Chelsea traveled to Abu Dhabi to return to the place where we won the Club World Cup in 2022. It’s hard to believe that just 12 months ago, things were very different.
Chelsea will be in the UAE for a couple of weeks, and they’ll have a friendly match against Aston Villa on December 11. In addition to regular pre-season activities, they’ll also likely have a behind-the-scenes training match.
Due to the presence of several first-team players who are currently participating in the World Cup, Chelsea’s traveling squad is composed of a mixture of youth and seniors. Some of the notable faces that fans will see are N’Golo Kanté and N’Golo James, who have both been on the sidelines with injuries.
GOALKEEPERS: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Marcus Bettinelli, Eddie Beach
DEFENDERS: Bashir Humphreys, Alfie Gilchrist, Trevoh Chalobah, Dion Rankine, Josh Brooking, Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana
MIDFIELDERS: Lewis Hall, Cesare Casadei, Charlie Webster, Ben Elliott, Jorginho, N’Golo Kanté, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Carney Chukwuemeka
FORWARDS: Omari Hutchinson, Malik Mothersille, Mason Burstow, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Armando Broja