Skip to main content

Chelsea Squares vs. Barcelona: 2015 International Champions Cup

The 2015 International Champions Cup has been one of the highlights of the football world this summer.  This Tuesday play will resume in Landover, MD when Chelsea FC takes on FC Barcelona at FedEx Field.  Kicking off at 9:05 p.m. this match features a battle between reigning champions.

Chelsea FC is headlined by one of the best current European football stars.  The reining Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Season Eden Hazard is coming off a stellar season.  Hazard was one of the main cogs in helping Chelsea secure its 4th Premier League title last season.  The seven time Football Association Cup winners will also showcase Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who contributed a whopping 18 assists during EPL play last year.

Having played twice so far, Chelsea enters the third of four ICC matches with a record of 1-1.  They opened with a shocker, falling 2-4 to Major League Soccer outfit New York Red Bulls.  Chelsea bounced by topping Paris Saint-Germain 6-5 in penalties last Saturday.  Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois stole the show, saving two spot kicks before scoring the deciding tallying.  Chelsea will close out the tournament against Fiorentina on August 5th in London, England. 

FC Barcelona has no shortage of stars either.  The reigning La Liga and UEFA Champions league champs will deploy stars such forward Luis Suarez and midfield ace Andrés Iniesta.  Joining them are 2014 World Cup defenders Gerard Piqué, Jordi Alba and Thomas Vermaelen.

The opening match of FC Barcelona’s ICC campaign took place in Pasadena, CA.  The team showed that they have a plethora of talent, as they defeated MLS club Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1.  California was also the site for the following match, which ended in a 3-1 defeat to Manchester United.  Although Barcelona dominated with 65.7% of the possession, United’s attack proved too much to handle. The Spanish club will play its final match of the tournament on August 2nd against Fiorentina in Florence, Italy. 

Historically, this matches roots run deep.  These foes met last during the 2011-12 UEFA Champions League Semifinal.  With the score line 2-0 and down a men in the second leg, Chelsea roared back to a 3-2 win sealing the victory and a trip to the final.  Another fact to note is that in four of the last five meetings Chelsea and Barcelona have finished in draws.

Barcelona finds themselves in 5th of the tournament standings on 3 points while Chelsea sit in 7th having mustered only 2 so far.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FPL Official - Five Noteworthy Forwards

Welcome back!  My international call up of sorts, where I current cover all things EPL wise for Togga,  has seen me absent from posting.  However, based on demand, I will be returning to provide regular coverage of the English Premier League and United States Men's National Team.  The Premier League season is entering the final stretch.  This campaign has been headlined by the historic conquest of Leicester City, the fall of once storied Aston Villa and the on-going debate surrounding the future of Manchester United's coaching dilemma.  With that said, here is some pointers for ensuring a strong finish to your Fantasy Premier League campaign.   The Price Is Right - Graziano Pelle, Southampton Current Value: 7.9m Selected By: 8.8% Total Score: 125 A personal favorite, the Italian has had an up-and-down season.  However, his current form has rocketed him to the top of this list.  In his past five appearances he...
Post a Comment
Read more

European Heavyweights Faceoff in Audi Cup

The 2015 Audi Cup is right around the corner as the European football pre-season is now in full swing.   This two-day biennial competition, hosted by Bayern Munich, features all matches being held at their home ground the Allianz Arena. Play will kick off on August 4 th . Match play opens with La Liga giants Real Madrid taking on English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur at 12:45 p.m. ET.   The second match of the day will feature reigning Bundesliga and Audi Cup tournament titleholders Bayern Munich and Serie A side AC Milan at 2:45 p.m. ET.   The winners will then face each other in the final on August 5 th at 2:45 with the third place match being held prior at 12:45. Held for the first time in 2009, both the title and third place match required penalties for winners to be found.   Bayern Munich top Manchester United 7-6 after playing to a 0-0 draw in the final with Boca Juniors calming third place over AC Milan 4-3 in spot kicks.   ...
Post a Comment
Read more

USA vs. Brasil - Preview

USA vs. Brasil    - This will be the toughest test for the American's, facing a Brasil squad whose youthful talent is bloom. U S A Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)  Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Rangers), Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Oguchi Onyewu (Sporting Lisbon), Michael Parkhurst (Nordsjaelland) Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Chievo Verona), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), Jose Torres (Pachuca) Forwards: Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Terrence Boyd (Borussia Dortmund), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Herculez Gomez (Santos), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes) Possible Starting Line-up               (4-3-2-1) GK - Howard DEF - Che...
Post a Comment
Read more