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There has been a lot said about Chelsea’s preseason schedule.
Of course, bombing league rival Arsenal then spotting three goals in a 3-2 loss to Bayern Munich only gives Blues fans the topic of consistency to talk about.
Inter Milan, on the other hand, is on a bit of a roll — topping Lyon 1-0 and Bayern Munich 2-0, all after a 1-1 draw to Schalke 04. Now, the two teams close out their respective tour of Asia Saturday in the final game of the International Champions Cup 2017 in Singapore.
Luciano Spalletti’s crew has shown flashes of dominance — a brace for Éder against Bayern and a shot by Stevan Jovetic to push the Nerazzurri over Lyon to name a few.
But, there have also been moments of question. For instance, in neither win were Inter’s defense tested in any way. It is hard to evaluate your backline when they don’t play enough for evaluation.
That may change Saturday as Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has said Alvaro Morata will start against the Nerazzurri and new signing Antonio Rudiger will see time off the bench.
Spalletti said Friday he would change his lineup but didn’t know what it would look like yet.
“We'll certainly make a few changes to our starting line-up but I haven't decided what yet,” Spalletti said at a news conference Friday via Inter’s team site. “A lot will depend on how training goes today and how the players feel muscle-wise.”
One player will not dress out for Inter. Spalletti confirmed Mauro Icardi will not be in the lineup as he continues to recover from an injury.
“If everything goes to plan, Icardi should return to full training next week,” Spalletti said.
One thing was made clear by Spalletti: The longer it takes for any kind of a deal for winger Ivan Perisic, the more he will oppose a move.
“There's been no noteworthy contact in the last few weeks and as far as I'm concerned there's nothing more to say,” Spalletti said. “The more time passes, the harder it will be to replace him and the more I will oppose his departure.”
The two sides continue to be apart on the valuation of the Croatian.
In terms of Saturday, it is one last chance for Spalletti to evaluate his squad. Granted, there are two more friendlies — against Villarreal on Aug. 6 and Real Betis six days later — but Chelsea provide a solid opportunity to get a well-rounded look at potential needs as the transfer window starts to close.
Location: Singapore National Stadium (Singapore)
Time: 7:35 p.m. SST (1:35 p.m. in Milan, 7:35 a.m. on the U.S. East Coast)
TV/Streaming: ESPN Deportes USA, ESPN2, WatchESPN and Premier Sports. Click here for more international channels.
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