Soccer - Basketball - Match

Date: August 21, 2013

Where: Stamford Bridge

League: English Premier League

Chelsea could not have a worse home record, losing every single one of the last six matches played! These low-scoring games have seen just 0 goals scored and conceded.

Chelsea prepare to entertain Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday August 21, 2013 evening, looking to continue a fantastic record. Blues are clearly on top, winning 53.62% of the games played between the two.

Chelsea vs Aston Villa Live Stream

The most recent encounter between these two sides at Stamford Bridge was less than a year ago, in December 2012, with Chelsea annihilating their visitors 8-0 in a Premier League match.

Chelsea vs Hull City Live Stream

Chelsea vs Hull City Live Stream

It may be preseason, but the fixtures are coming thick and fast for Europe's elite teams as they prepare for 2013-14, with Chelsea vs AC Milan battling for early-season bragging rights at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium on Sunday August 4, 2013.

Chelsea vs AC Milan International Champions Cup

Having been on tour in Asia already this summer, the Chelsea are back in America competing for their first piece of silverware since Jose Mourinho returned to the Chelsea football in June.
Sure, the Guinness International Champions Cup will not rank high on Mourinho's list of achievements should his team leave the U.S. victorious, but it will be a good place to start.
They overcame Chelsea vs Inter Milan on Aug. 1 with a 2-0 victory and, as they face Milanese opposition once again, a repeat performance will ensure Mourinho's new moniker the "Happy One" will continue to be rolled out for a few more weeks yet.

Chelsea football club remain undefeated in preseason, their one-sided victory over Chelsea vs BNI Indonesia All-Stars in late July the pick of the bunch thus far.
That 8-1 victory has set them up well for the weeks ahead as the team builds a head of steam, targeting the big kick-off on Aug.17.
The Serie A season will kick-off a week later this year on Aug. 25, so in theory Milan should be a week or so behind the FC Chelsea in terms of fitness and sharpness.
If so, it didn't stop them defeating Valencia 2-1 in their opening game of their U.S. tour, setting up this weekend's clash with the Blues. AC Milan vs Manchester City match was an important recent clash between two elite teams of Europe.
Key players are returning after their extended breaks from international duty also, so the Rossoneri will be looking strong ahead of Sunday.

With Juan Mata and Fernando Torres back in training with Chelsea after their busy summer with Spain, both will be looking to make an early impression on new manager Jose Mourinho.
Competition for places at Stamford Bridge is certainly heating up as the new season approaches, with Romelu Lukaku looking every bit the player we saw at West Bromwich Albion last season, while Eden Hazard and Oscar found themselves on the scoresheet against Inter Milan in their last outing.
Robinho and Nigel de Jong grabbed a goal each against Valencia as AC Milan advanced to meet Chelsea in the Guinness International Champions Cup.
AC Milan certainly have more firepower within their ranks, too, with Stephen El Shaarawy available again having competed with Italy at the Confederations Cup.
Keep an eye out for 18-year-old frontman Andrea Petagna, also. The youngster has been a regular in Italy's youth teams and has been given his fair share of game time this preseason. Can he make an impact?

The Guinness International Champions Cup has thrown up some mouth-watering prospects for preseason already and the potential outcome of this fixture is no different.

If Chelsea are successful in defeating AC Milan on Sunday and Real Madrid overcome Everton a day earlier, it will mean Jose Mourinho facing his former employers a little sooner than he may have anticipated as both clubs will fight it out in the final.
Of course, should both teams lose, the result will be the same, but they will be competing for third place instead.

Chelsea vs AC Milan August 4, 2013

The Blues enter the tournament as one of the top contenders. The club's depth, especially in the midfield, bodes well for a preseason event. Managers will be hoping to work in a lot of different players and they shouldn't suffer a major drop off, regardless of the lineup choices.
Inter are looking to bounce back after a frustrating campaign where they finished in the middle of the Serie A. A strong presence in this tournament would provide some much-needed confidence as they proceed to prepare for the new campaign.

Chelsea vs Inter August 1, 2013

Here's a look at all the important information for the Round 1 matchup, followed by a preview and a prediction for which club will move one step closer to the title.

Chelsea supporters have every reason to be excited about the upcoming season, even if other Premier League clubs are generating more hype. The Blues have done a nice job of building a championship-caliber squad for returning manager Jose Mourinho. Chelsea vs Indonesia provided them a nice experience in Asia tour.

