Chelsea will face Lyon in the International Champions Cup to contest their final pre-season fixture on Tuesday ahead of the start of the Premier League this weekend.
New manager Maurizio Sarri will have one final opportunity to implement his philosophy and style of play onto his team before the Blues play their first competitive match of the season away to Huddersfield Town.
The West London side will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing defeat in the Community Shield where they lost 2-0 to Manchester City, and will still potentially be without a crop of their World Cup participants as the likes of Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante had only recently returned to training.
Lyon are buoyed by the return of captain Nabil Fekir to the side following a recent 1-0 loss to Inter in the ICC.
| Game | Chelsea vs Lyon |
| Date | Tuesday, August 7 |
| Time | 8:05pm BST / 3:05pm ET |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game will be shown on ESPNEWS and ESPN Deportes and livestreamed on WatchESPN.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes | WatchESPN |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live and streamed on Premier Sports.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Premier Sports | Premier Player |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Chelsea players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Caballero, Green |
| Defenders | Rudiger, Alonso, Zappacosta, Christensen, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Palmieri, Zouma |
| Midfielders | Fabregas, Jorginho, Drinkwater, Barkley, Bakayoko, Moses, Willian, Ampadu, Loftus-Cheek, Batshuayi |
| Forwards | Morata, Pedro, Musonda, Hudson-Odoi, Abraham |
International duo Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante have returned to Cobham following their post-World Cup holidays though may not be in line to participate in Tuesday's fixture due to lack of match fitness. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois did not report on what was expected to be his first day back in training as he looks to force a move to Real Madrid.
Jorginho could be handed a start once again as Sarri continues to apply his philosophy onto the team, while striker Alvaro Morata may be relegated to the bench following a disappointing performance against Man City in favour of Michy Batshuayi.
Potential Chelsea XI: Caballero; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger, Alonso; Barkley, Jorginho, Fabregas; Willian, Batshuayi, Pedro.
| Position | Lyon players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Gorgelin, Racioppi |
| Defenders | Dubois, Marcelo, Martins-Pereira, Mendy, Morel, Rafael, Solet, Tete |
| Midfielders | Aouar, Caqueret, Diop, Ferri, Ndombele, Tousart, Fekir |
| Forwards | Gouiri, Maolida, Mariano, Memphis, Terrier, Traore |
The trio of Maxwel Cornet, goalkeeper Anthony Lopes and Fernando Marcal will be unavailable for the clash.
Potential Lyon XI: Gorgelin; Da Silva, Marcelo, Morel, Mendy; Tousart, Depay, Ndombele; Traore, Mariano, Terrier.
Betting & Match Odds
Chelsea are priced at odds of winning 5/4 according to oddschecker , while a draw is available at 5/2. A win for Lyon is up for 19/10.
Match Preview
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Chelsea will be hoping to conclude their pre-season preparations with a victorious result against Lyon as Sarri will be focusing on working to integrate his World Cup participants for the first time.
The likes of Hudson-Odoi and Pedro started out wide in Sunday's 2-0 defeat to English champions in the Community Shield, and Hazard and Willian could be instead be drafted onto the pitch – though Sarri will have to keep their fitness levels and the Premier League opener against Huddersfield Town in mind.
Belgian international Courtois has also returned to England following his post-World Cup holiday, but is a doubt to feature in the squad to face Lyon after he purposely missed out on training in order to force a move to Real Madrid.
That leaves the Blues with reserve goalkeeper Willy Caballero and new arrival Rob Green to fill in for the 26-year-old between the sticks.
Sarri admitted that his side needed to improve following Sunday's loss, telling reporters:
"It's not very easy. In the next week we have a friendly match again. I prefer in this moment to be on the pitch with the players training.
"In the second half [of the Community Shield] there was a big difference from the physical point of view. So we have to work. Our pre-season until now has been a bit crazy, so we have to work."
Lyon manager Bruno Genesio will be happy to re-introduce midfielder Fekir to the side following a summer that saw the French international nearly complete a move to Liverpool. The midfielder was on the verge of signing for the club until he was unable to pass his medical, and has since been re-integrated to the side.
The Ligue 1 club's ICC exploits have seen them taste defeat to Inter but emerge victorious against Benfica, and will also be looking to round off their pre-season on a high before opening up their season against Amiens on Sunday.
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