Chelsea will head to Germany on Sunday to take on Bundesliga side Werder Bremen. The match will kick off from Weserstadion at 8:00 AM PST (11 AM EST).
Chelsea remained unbeaten this preseason, having defeated Vitesse Arnhem 3-1 on Wednesday evening. The Londoners will play three more matches to close out their preseason campaign, in addition to a mini-tournament being held in Turkey. The Blues will take on hosts Fenerbahce and fellow Turkish side Bestikas on August 8, in two 45-minute matches benefitting those affected by a mine explosion in May.
Chelsea Team News:
Following their victory over Vitesse, Chelsea were given further good news, with star midfielder Eden Hazard and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois joining the team for training. Both men played significant minutes for Belgian at the World Cup in Brazil, and had taken a solid rest period since their departure in the tournament.
For Courtois, this will be his first season in Chelsea blue, having been loaned out to Atletico Madrid each of the past three seasons. The Belgian will go head to head with fellow shot-stopper Petr Cech to see who will start in net, but it appears that Cech’s time may finally be over. Courtois is ten years younger than Cech, who is still in prime age and form for a goalkeeper, so the Czech international could be heading out if he doesn’t get the starting nod.
The Blues look like they have hit the jackpot with their new signings. Striker Diego Costa tallied a goal in his debut against NK Olimpija Ljubljana, while Cesc Fabregas scored a wonderful free kick in Chelsea’s 3-1 win in Holland. Left back Filipe Luis has started both matches as well, looking both convincing and comfortable in an already sound back line.
Werder Bremen Team News:
For Werder Bremen, it has been difficult to succeed recently with superpowers Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund competing in the Bundesliga. Bremen haven’t won the league since the 2003-2004 campaign. They did manage to reach the final of the Europa League more recently, in 2009.
The German side are led by former Chelsea player Franco Di Santo. The Argentine is only 25, but he hasn’t exactly liven up to his nickname of “Little Crespo”, referring to former Argentinian sensation Hernan Crespo. Di Santo did however make the preliminary squad for Argentina, leading up to this summer’s World Cup, but was cut before the tournament began.
Bremen had a very difficult time finding the back of the net in 2013, scoring only 42 goals in 34 matches. They won’t pose a great threat for the back line of Chelsea.
Chelsea vs Werder Bremen Prediction
Werder Bremen will give Jose Mourinho’s squad a battle, but they shouldn’t hang around too long. Chelsea should be business as usual, especially having a squad that is almost at full strength and with the Premier League season looming. I’m sure that we’ll see more of the starting lineup, for a lengthier amount of the match. The Stamford Bridge club will go into Germany and defeat their counterparts 3-0.
Chelsea vs Werder Bremen TV Schedule
This match will not be televised in the United States. For other regions check LiveSoccerTV.
