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LIVE BLOG
90+2min: FULL TIME.
90+1min: GOAL, SALZBURG. Long ball over the top defeats Tomori, Alonso blocks once but Chelsea cannot clear, and it’s Christensen actually assists for Minamino to score. 5-3.
88min: GOAL, BATSHUAYI! Pedro nicks the ball on the high press, feeds Michy, and on the third ask, he roofs it into the net. 5-2, CHELSEA!
85min: GOAL, SALZBURG. Zappacosta is called for a foul in the area, which seems incredibly harsh. Minamino takes, and blasts it down the center. 4-2.
83min: Another corner from Salzburg, but Chelsea are quick to their trickery and Barkley clears.
81min: Christensen replaces Kovacic and slots into defensive midfield. Zappacosta on for Azpilicueta as well.
79min: Minamino rakes his studs down Kovacic’s Achilles and gets a yellow. Kova limps off for treatment and is eventually subbed off.
77min: Zouma and Azpilicueta with crucial blocks and Salzburg carve through the midfield.
76min: Salzburg work another opening from the left, but Kepa’s down quickly to prevent any real danger from the low cross.
73min: Several changes at long last for Chelsea. Kenedy, Batshuayi, Tomori, Mount, Alonso ON, Jorginho, David Luiz, Pulisic, Abraham, Emerson OFF
71min: Fantastic passing and movement again, for once up the right flank, before the goalkeeper just reaches Azpilicueta’s cross with Pulisic waiting to tap in.
68min: Pedro down, holding his right ankle, which was kicked rather forcefully by an opposition player. Looks okay to carry on after a bit of treatment and complaining to the referee.
64min: Azpi off the line as Chelsea look a bit leggy suddenly. Great save by Kepa initially as well.
61min: Kepa sweeps up a long ball after Chelsea had pushed up for a free kick.
57min: PEDRO SCORES AN OUTRAGEOUS GOAL!!! Out of nothing, Kovacic flicks a pass through in the middle and Chelsea break the other way, Barkely swings in a cross from the left, and Pedro backheel-flicks it past the goalkeeper. Magic. 4-1, CHELSEA!
54min: Chelsea can’t get out of our defensive third, let alone our half, but Daka’s offside to give up a bit of a reprieve. Kepa’s long goal kick is quickly turned the other way however. Zouma clears.
53min: Chelsea unable to get a foothold in the game as Salzburg continue to press. Jorginho and Kovacic back to help for Kepa to clear, but the home side come again.
50min: GOAL, SALZBURG! Reborn Salzburg continue to press and a terrible pass from David Luiz gifts them a corner. A bit of pushing and shoving in the area between Azpi and Van der Werff, before the corner is headed home by Onguene ahead of David Luiz. Easy as you like. 3-1.
48min: At the other end, new man Daka swings in a cross from the left, which Okugawa just pokes wide after beating his man to the ball.
47min: New man Bernede hacks down Barkley out wide right. Pedro swings in the free kick, but it’s well over the head of everyone and out for a goal kick.
HALF-TIME: Salzburg change every player, Chelsea change none, and get the game back underway.
45+1min: The referee signals the end of the half. It’s been an even contest, but Chelsea much more clinical in the final third.
45min: After more good work down the left, Kovacic swings in a great cross that finds Abraham, but he heads over.
42min: Salzburg’s free kick routine creates a half-chance at the far post, but Kristensen gets his shot all wrong.
41min: Great passing through the middle sees Chelsea break the press, but Pedro gives the ball away and Haaland breaks the other way. Only a foul from Zouma stops him, at the cost of a booking.
38min: Kovacic is called for a foul for a sliding tackle from behind, 30 yards out central. Szoboszlai powers a perfect curler towards goal, drawing a great save from Kepa. Chelsea defend the corner, but can’t quite play out. But Ashimeru’s shot is well wide.
35min: More solid passing and movement from Chelsea sees Emerson bursting forward and blasting a shot towards goal, which is well saved. The follow-up corner is cleared just ahead of an onrushing Zouma.
32min: Azpi defends well 1-v-1 against Szoboszlai and clears for a corner, which Chelsea actually clear, for once, through Tammy.
31min: Emerson wins a corner, which eventually comes out to Kovacic to hit from range, but the goalkeeper’s down to save.
29min: GOAL!!! PULISIC!!! Fantastic ball over the top Barkley finds Pulisic again, and he outruns two defenders to finish coolly. 3-0, CHELSEA!!
