Barcelona vs Chelsea
Rakuten Cup
Venue: Saitama Stadium, Japan
Date: Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Kick-off time: 7.30pm JST, 11.30am BST
Chelsea take on Barcelona in Japan on Tuesday as Frank Lampard faces the first real test of his tenure.
A lacklustre loss to Kawasaki Frontale at the weekend would not have concerned the coach too much but a big loss to the Liga giants may raise some eyebrows of those outside the club.
Lampard enjoyed plenty of good moments for Chelsea as a player and will be hoping for another as he continues to take his first steps as the Blues boss.
Here is what you need to know...
Barcelona team news and tour squad
Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho and Arthur have been afforded an extended period of leave following their Copa America commitments.
However, Antoine Griezmann could make his debut along with Frenkie de Jong
Predicted Barcelona starting XI: Neto; Semedo, Todibo, Umtiti, Alba; Monchu, Busquets, De Jong; Malcom, Abe, Griezmann.
Goalkeepers: Marc Ter Stegen, Neto, Inaki Pena
Defenders: Nelson Semedo, Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet, Samuel Umtiti, Jordi Alba, Jean-Clair Todibo, Sergi Roberto, Ronald Araujo, Guillem Jaime
Midfielders: Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets, Rafinha, Carles Alena, Frenkie De Jong, Oriol Busquets, Riqui Puig, Monchu, Alex Collado
Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele, Malcom, Carles Perez, Hiroki Abe
Chelsea team news and tour squad
N'Golo Kante has been sent home after suffering a recurrence of a knee injury initially sustained at the end of the Premier League season.
Tammy Abraham and Kepa Arrizabalaga did not feature in the loss Kawasaki Frontale due to illness but remains to be seen if they are fit to face the Liga champions.
Predicted Chelsea starting XI: Caballero; Azpilicueta, Zouma, Christensen, Alonso; Barkley, Mount, Bakayoko; Pedro, Kenedy, Giroud.
Goalkeepers: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Willy Caballero, Jamie Cumming
Defenders: Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Davide Zappacosta, Kurt Zouma, Marcos Alonso, Andreas Christensen, Emerson Palmieri, Fikayo Tomori
Midfielders: Kenedy, N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Danny Drinkwater, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Ross Barkley, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, Kasey Palmer
Forwards: Pedro, Michy Batshuayi, Olivier Giroud, Tammy Abraham, Christian Pulisic
Prediction: Barcelona 3-1 Chelsea
A first run out for the season for Barcelona, while Chelsea have impressed in fits and starts.
Frank Lampard's side very bad in their shock loss to Kawasaki Frontale and another similar showing will see them humbled in a far more severe manner in Midori-ku.
However, this is a far different test and Chelsea will no doubt be looking for a statement result against a Barcelona team missing a number of key personnel.
Tickets
Click here for more information about tickets to the match.
TV channel and live stream information
The match can be viewed via a live stream on Chelsea's official website or on the 5th Stand app.
Fans in the UK and Ireland can watch all pre-season games via the website for £10.99, while on the app games are available from £1.99 each.
Per Chelsea, each friendly can be purchased from four hours before kick-off.
Standard Sport will also have full coverage of the contest via our live blog.
