Chelsea vs Club America

Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, forms the backdrop for Chelsea’s first pre-season clash against Mexican powerhouse Club America since 2009.

Chelsea claimed a comfortable 2-0 win in their only previous friendly against Club America, yet it has no bearing on this fixture. Following a trophyless 2021/22 campaign, highlighted by a brace of domestic cup heartbreaks to Liverpool, Thomas Tuchel’s side will undergo massive changes this summer. Roman Abramovich’s trophy-laden 19-year tenure as the Stamford Bridge owner came to a halt in May, causing several senior first-team stars, including Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Romelu Lukaku, to leave west London. There is still a positive, as the ‘Pensioners’ have only lost one of their last eight matches (W3, D4 – 90mins only), five of which featured under 2.5 total goals.

Meanwhile, Club America come into this mouth-watering friendly off the back of a narrow 1-0 home triumph over fierce domestic rivals Toluca, arresting a tormenting run of consecutive matches without winning (D1, L1). It’s worth noting that the record-time Mexican champions won both summer friendliness in June, despite conceding two goals in each. Indeed, high scoring has been a common theme in Club America’s recent fixtures, as three of the last five have seen both teams score 2+ goals in matches garnering at least five strikes. With Colombia international Roger Martinez leading the line, the ‘Aguilas’ will feel confident about troubling the scoreboard in Vegas.