Preview: Chelsea vs. Club America - prediction, team news, lineups

The Blues are building towards their 2022-23 Premier League opener against Everton, but America have already started their new season, picking up four points from their first three matches to sit sixth in the table.

Match preview

Chelsea won the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup last season, but they suffered disappointment in the FA Cup and EFL Cup finals, losing to Liverpool on both occasions, while the capital giants finished third in the Premier League and were knocked out by Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals.

The Blues are now preparing for the 2022-23 campaign, and they will take on Club America and Charlotte FC in their opening two friendlies of the summer before facing Arsenal in the Florida Cup on July 23.

Thomas Tuchel's side will then tackle Udinese on July 29 before opening their Premier League campaign with a trip to Everton on August 6, while their first home game of the new season is against London rivals and potential fellow top-four challengers Tottenham Hotspur on August 14.

Chelsea recently confirmed Raheem Sterling as their first arrival of the summer, and it is believed that Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly could soon become the team's second signing of the window.

Romelu Lukaku has returned to Inter Milan on loan for the 2022-23 season, while Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen have left on free transfers, so there is work to do to boost the squad in the coming weeks.

As for America, the Mexican giants have won their domestic title on 13 separate occasions, which is a record, placing them one ahead of Guadalajara when it comes to championships.

The Eagles started their 2022-23 domestic campaign on July 3, playing out a goalless draw with Atlas before suffering a 3-2 defeat to Monterrey in their second match one week later.

America did manage to pick up their first three points of the season against Toluca last time out, though, with Richard Sanchez netting the winner in the 93rd minute.

Fernando Ortiz's side will face Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid in friendlies this month, with their next league contest coming against Tijuana on July 24, so the squad will need to be carefully balanced over the next couple of weeks to deal with their pre-season commitments.

Millonetas brought in five new players ahead of the new season, with the standout addition being Uruguay international Jonathan Rodriguez, who joined in a £5m deal from Al-Nassr.

Chelsea form (all competitions):

Club America form (all competitions):

Team News

Chelsea boss Tuchel is likely to hand a debut to Sterling following his recent arrival, although it seems likely that the England international will be used off the bench.

The Blues have a strong squad over in America, with the likes of Kai Havertz, Edouard Mendy, Reece James, Thiago Silva, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic potentially starting this contest.

Conor Gallagher and Billy Gilmour are two players that will be hoping to impress Tuchel enough to secure first-team roles at Stamford Bridge during the 2022-23 campaign.

Ben Chilwell and Callum Hudson-Odoi are also in the squad, having recovered from their injury problems.

However, there is no N'Golo Kante or Ruben Loftus-Cheek for the Blues, with the midfield duo missing the tour due to their COVID-19 vaccination status.

America boss Ortiz will make changes from the side that started their 1-0 win over Toluca on Wednesday, with Jurgen Damm, Bruno Valdez and Francisco Garcia all in line for spots in the XI.

There will be a host of changes throughout the contest, with a number of young players also expected to be given opportunities to impress over the course of the match.

Henry Martin led the line in the team's last league game, but he could drop to the bench here, with Roman Martinez potentially featuring at the tip of the attack.

Chelsea possible starting lineup:

Mendy; James, Sarr, T Silva, Chilwell; Jorginho, Kovacic, Gallagher; Pulisic, Havertz, Werner

Club America possible starting lineup:

Ochoa; J Sanchez, Lara, Valdez, Fuentes; Fidalgo, Sanchez; F Garcia, Valdes, Damm; Martinez

We say: Chelsea 2-1 Club America

America should be in the superior shape for this match, having already started their league campaign, while Chelsea have not been in action since beating Watford on the final weekend of the 2021-22 Premier League season. That said, we are expecting the Blues to shade a close contest on Saturday night.

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