Chelsea squeeze charity tournament in Turkey into already crowded preseason schedule

The rumors were true!

The Premier League season kicks off on August 16 and Chelsea play their first real match of the season two days later on Monday, August 18.  In the three weeks and change until then, we already had five matches scheduled and now have added a couple more.

Chelsea Football Club today finalises our pre-season calendar by announcing we will be taking part in a mini-tournament in Turkey.

Jose Mourinho's side will play two 45-minute matches as we line up against hosts Fenerbahçe and their Istanbul neighbours Besiktas at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on Friday 8 August. The competition precedes our friendly against Ferencvaros, which takes place in Budapest on Sunday 10 August.

-source: Chelsea FC

Ok, so I guess it's basically one more match, with the two halves played against different opposition.  (Hi Demba Ba, Gokhan Tore, and Raul Meireles MRLSH!)  And it's for a great cause, with all proceeds going to help the victims of the Soma mine disaster in Western Turkey that killed over 300 people this past May.

It's a good thing we have a large squad that needs to whip themselves into shape following extended, post-World Cup vacations!  A win for them, a win for us, and a win for the charities involved.