Chelsea will face Wrexham in a pre-season friendly Taraftarium24 ahead of the 2023-24 season on Wednesday at the Kenan Memorial Stadium in North Carolina.
Chelsea are coming off a disappointing season, having finished 12th in the Premier League. They will be looking to bounce back in the upcoming campaign and challenge for the title. Wrexham are a League Two side who were promoted to the English football league last season. The team, co-owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, will be looking to make an impression against Chelsea and give their fans a positive start to the season.
This match will be a good opportunity for Chelsea to test their new signings, including Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson. It will also be a chance for the Blues to get some minutes under their belts before the start of the Premier League season.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Chelsea vs Wrexham kick-off time
| Date: | July 20, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 12.30am BST |
| Venue: | Kenan Memorial Stadium |
The pre-season match between Chelsea and Wrexham will be played at the Kenan Memorial Stadium on Thursday, July 20. Kick-off is at 12.30am BST for fans in the UK.
How to watch Chelsea vs Wrexham online - TV channels & live streams
The pre-season match between Chelsea and Wrexham will not be shown live on TV but will be available to stream on Viaplay Sports 1 for fans in the UK. The match highlights will be made available on the same platform soon after the full-time whistle, whereas live updates can be accessed here on GOAL.
Team news & squads
Chelsea team news
New boss Mauricio Pochettino will be without Wesley Fofana who has undergone an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery. On the other hand, new signings Nkunku and Jackson have travelled with the squad to the US and are set to make their debuts.
Chelsea have also confirmed that they have been forced to leave Reece James out of their squad for their trip to the US. They have also left out Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hakim Ziyech and Romelu Lukaku, with all three likely to depart the club this summer. Benoit Badiashile and Armando Broja are also injured and will miss the pre-season tour.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Kepa, Cumming, Slonina, Bergstrom, Beach |
| Defenders: | Silva, Chalobah, Chilwell, Colwill, Maatsen, Casadei, Burstow, Gilchrist, Hall |
| Midfielders: | Fernandez, Mudryk, Gallagher, Chukwuemeka, Madueke, Cucurella, Gusto, Humphreys |
| Forwards: | Nkunku, Sterling, Santos, Gabriel, Moreira, Jackson |
Wrexham team news
So far, Wrexham has made only one addition to their team - securing defender Will Boyle from Huddersfield Town. However, their most noteworthy move has been securing a new contract for 40-year-old Foster.
The team has received two encouraging updates on their players' fitness as Aaron Hayden and Bryce Hosannah both made their return to action.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Lainton, Foster, Howard |
| Defenders: | McFadzean, Tozer, Hayden, Tunnicliffe, O’Connell, Hosannah, Mendy, Boyle, Barnett, Cleworth, James |
| Midfielders: | Davies, Young, McAlinden, Forde, Cannon, O’Connor, Jones, Lee |
| Forwards: | Palmer, Mullin, Waters, Dalby |