Chelsea continue their pre-season tour of Ireland tomorrow, as they face Dublin-based side St. Patrick’s Athletic, in the second of two fixtures during their brief visit to the Emerald Isle.
New manager Frank Lampard will be hoping that the game can increase the Blues’ match sharpness, ahead of a potentially difficult season, owing to club’s transfer ban.
#Chelsea pre-season games:
10 July – Bohemians (Dalymount Park)
13 July – St Pat’s (Richmond Park)
19 July – Kawasaki Frontale (Nissan)
23 July – Barcelona (Saitama Stadium)
28 July – Reading (Madeski)
31 July – RB Salzburg (RB Arena)
3 Aug – Gladbach (Borrusia-Park)#CFC pic.twitter.com/Uie5DvW9Yu— The Blues (@TheBlues___) July 7, 2019
St. Pat’s on the other hand could probably do without the game, considering that they are entering the last third of the League of Ireland season, which is played over summer, and also have Europa League commitments.
Here is 90min’s preview of Saturday’s game.
Where to Watch
| When Is Kick Off? | Saturday 13 July |
| What Time Is Kick Off? | 14:00 BST |
| Where Is it Played? | Richmond Park |
| TV Channel/Live Stream? | Official Chelsea Website |
| Referee? | TBC |
Team News
Chelsea have taken a mixed squad on tour, with first team players such as Pedro, Cesar Azpilicueta and Kurt Zouma sharing playing time with youngsters such as Dujon Sterling, Jamie Cumming and Ian Maatsen, in the Blues first game against Bohemians.
Chelsea’s squad has been bolstered from that game by the arrivals of David Luiz, N’Golo
Predicted Lineups
| St. Pats | Clarke; Madden, Desmond, Kelly, Toner, Birmingham; Coleman, Lennon, Clifford; Drennon, Shaw. |
| Chelsea | Caballero, Sterling, Zouma, Azpilicueta, Zappacosta, Kanté, Brown, Drinkwater; Pedro, Piazon; Giroud. |
Head to Head Record
Perhaps unsurprisingly, St. Pat’s have never gone up against Chelsea so will be excited to welcome the Premier League stars to Richmond Park.
Recent Form
Chelsea got their pre-season campaign off to a somewhat underwhelming start on Wednesday evening, stuttering to a 1-1 draw with Bohemians.
Chelsea had led for the majority of the game courtesy of a goal from Michy Batshuayi in the eighth minute, before an 88th minute strike from Eric Molloy snatched a draw for the hosts.
St. Pat’s come into the game following a similarly disappointing 2-0 defeat against Swedish side Norrkoping, in a Europa League first round qualifying match. St. Pat’s will be hoping for a stronger performance ahead of the second leg of that tie on 18 July.
Here’s how each side has performed in their last five fixtures.
| St. Pat’s | Chelsea |
| St. Pat’s 0-2 Norrkoping (11/07) | Bohemians 1-1 Chelsea (10/07) |
| Waterford 1-2 St. Pat’s (05/7) | Chelsea 4-1 Arsenal (29/05) |
| St. Pat’s 0-2 Shamrock Rovers (01/07) | New England Revolution 0-3 Chelsea (16/05) |
| UCD 0-1 St. Pat’s (28/06) | Leicester 0-0 Chelsea (12/05) |
| St. Pat’s 1-0 Finn Harps (14/06) | Chelsea 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt (09/05) |
Prediction
Although it is only a pre-season game, Chelsea will surely be very keen on getting their first win under Frank Lampard, so expect a strong showing from the Blues.
St. Pat’s will need to defend well and wait for their opportunity, like Bohemians did on Wednesday, to stand any chance of avoiding a defeat here.
However, it is unlikely that lightning will strike twice, so expect Chelsea to run away easy winners at Richmond Park.
Prediction: St. Pat’s 0:4 Chelsea
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