28min: Zouma blocks a cross for a corner, which Salzburg win at the far post but Kepa’s down to save.
26min: Szoboszlai gets on the ball, but three close him down and the danger is averted.
22min: GOAL!! BARKLEY!! Another ball through for Pulisic, and he’s pushed over by Kristensen for a penalty! Barkley takes (not Jorginho!), and Barkley scores. 2-0, CHELSEA!
20min: GOAL!!!! PULISIC!!! Chelsea break the offside trap with Pedro’s pass over the top, and Pulisic shoots between the legs of the defender to find the corner of the net. Lovely finish. 1-0, CHELSEA!
19min: Great play by Barkley to switch play and get Chelsea moving forward through Emerson, who’s allowed to run the length of the pitch. His cross finds Pedro, who chooses to lay it on for Barkley instead of just shooting, allowing Salzburg to clear.
17min: Strong 1-v-1 defending from Zouma against Haaland, after RB break through a rare Chelsea high press (haven’t had much opportunity to deploy it so far).
14min: Zouma’s poor square pass at the back gives Ulmer a shooting opportunity, but it flies harmlessly over the bar.
12min: Chelsea’s best move is strung together on the left between Pulisic, Emerson, and Barkley, but Tammy’s flick on back for Pulisic doesn’t quite come off.
11min: Long ball over the top gets Chelsea in trouble, and only a last ditch tackle from Emerson, a desperate grab from Kepa, and a goal-line clearance from David Luiz saves a goal.
10min: Great play by Kovacic to get Chelsea out from under the press, turning and finding Barkley who gets Pulisic going on the left. But the right back closes him down well and even wins a goal kick.
8min: Tammy continuing to work hard to hold up the ball, but is harshly whistled for a foul.
7min: A Zouma block and a DL header keep Salzburg at bay after they string a nice move together on the right side.
6min: Abraham tackled down rather clumsily by Pongracic, who tumbles into his knees, but Tammy looks okay to continue. David Luiz and Barkley line up over the free kick; it’s the former who goes for the disguised chip into the area instead of the expected piledriver, but it’s too much and it goes out for a goal kick.
4min: Chelsea venture over the halfway line and Barkley wins a free kick. But Jorginho’s ball over the top for Azpi is way too long.
3min: Chelsea struggling to play out, and Zouma’s clearance is intercepted. But Salzburg settle for the long shot and Kepa gathers easily.
1min: Long ball over the top in the right channel from Salzburg, but Hwang is whistled for offside and Chelsea have the ball. Until Pedro gives it away at the halfway line.
KICK-OFF: Here come the teams, Chelsea in all blue with white socks, RB in all red with a couple white stripes on the shirts. Fireworks on the pitch! And the home side get us underway.
Chelsea’s penultimate preseason friendly takes us to scenic Austria, where part of the growing Red Bull football empire awaits us Carabao peons.
Salzburg, the preeminent power in Austrian football, have already started their season, so they’re a step or two ahead of us in terms of preparation, but if this were a competitive match, Chelsea would be favored. Lampard has said that these last two games will be more representative of what we might expect in terms of tactics and personnel at the start of the season, so it’ll be interesting to see what he might have up his sleeve.
Here we go!
RB Salzburg starting lineup (4-4-2):
Stankovic | Ulmer (c), Mwepu, Pongracic, Kristensen | Szoboszlai, Camara, Samasseku, Ashimeru | Haaland, Hwang
Substitutes from: Kohn, Coronel, Mensah, Van der Werff, Onguene, Farkas, Junuzovic, Bernede, Diarra, Koita, Minamino, Daka, Okugawa
Chelsea starting lineup (4-2-3-1):
Arrizabalaga | Emerson, David Luiz, Zouma, Azpilicueta (c) | Jorginho, Kovacic | Pulisic, Barkley, Pedro | Abraham
Substitutes from: Caballero, Cumming, Tomori, Alonso, Christensen, Zappacosta, Kenedy, Mount, Giroud, Batshuayi
Date / Time: Wednesday, July 31, 2019, 19:00 BST; 2pm EDT; 11:30pm IST
Venue: Red Bull Arena, Salzburg, Austria
Forecast: Cool with a chance of thunder and lightning
On TV: none
Streaming online: Chelsea TV (UK/Ireland, int’l), ESPN+ (USA); elsewhere
Due to international rights, Chelsea TV (£1.99 on the app; £10.99 on the website for the whole preseason — not prorated; free for last year’s subscribers) will only be available to customers in the UK & Ireland, and the select few countries not covered by other providers.
Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes.