Wrexham are set to take on Premier League giants Chelsea in the Levi’s Stadium in their latest Wrex Coast tour fixture on Thursday morning.
Excitement is building in the Wrexham fanbase as the club faces off against Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea side. The Red Dragons’ trip to California will see Phil Parkinson‘s side face a big test against the former European champions.
With the US fanbase constantly growing, the North Wales side is expected to have a big following supporting the team in Santa Clara.
The former Sunderland manager’s side have had an impressive start to pre-season with a 5-1 win against Hanley Town, with the Red Dragons securing an impressive 1-1 draw against Premier League side AFC Bournemouth last time out.
Owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney will be keeping a close eye on the game with it being a huge event for the club.
We take a look at five things that the Wrexham owners will be looking out for in the friendly vs Chelsea.
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How the new Wrexham signings are settling in
Since the takeover, Reynolds and McElhenney have been keen to support Parkinson in the transfer windows to help strengthen his squad. This summer has been no different with several new faces arriving at the Racecourse.
The Red Dragons have secured the signings of George Dobson, Callum Burton, and Aston Villa gem Sebastian Revan.
The Hollywood owners also snapped up Leicester City defender Lewis Brunt and former Arsenal goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo earlier this summer.
Okonkwo and Dobson have featured heavily in the pre-season so far, with the other arrivals given less minutes to help settle them in the club.
The owners will be keeping a close eye on how the Wrexham stars settle into the club and deal with top Premier League opposition.
Wrexham striking department with Paul Mullin absence
Wrexham talisman Paul Mullin did not travel on the Wrex Coast Tour as he recovers from surgery for his latest injury blow.
Mullin is expected to miss the start of the 2024/25 League One season, which gives the opportunity to the current Wrexham strikers a chance to impress the manager and gain a starting role ahead of the coming season.
The owners will be watching closely how the team manages without Mullin. The club remain active in the transfer market, with pre-season a good chance to evaluate if a striker is needed in the window.
How Wrexham compete against a top Premier League side
After an impressive performance against Bournemouth in Santa Barbara, the owners will want to see how the Red Dragons manage to deal with the huge test of Chelsea.
In pre-season, the result isn’t significant, with the focus being on regaining match fitness and Parkinson developing his ideas for the squad ahead of the coming season.
However, it is an exciting opportunity for the owners to see the club’s progress with a rare chance to play top Premier League opposition.
How the Wrexham players fare in a big stadium
Wrexham takes on Chelsea in the Levi’s Stadium, with the stadium having a capacity of 68,500.
There will be a big support for both clubs with an exciting atmosphere expected during the match.
As the North Wales club progress in their journey through the EFL, they will face teams with a bigger following and travel to larger stadiums.
This pre-season fixture at the Levi’s Stadium provides a unique opportunity for the owners to watch how the Wrexham players manage to deal with much larger crowds.
Wrexham’s US support in and around the stadium
This fixture will be a huge sporting event in the US with interest in English footballing growing every year.
Wrexham has played its part with the docuseries ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ becoming very popular in the states and growing Wrexham’s US fanbase.
The latest Wrex Coast tour fixture will give the owners a chance to see how popular Wrexham are in the US and how the players can interact and feed off the supporters’ energy in and around the ground.