Charlotte vs Chelsea

Bank of America Stadium is the venue as Charlotte and Chelsea go head-to-head in a tasty-looking pre-season fixture.

Charlotte come into proceedings off the back of a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat away to Inter Miami despite leading 2-0 at halftime, ending a run of back-to-back Major League Soccer triumphs. Since a 1-1 draw at Columbus Crew in mid-June, none of Charlotte’s last five matches have ended level (W2, L3), with four of them seeing 3+ goals and both teams scoring. They can at least draw some confidence from a stellar home form, having won three of their last four league fixtures at the Bank of America Stadium (L1), two of which came ‘to nil.’ It’s also worth noting that Charlotte’s six previous home games have featured a goal beyond the hour mark.

On the other hand, Chelsea’s United States Tour got off to a flying start as they dispatched Liga MX powerhouse Club America 2-1 in their opening pre-season friendly. Thomas Tuchel’s men are undergoing massive changes off the back of Todd Boehly’s takeover, with former Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly expected to make his debut in the blue jersey. Going into this encounter, the ‘Pensioners’ are unbeaten in six matches on the bounce (W3, D3 – 90mins only), netting 2+ goals in four. Adding to Chelsea’s confidence, they have won 11 of their last 13 fixtures outside Stamford Bridge (D1, L1), including two in a row in the build-up to this meeting.