The Premier League got underway today, with Liverpool taking on Stoke City. Chelsea fans unfortunately had to wait a day to see their favorite team play, but they'll now know that any points earned open up an early lead over Arsenal. Here's what you need to know (beyond the fact that Arsenal lost) in advance of the season opener:
Date/Time: Sunday, August 18, 2013 at 16:00 BST, 11:00 am EDT, 8:00 am PDT, 20:30 IST, use this converter to find the time anywhere else
Venue/Location: Stamford Bridge, London, England
Opponent: Hull City
Chelsea FC Squad News: David Luiz has been ruled out of Sunday's opener, as he's been struggling with an injury for the bulk of the preseason. Juan Mata, John Obi Mikel, and Andre Schurrle are also dealing with minor injuries, with Mata seeming relatively unlikely to be selected on Sunday.
Cesar Azpilicueta and Victor Moses are also questionable for the weekend, as both had late returns from the ridiculous midweek international friendlies. At some point FIFA really ought to take away the right to call players up for friendlies being played on other continents, as it does awful things to clubs attempting to prepare for real matches.
Hull City Squad News: Hull are a relatively healthy unit, and will have likely everyone available except for Stephen Quinn. In this case, "everyone" includes this week's signings, Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone.
Tim had an opposition scouting report for Hull City yesterday, and you can read that here.
WAGNH Community Squad: We gave you the opportunity to pick your squad for the opener (a day prior to hearing any injury news), and 2,888 of you took the opportunity to give us your opinions. Here's what you decided.
Starting XI - Petr Cech, Branislav Ivanovic, John Terry, David Luiz, Ashley Cole, Ramires, Marco van Ginkel, Eden Hazard, Oscar, Juan Mata, Romelu Lukaku
Bench - Mark Schwarzer, Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill, Andre Schurrle, Kevin De Bruyne, Frank Lampard, Fernando Torres
We obviously won't see these units deployed by Mourinho, as several players listed are either already ruled out or doubtful to take part on Sunday. I'd imagine you're on the right track there though, although who Mourinho decides to start in the pivot is anyone's guess.
Television Information: In the USA, the game can be found on NBCSN and Mun2. UK residents should watch on Sky Sports 1 HD, while those of you in India can follow along on Star Sports India. If you live somewhere else, check in here.
Streaming Information: NBC Sports Live Extra has you covered in the US, while in the UK you can use Sky Go. Chelsea TV will stream audio of the game, but unfortunately won't have video.
If you know of legal streaming services in other countries, feel free to leave them in the comments section below. Please do us a favor though, and don't post links to illegal streams. Get excited, put your #18 jersey on, enjoy the game, and let's go Blues!
More from We Ain't Got No History:
- 2013-14 Premier League Opening Day / Saturday Open Thread
- We do not appreciate Petr Cech enough
- Chelsea must go step by step, but can still win the Premier League, says Mourinho
- Call off the Victor Moses search party, Mourinho meant not knowing in terms of fitness
- Opposition Scouting Report: Hull City Tigers