Chelsea vs Real Sociedad LIVE: Pre-season friendly match stream, confirmed team news, lineups and fan reaction
Chelsea vs Real Sociedad LIVE
Chelsea are back home as pre-season preparations conclude with a friendly against Real Sociedad which kicks off at 2pm BST. The Blues have spent the summer on tour in Australia and Asia, playing a total of five games as new manager Xabi Alonso oversaw a mixed bag of results and performances. Facing his former club this afternoon, the Spaniard has been handed a boost ahead of his Stamford Bridge bow with Chelsea's remaining World Cup stars now available for selection.
This means summer signings Morgan Rogers, Jordan Henderson, Maxence Lacroix, Valentin Barco and Pep Chavarria are in contention to make their Blues debuts, while wantaway midfielder Enzo Fernandez could also feature. It will be interesting to hear what kind of reception he gets after missing out on a £120million switch to Manchester City, not to mention his antics following Argentina's World Cup semi-final win over England.
La Real, meanwhile, have fared well against English opposition so far in pre-season and their hand has been strengthened with Mikel Oyarzabal returning after an extended holiday. Follow Chelsea vs Real Sociedad LIVE below with dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Matt Verri at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea vs Real Sociedad latest news
Live updates
Chelsea team in full
Sanchez; Fofana, Lacroix, Colwill, Palestra, James (c), Caicedo, Neto, Palmer, Rogers, Joao Pedro
Penders, Slonina, Acheampong, Chavarria, Gusto, Hato, Barco, Essugo, Fernandez, Lavia, Quenda, Estevao Willian, Gittens.
Here is the Chelsea team that Xabi Alonso has selected for this afternoon's pre-season friendly...
CONFIRMED REAL SOCIEDAD TEAM NEWS
Lining up for the visitors...
Fernandez spotted
Enzo Fernandez has arrived at Stamford Bridge!
Less than 24 hours removed from the deadline for a £120m summer transfer passing.
Real Sociedad arrive at Stamford Bridge seeking to beat English opposition for a third time this summer.
Xabi Alonso has outlines his football philosophy
In an interview with the Chelsea matchday programme, Xabi Alonso has outlined his football philosophy.
He said: “I would say that it’s about the collective responsibility.
“I think that we have always had that view to always feel responsible about teamwork – how can I help my team-mate? How can I prepare a strategic vision to achieve this goal? It’s very much there in the Basque society, and that’s continuous in the way we view football, as players and as managers in this case.
“[Those values] live with me, so I will transmit them to the players, because I don’t understand football in any other way than with these fundamentals, knowing that the team is always the most important. For sure, the individuals count so much, but always for the benefit of the team.”
Chelsea vs Real Sociedad LIVE - team news imminent
The teams will be announced shortly!
Stay tuned...
The Blues are back
For the first time under Xabi Alonso...
Weather forecast
It is expected to be 26° at kick-off at Stamford Bridge this afternoon.
A lot cooler in London than it has been over the past two days, but still very warm.
Chelsea have confirmed the loan departure of Dastan Satpayev, who moves to Burnley on a season-long deal.
The Kazakh striker, who joined the Blues from Kairat this summer, will spend the campaign playing in the Championship after the Clarets’ relegation from the top flight last term.
Satpayev, 18, joined up with his new Chelsea team-mates on the club’s pre-season tour of Australia and Asia, where he featured and scored in the 6-4 win over Western Sydney Wanderers.
