We’re now just a bit over per week away from the beginning of the brand new Premier League season — although we’ve got to attend till Monday night time (the twenty fourth) for the Chelsea match — and that implies that it’s now time for the ultimate preparations to be made on the coaching floor earlier than issues get performed for realsies. A part of these remaining preparations is a pleasant on the Bridge, tomorrow afternoon in opposition to Actual Sociedad.
It is a rematch of a preseason pleasant from twelve years in the past, when José Mourinho was in cost for the second time and would lead the Blues to a Premier League title. (It might then all implode the next season, which is a related storyline as soon as once more because of the current launch of the “Mourinho” documentary on Netflix.)
If we someway find yourself wining the title this yr as properly, we higher be taking part in Actual Sociedad each summer time any more.
Date / Time: Saturday, August 15, 2026, 14.00 BST; 9am EDT; 7:30pm IST
Venue: Stamford Bridge, SW6
Forecast: In 2014, we acquired sideways, driving rain; this time round it needs to be good and fairly heat
On TV: none (USA/UK); ETB 1 (Spain); elsewhere
Streaming: CFC+ (all over the place besides Spain) — £9.99 for simply the sport or £14.99/$19.99 for the entire season
Chelsea staff information: Everybody who’s anybody is now again, together with the previous few stragglers from post-World Cup holidays, like Reece James and Enzo Fernández, plus big-money acquisitions Morgan Rogers and Maxence Lacroix. And small-money acquisitions like Jordan Henderson and Pep Chavarría. I’d anticipate all of them to play, together with the Manchester Metropolis-linked Enzo. Chelsea had set a tough deadline of Friday night for any bids for our Vice-captain. None arrived, so he’s now staying for certain (or at the very least that’s the speculation).
It’s been a little bit of a blended bag by way of outcomes this preseason, however general, the vibes have been fairly good and a few of the soccer on show has been okay as properly. Xabi Alonso appears to be placing his mark on the staff, on and off the pitch, and absolutely that’s an excellent factor. The squad appears to be like far more balanced than in current seasons, whilst we nonetheless have to jettison and a good bit of deadwood. Our greatest general efficiency was in all probability in opposition to AC Milan final weekend, earlier than we went to Malaysia for a little bit of rugby in opposition to JDT. Fortunately, everybody appears to be okay after that.
Actual Sociedad staff information: Like Chelsea, La Actual completed tenth final season within the prime flight, and like for Chelsea, that was a little bit of a disappointment for them. Not like Chelsea, they did nonetheless win a pleasant shiny trophy, beating Atlético Madrid within the Copa del Rey remaining. They’re managed by Pellegrino Matarazzo, who grew to become the primary American (US) coach to win a serious European trophy within the course of. ‘MERICA!
World Cup champion and native legend Mikel Oyarzabal leads the road for the staff. The 29-year-old striker has spent his total profession with the staff and is coming off of a career-best season of 15 league objectives. He equaled the Spain nationwide staff report with 5 objectives on the World Cup, together with one within the semifinal in opposition to France.
It’s been a quiet summer time in any other case, with the squad basically unchanged from final season.
Beforehand: The aforementioned pleasant from twelve years in the past, which was Chelsea first house preseason pleasant in practically a decade, was received by the Blues, 2-0, with Diego Costa scoring twice within the first ten minutes. Diego would make a torrid begin to his precise Chelsea profession that season, keying our eventual title. Whereas we by no means performed Actual Sociedad competitively, we did even have a pleasant in opposition to them again in 1967. We’ve acquired historical past!