Jose Mourinho

The reason for optimism starts in the midfield. Starting with the trio of Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and Oscar, the Blues have a tremendous combination of talent and depth. And dominating the middle of the pitch is a major step toward success.
 
That goes for the International Champions Cup, as well. Aside from the Los Angeles Galaxy from the MLS, none of the other clubs are in midseason form, so Chelsea can really take advantage of that by controlling matches in the midfield.
The biggest concern, especially in a preseason tournament that will likely feature plenty of wide-open play, is who will provide the finishing touch for the Blues. It's been a lingering concern in recent seasons, highlighted by the inconsistent production from Fernando Torres.
It puts pressure on the likes of Demba Ba, Andre Schuerrle and Romelu Lukaku to have a strong finish to the preseason. If even one of them can step up, Chelsea's attack will be very dangerous.

As for Inter Milan, the club is hoping for a better combination of luck when it comes to injuries and also better form. There were times last season when Inter still looked like a top club in Italy, but those stretches didn't last nearly long enough.

Inter Milan ICC 2013

Rodrigo Palacio provides the Nerazzurri with a stabilizing force atop the attack. The veteran Argentine international scored 22 goals across all competitions last season, showing no signs of slowing down in the process.

Matching Chelsea vs Inter in the midfield will be the tough challenge in the opener, though. Esteban Cambiasso is surrounded by a lot of talented young players who are still getting used to the high-profile nature of these type of matchups, even in preseason.
 
All told, this should be an exciting match that features a good number of chances at both ends of the pitch. Chelsea should hold a slight advantage overall and, since neither team has the home edge, the Blues should squeak past Inter.

Chelsea has handled its business in its first two games of an Asian tour, defeating Singha All-Stars and Malaysian XI by a total scored of 5-1. At the moment, the team turns its attention to the BNI Indonesia All-Stars. While the real result should be a foregone conclusion in Chelsea's favor, there will be plenty of reasons to watch the Blues in action.

Let's preview this preseason friendly Chelsea vs Indonesia Live Stream. Jose Mourinho will take charge of Chelsea vs Indonesia in the final match of the Asian leg of their pre-season tour, and the third since the 'Special One's' return to Stamford Bridge. The Blues' warm-up matches have gone well, kicking off with a 1-0 win over the Singha All-Stars before beating a Malaysia XI 4-1 last week. They take on the BNI Indonesia All-Stars with a chance to make it three out of three before jetting off to the States, and Sportsmail will have all the action live, including updates from our reporter in Jakarta, Matt Barlow.

Chelsea vs Indonesia Live Stream

Chelsea may only be in its preseason form, but Jose Mourinho's mind games are already in midseason form. In this week's edition of "Jose's Thoughts," the new (and old) Chelsea manager turned his focus to Manuel Pellegrini and Manchester City, saying the Citizens should be the Premier League favorites this season. Perhaps, the most interesting thing to watch this summer—and this season, for that matter—will be who wins the striker battle, with Romelu Lukaku, Demba Ba and Fernando Torres all available.

If Wayne Rooney doesn't make the switch to Chelsea as has been rumoured, as discussed recently by Dominic Fifield of The Guardian, the center-forward position will be out there for the taking. Lukaku scored 17 goals for West Brom last season and has plenty of motivation to have a big year for Chelsea, both trying to earn a starting gig with club and country, as Christian Benteke also plays for Belgium. He won't start for Blues in this game, as Ba will get the nod, but expect Lukaku to see the pitch at some point. He's already looked good during this preseason tour, with two goals and two assists in Chelsea's first two games. He very well could be Chelsea's answer at the forward position, a pretty big question for all of last season. Well, if that Rooney fellow doesn't make the switch to Stamford Bridge, that is.

 Several of Chelsea's youngsters looking to solidify a more consistent role on the first team will be on display, including Victor Moses and Josh McEachran. As well, 17-year-old Bertrand Traore turned a few heads after scoring against Malaysian XI. It will be interesting to see if Frank Lampard will return from injury and play on Thursday, while all eyes will continue to rest on the team's top signing from this summer, forward Andre Schurrle. Can he earn one of the three forward spots behind the central striker? For that matter, can Kevin de Bruyne—who was sent home with an injury after the last game—or will Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and Oscar remain the incumbents? The latter two players aren't on this tour, but they'll be hard to unseat. There are spots to be won for Chelsea this year, and playing well on this tour won't hurt anyone's chances. That's for sure.