New England Revolution vs Chelsea
'Final Whistle on Hate'
Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
Date: Thursday, 16 May, 2019
Kick-off time: 1:10am BST
Just a matter of days after finishing their 2018-19 Premier League campaign and two weeks before heading to Baku for the Europa League Final, Chelsea are in the United States for a charity friendly against the New England Revolution.
Wednesday night's fixture at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts - home of the reigning NFL champion New England Patriots - is titled 'Final Whistle on Hate' and is dedicated to initiatives combatting anti-Semitism and all forms of racism and discrimination, with the World Jewish Congress, the Tree of Life synagogue, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Holocaust Educational Trust among the main beneficiaries.
The idea for the fixture - which is part of Chelsea's ‘Say No To anti-Semitism’ campaign - came from respective club owners Roman Abramovich and Robert Kraft, who will each donate $1million to the cause.
The Revolution currently sit bottom of Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference after winning three and losing eight of their opening 13 fixtures of the 2019 season and recently parted company with both first-year head coach Brad Friedel and general manager Mike Burns.
They had conceded 15 goals in three matches - including respective 6-1 and 5-0 defeats - before beating the San Jose Earthquakes 3-1 on Saturday night, with Mike Lapper in temporary charge prior to the appointment of Bruce Arena as coach and sporting director.
Chelsea team news and confirmed squad
Chelsea, who arrived in Boston on Monday before training at Harvard University, have taken a very strong squad across the Atlantic, with Eden Hazard making the trip amid strong suggestions that he is primed to finally join Real Madrid this summer.
Youngsters Marc Guehi, Reece James, Ike Ugbo, Trevoh Chalobah and Academy Player of the Year Conor Gallagher were also selected, though injured trio Antonio Rudiger, N’Golo Kante and Callum Hudson-Odoi have been left at home along with the out-of-favour Gary Cahill and Danny Drinkwater.
Chelsea's 23-man squad: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Willy Caballero, Rob Green, Marcos Alonso, Jorginho, Ross Barkley, Gonzalo Higuain, Eden Hazard, Pedro, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mateo Kovacic, Olivier Giroud, Davide Zappacosta, Willian, Andreas Christensen, Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Emerson Palmieri, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Ike Ugbo, Trevoh Chalobah, Conor Gallagher
Score prediction: New England Revolution 1-3 Chelsea
Much will inevitably depend on the strength of the team Chelsea field, though they should still prove too strong for a Revolution outfit that have struggled badly for form in the MLS this term, conceding 31 times in 13 outings.
New England Revolution vs Chelsea tickets
Fans in the United States can see the latest ticket information by clicking here.
Head to Head history and results (h2h)
This will be the first meeting between the two clubs.
TV channel and live stream, and online coverage
Kick-off has been scheduled for 8:10pm local time, which due to the five-hour time difference means Blues fans in the UK will need to tune in at 1.10am BST on Thursday, May 16 to watch.
Those who have a Chelsea TV subscription will be able to view live coverage on the TV channel (Sky 419), online and on the app.
Standard Sport will also be providing LIVE coverage of the game and you can follow the action by tuning into our dedicated match blog.
