Chelsea set to host Brentford in mid-season friendly

Chelsea will face Brentford in a behind-closed-doors friendly next week, according to The Evening Standard.

The match will take place at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground next Tuesday. It will be their final game before the Premier League restarts.

The Blues are scheduled to resume their Premier League fixtures against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on December 27.

Chelsea lost 1-0 in a friendly game against Aston Villa in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. John McGuinn’s seventh-minute goal was enough to decide the match.

Manager Graham Potter was optimistic after the game considering his squad comprised of academy youngsters.

Most of Chelsea’s first-team players are away for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, while Villa played a strong line-up.

Youngster Omari Hutchinson was a bright spark for the Blues and hit the post. The former Arsenal winger is pushing for a first-team debut.

Lewis Hall was also promoted to the first team and had a superb outing.

However, a 19th-minute injury to Armando Broja tainted the affair. The 21-year-old suffered a collision with Ezri Konsa and went down screaming in agony.

Chelsea’s medical staff had to stretcher him off the pitch. He will have more scans over the next 24-48 hours, but it does not look positive.

The London club fear it is a knee injury that will keep the Albanian international striker out for a long time.

Chelsea return to competitive action against Bournemouth knowing they need a result after crashing down to eighth in the Premier League.

The Club World Cup champions are winless in their last five league games.

They crashed out of the Carabao Cup after losing 2-0 against Manchester City before the World Cup break.

Potter’s honeymoon is over, and he has the task of guiding an unbalanced squad into a Champions League spot.

They will hope they can beat Bournemouth, who are six places and five points below them. The Cherries have conceded the most goals in the Premier League this season.

Bournemouth will hope they can avoid defeat at the Bridge as they sit only three points above the relegation zone. A loss could suck them into the relegation battle.