Chelsea vs. Borussia Monchengladbach: Live Stream, TV Schedule and Predictions
August 2, 2019
Chelsea will close their 2019-20 pre-season schedule at Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday, when they will be looking for a fourth straight win ahead of their Premier League opener at Manchester United.
Frank Lampard's side have lost only one of their six pre-season games, but they have conceded nine goals and their only clean sheet came against Irish minnows St. Patrick's Athletic (4-0).
Christian Pulisic scored his first Chelsea goals in Wednesday's 5-3 win over Red Bull Salzburg, and the former Borussia Dortmund ace will be aiming to cement a place in the starting XI for the trip to Old Trafford on August 11.
Like Lampard, Marco Rose is entering his first season as Gladbach boss and enjoyed a run of five successive pre-season wins until his side were beaten 2-0 by Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
This will also be the Foals' last warm-up fixture before they get their season under way against SV Sandhausen in the DFB-Pokal first round on August 9.
Date: Saturday, August 3
Time: 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET
Venue: Borussia-Park, Monchengladbach, Germany
Live Stream: Chelsea TV, ESPN Deportes+ (U.S.)
TV Info: Chelsea TV, ESPN Deportes (U.S.)
Preview
Lampard has adapted smoothly to his role as head coach, with Chelsea showing a knack for winning against Barcelona, Reading and Salzburg in their last three games.
Their defence leaked six goals in the latter two matches, but the Blues' attack appears to be full of confidence. Nine different players have contributed to their 16 pre-season goals, with new arrival Pulisic bagging a well-taken brace in the victory over Salzburg.
Lampard has made the most of the squad at his disposal despite Chelsea's transfer ban. Veteran winger Pedro is in the final year of his contract but demonstrated his class with the best goal of the bunch in Austria, via ESPN FC (U.S. only):
Goal's Nizaar Kinsella broke down Chelsea's goals and assists in greater detail, and Ross Barkley stands out in pre-season:
Former Blues manager Jose Mourinho encouraged Lampard to trust in the club's returning loan players, per ITV:
Pulisic's presence is a bad omen for Gladbach, though. The United States international recorded two assists in three starts against them for Dortmund.
Rose's men have impressed this pre-season and netted 21 goals in five matches before they were held by Athletic Bilbao. That haul includes an 8-0 mauling of 1. FC Monchengladbach and a 5-1 defeat of Basaksehir.
Forward Breel Embolo and right-back Stefan Lainer are two of their major arrivals this summer—from Schalke 04 and Red Bull Salzburg, respectively.
However, another name name has generated even greater interest. Marcus Thuram is the son of France legend Lilian Thuram, and the club confirmed his arrival from Guingamp last month:
Both teams will be focused on ending their pre-season schedules with a win.
The two sides have shown their strengths lie in attack, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see Chelsea and Gladbach produce an end-to-end goal bonanza.
Gladbach finished fifth in the Bundesliga last season and have displayed encouraging signs under Rose, but Lampard seems more settled in his role at this early stage.
Chelsea's edge in quality should see them to victory in a high-scoring friendly in Germany on Saturday.
Prediction: Borussia Monchengladbach 2-4 Chelsea