss the majority of the 2023-24 campaign.

Now, the 26-year-old is working on regaining his peak shape and striving to leave his mark by replicating his top-class stint in the Bundesliga. He has the ability to navigate all over the pitch, combined with an eye for creativity and clinical finishing, which makes him a prime threat for the opposition.

In the latest outing against Wrexham, the French international netted the opener. He was lively in the first game, recording 93% passing accuracy, 36 touches, 4 touches inside the opponent’s box, and 50% shot accuracy. It’s fair to say that he is slowly finding his feet, and his involvement in the attack will be a determining factor for the Blues against Celtic and in upcoming fixtures.

Matt O’Riley

Embed from Getty Images

Celtic’s midfield maestro, O’ Riley, had played a pivotal role in the club’s latest league triumph in the 2023–24 season. The 23-year-old has established himself as a key player for the Bhoys over the years. During the 2023–24 campaign, he achieved a staggering tally of 19 goals and 18 assists across all competitions and has extended his fantastic form in pre-season as well.

The Danish international provided an assist in their recent 4-3 triumph over Manchester City. He created a single chance, accounting for 89% passing accuracy, 2 out of 3 successful dribbles, 4 passes into the final third, and put in a great shift all over the middle of the park in defending and ball recovery. His quality in midfield can certainly cause problems for Chelsea.

Predicted Lineup

Chelsea predicted lineup vs Celtic: Sanchez; Adarabioyo, Badiashille, Colwill; Gusto, James, Ugochukwu, Chilwell; Madueke, Nkunku, Sterling.

Celtic predicted lineup vs Chelsea: Schmeichel; Ralston, Welsh, Scales, Taylor; O’Riley, McGregor, Hatate; Kuhn, Furuhashi, Maeda.

Share This Article
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *