Arsene Wenger and Antonio Conte go head to head in China in a precursor to the 2017 Community Shield as both sides prepare for the new season
Reigning Premier League champions Chelsea get their pre-season preparations under way with a repeat of last season's FA Cup final against Arsenal at the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing on Saturday.
Having begun training in Cobham two weeks ago and played a number of behind-closed-doors friendlies, the game against the Gunners will be the Blues' first high profile preparatory game ahead of the 2017-18 season. Antonio Conte's side then travel to Singapore, where games against Bayern Munich and Inter follow on July 25 and 29 respectively.
Arsenal, on the other hand, have already got three pre-season friendly games marked off their schedule, including an International Champions Cup victory over Bayern Munich.
| Game | Arsenal vs Chelsea |
| Date | Saturday, July 22 |
| Time | 19:40 (local) / 12:40 (BST) |
TV CHANNEL & LIVE STREAM
In the United Kingdom, the match will be available to watch live on television on ITV and by stream online via the ITV Hub app.
In addition, fans will be able to watch the game for free on Chelsea TV online at the Blues' official website.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| ITV | ITV Hub/Chelsea TV |
SQUADS & TEAM NEWS
| Position | Chelsea squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Courtois, Caballero, Eduardo, Bulka |
| Defenders | Azpilicueta, Cahill, Luiz, Christensen, Clarke-Salter, Kalas, Tomori, Alonso |
| Midfielders | Moses, Fabregas, Kante, Pasalic, Baker, Scott, Kenedy, Willian, Pedro, Musonda Jr., Boga, |
| Forwards | Batshuayi, Remy |
Antonio Conte has brought a 25-man squad to China for the game against Arsenal as he looks to get his players up to speed ahead of the upcoming campaign.
New signing from Manchester City Willy Caballero is included in the panel and he will battle it out with Thibaut Courtois, Eduardo and academy goalkeeper Marcin Bulka for time on the pitch.
Szczesny sobs at Arsenal farewell
While Caballero has travelled to China, Antonio Rudiger, who joined the club from Roma last week, has not, after being allowed some extra time off following the Confederations Cup. The Germany international will link up with his new team-mates in Singapore instead.
Chelsea announced on Wednesday that a fee had been agreed for Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata, but he will not figure until the deal is finalised.
Diego Costa and Nemanja Matic, meanwhile, are not part of the squad, with speculation intensifying that the pair are set for a Stamford Bridge exit.
| Position | Arsenal squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Cech, Martinez, Ospina |
| Defenders | Mertesacker, Kolasinac, Bielik, Monreal, Koscielny, Maitland-Niles |
| Midfielders | Ozil, Ramsey, Xhaka, Oxlade-Chamblerain, Nelson, Willock, Elneny, Coquelin, Bramall |
| Forwards | Lacazette, Giroud, Welbeck, Walcott, Nketiah, Malen, Iwobi |
The Arsenal squad are probably a little bit further down the line when it comes to match fitness, having already played friendlies against Sydney, Western Sydney Wanderers and Bayern Munich over the course of the last two weeks.
Arsene Wenger handed debuts to new signings Sead Kolasinac and Alexandre Lacazette, with the latter opening his account from the bench against Sydney.
Following their win over Bayern Munich in Shanghai, a number of players are doubts for the game against Chelsea, with Wenger confirming that Kolasinac, Theo Walcott, Per Mertesacker, Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud have been laid low by food poisoning.
Furthermore, the Gunners will be without Wojciech Szczesny, who has signed for Serie A giants Juventus.
BETTING ODDS
Chelsea are 6/5 favourites to beat the team they lost to when they last met in the FA Cup final, according to Oddschecker, while Arsenal are 9/5 to overcome the Blues. A price of 11/5 is available for a draw.
GAME PREVIEW
Having locked horns in the final game of last season, Arsenal and Chelsea will have the chance to become more familiar with each other ahead of their Community Shield meeting on August 6.
The Gunners were victorious when the teams last met in Wembley, lifting the FA Cup as a result, and Antonio Conte will be determined to exorcise the demons of that loss, starting in Beijing.
However, the Italian, who signed a new two-year deal with the Blues earlier this week, will be without a number of key players for the friendly, with Costa, Matic and Eden Hazard not part of the squad
Strikers Michy Batshuayi and Loic Remy will have a chance to show they have what it takes to succeed Costa as Chelsea's first-choice striker, being the only out and out front-men in the travelling party.
The game against Chelsea gives Arsene Wenger another opportunity to trial three defenders at the back, which has been test in games against A-League opposition as well as Bayern Munich.
Emiliano Martinez was the hero for the Gunners against Bayern, saving two penalties in the shootout to help his side to victory, and he could get the nod over Petr Cech as a result.
With Mertesacker, Kolasinac, Ramsey, Walcott and Giroud all suffering from food poisoning in Shanghai, there are bound to be further changes and Wenger may opt to give his youth players a chance to feature more prominently.
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