Chelsea vs Celtic preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction

The Enzo Maresca era at Chelsea officially begins this week with a series of preseason tours in the United States. The Blues will first face League One side, Wrexham at the Levi’s Stadium on Wednesday, before a tasty affair against Scottish champions, Celtic on Saturday, July 27 at the Notre Dame Stadium.

The Italian tactician joined Chelsea after a remarkable season in the EFL championships where he won the title with Leicester City which got them promoted back to the Premier League, just one season after they were relegated.

He’ll be hoping to stir a shaky Chelsea ship that has struggled for consistency and balance since the post-Abrahmovich era began.

Chelsea’s new ownership under Todd Boehly has yet to find that real stability since taking over the reins of the club. A total of six head coaches have been at the club and there still hasn’t been that right balance.

Towards the tail end of last season, a much improved Chelsea side began to show better performances, winning their last five matches that saw them move up to sixth place in the Premier League table.

However, it was a little too late as it wasn’t enough to guarantee Mauricio Pochettino a second stint at East London.

The appointment of Maresca has proven the club’s trust in his abilities despite having little Premier League experience while working as an assistant to Pep Guardiola. His attractive brand of football is deemed equivalent to modern football and Chelsea fans will hope to catch a glimpse of the manager’s style of play when they square off against Celtic on Saturday.

There are some remarkable historical similarities in this fixture, particularly to Chelsea who faced Celtic in their second preseason game under Jose Mourinho on 24 July 2004.

Mourinho made six changes at half-time, the most notable being the introduction of Petr Cech in goal for his first appearance with the team. This marked the beginning of an extraordinary 11-year career as Chelsea’s goalkeeper, achieving heights that no one in Seattle could have anticipated. Chelsea won 4-2, and by the first game of the season, Mourinho had selected Cech as his new number one.

Also making his debut for the Blues that day was Arjen Robben. By the end of that season, Chelsea, propelled by Cech’s goalkeeping dominance and Robben’s attacking wizardry, had secured both the Premier League and the League Cup.

Now, the Blues are set to face Celtic again in their second game of the United States tour in Maresca’s first season, can he replicate the same title-winning campaign Jose Mourinho undertook?

On the other hand, 42-time Scottish Champions, Celtic have already begun their preseason preparations and are making a bold statement of intent for the coming season where they’ll look to clinch the title for the 43rd time.

The Bhoys have played four matches so far in preseason and are unbeaten in all, winning three and drawing one.
Brendan Rodgers led his side out for their first preseason friendly against Scottish side, Ayr United before playing out a 6-4 win over EFL championship side, Queens Park Rangers in what was a goals galore.

A 4-0 thumping of MLS side, DC United soon followed before putting up a stellar performance against Premier League champions, Manchester City to emerge 4-3 winners.

Since losing 2-0 to Hearts in March, Celtic has gone on a 16-game scoring streak in all competitions and will hope to once again display their superb goalscoring prowess when they face a Chelsea side that was defensively porous last season.

Celtic will also hope to make a bigger impact in the Champions League this season after their abysmal campaign last season. Last season, their effort to compete with the Champions League elite ended in disappointment, as they managed only four points from six fixtures – finishing last in their group. The question remains how Rodgers’s side will perform in the new league phase format.

Ahead of their Scottish Premiership opener against Kilmarnock on 4th August, Rodgers will hope to finish their preseason campaign on a high and will see the match as a chance to integrate some returning stars into the team.

Chelsea vs Celtic match details

• Date: Saturday, 27 July
• Location: Indiana, United States
• Venue: Notre Dame Stadium
• Kick-off time: 08:00 PM UTC, 08.40 PM BST
• Tickets: Fans can try Seatsnet.com if they want to find tickets for the game.

Match stats and head-to-head

•Celtic are on a 16-game scoring streak. The last time they failed to score a goal was against Hearts in the Scottish Premiership in March 2024.

•Brendan Rodgers’ side has played four matches so far in preseason, scoring 15 goals

•These two sides have never played in a competitive match but played in a 2004 friendly match during the preseason campaign in the United States where Chelsea won 4-2.

•Chelsea are unbeaten in their last six matches across all competitions

•Celtic are embarking on a 15-game unbeaten streak and have not lost a game away from home in eight matches.

•Chelsea will be hoping to set a new record for the most attended soccer game in Indiana. The Blues currently hold the record after almost 42,000 people trouped into the Lucas Oil Stadium to watch Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Inter Milan in 2013.

Team news

What’s a Chelsea season without controversies? Maresca’s early days at Chelsea are off to a tumultuous start as he navigates a racism scandal involving Enzo Fernandez.

Fernandez, along with some Argentinian teammates, was recorded singing an offensive song about French people after their Copa America win. Authorities are investigating the incident, and Fernandez will not be participating in Wednesday’s match. Additionally, Euro 2024 winner Marc Cucurella, Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher, Moises Caicedo, and Gabriel Slonina—who is playing for the USA at the Paris Olympics—will also be absent.

Additionally, Djordje Petrovic and Omari Kellyman are sidelined with injuries, while Kepa Arrizabalaga, Trevoh Chalobah, Romelu Lukaku, Cesare Casadei, and David Datro Fofana are also notable absentees.

However, several new signings are expected to feature, including Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Marc Guiu, Renato Veiga, and Tosin Adarabioyo, who are all set to make their Chelsea debuts.

Some of Celtic’s international contingent who participated in the European Championship were present for the clash against City including Anthony Ralston, James Forrest, Callum McGregor and Greg Taylor.

The defensive pair of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnson were given extra time off after they participated in the recently concluded Copa America and it is unclear if they will feature in the starting lineup against Chelsea.

New signing Kasper Schmeichel made his first start for the club against City and will hope to retain his place between the posts on Saturday.

Atletico Madrid-linked Matt O’Riley returned to the starting lineup and Rogers will hope the 23-year-old will continue to be a regular presence in the squad next season.

Japanese international, Daizen Maeda did not make the squad last time out and they’re no clarification about his involvement against Chelsea on Saturday.

Predicted starting lineup

Chelsea predicted starting lineup:

Sanchez; Gusto, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Chilwell; Dewsbury-Hall, Lavia, Nkunku; Madueke, Sterling, Jackson.

Celtic predicted starting lineup:

Schmeichel; Ralston, Welsh, Scales, Taylor; McGregor (C), O’Riley, Hatate; Kühn, Maeda, Kyogo.

Prediction

Chelsea will be playing their very first preseason game this summer and there could be a bit of rustiness from the side in their first game against Wrexham but they’re expected to pick up momentum when they face Celtic.

The Bhoys on the other hand have been flying in preseason playing four games and winning three while scoring in all their matches. Celtic are expected to dictate proceedings but Chelsea will be eager to exert their style of play in the match.

We’re predicting a 2:1 win for Celtic.