Ahead of Wrexham’s clash with Chelsea, Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino shared his thoughts coming up against such a “tough team”.
Wrexham are in the US and are set to take on Chelsea in their first pre-season tour game of 2023. The Red Dragons are still riding high from last season’s promotion but it’s time to look ahead as pre-season represents a fantastic opportunity to prepare for the upcoming campaign.
Wrexham will be playing in League Two next season, the fourth tier of English football, which is an undoubted step up from National League standard. What better way to prepare for the challenge than taking on a Premier League giant?
What you need to know about the game
Wrexham’s clash against Chelsea takes place on Wednesday 19th July at 7:30 pm local time, which means it’s on at 12:30 am on Thursday morning in the UK.
The game will take place at the 51,000-capacity Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the home of college (American) football team, the North Carolina Tar Heels.
The game will be broadcast live on S4C! Fabulous news for fans of the Red Dragons. Luckily, there’s also other ways to watch Wrexham vs Chelsea.
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino calls Wrexham a “tough team” ahead of clash
Chelsea have ushered in their own era of late after appointing Mauricio Pochettino as their manager. The London club appointed the former Spurs and PSG coach following disappointing stints under Graham Potter and interim manager Frank Lampard.
Wrexham will be Pochettino’s first game in charge of Chelsea. Despite the gulf in standings, he’s well aware of the challenge the League Two teams brings to the table.
“Tomorrow is going to be a good chance to see the young guys play against a tough team,” he said in his pre-game press conference. “It’s going to be a good opportunity for them to show they are ready to play for a club like us. No pressure, but they need to show it tomorrow”.
Predicted line ups for the pre-season fixture
We’ve already had a look at Wrexham’s predicted line up vs Chelsea, but what about the London club? Pochettino is expected to give an opportunity to a number of his youngsters, with several debutants set to feature.
Chelsea first-teamers such as Reece James and Wesley Fofana are out, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is reportedly on his way to Marseille on a free transfer. The likes of Enzo Fernandez are also set to miss the game after just returning to training.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Kepa, Gusto, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella, Andrey Santos, Cesare Casadei, Gallagher, Nkunku, Jackson, Sterling.