Chelsea start their Premier League season with a heated West London rivalry against Fulham, and they may now be far more up to speed than their opponents.
Xabi Alonso’s pre-season training has already gotten underway, with the likes of Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and Estevao Willian spotted in action.
It will be an important couple of weeks for those players looking to prove a point to Alonso before they fly off for pre-season, starting in Australia.
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The Blues will take on Western Sydney Warriors, before games against Tottenham, Juventus, AC Milan, and Johor Darul Ta’z across the world before the league season gets underway.
Fulham on the other hand were set to take on Barcelona in their pre-season campaign, however according to Mundo Deportivo, that fixture has now been cancelled.
This comes after the Premier League side decided to hire Alvaro Arbeloa as their new manager, with his links to Real Madrid very obvious.
Arbeloa replaced Alonso in the role of Madrid manager last season, adding an extra element of spice to their opening game of the season.
A strong start to the season is essential for the Blues, given that fan feeling around the club is at a low after their mid-table finish last season.
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Man United and Newcastle are interested.
With no European football to contend with, Chelsea are hopeful that they will hold an advantage over some of their top Premier League rivals next season.
The hope will be that those who are still at the World Cup are going to be fit and firing by the time the domestic season gets underway.
Reece James is one of those still at the tournament, and it remains to be seen whether Enzo Fernandez will still be at the club.
The Argentine is currently being priced out of his dream move to Real Madrid, with that saga set to run into the latter stages of the window.
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