Chelsea return to play at Stamford Bridge for the first time since early March, though it won’t quite feel like Stamford Bridge just like most places don’t feel like they normally do these days. Without fans, the concept of a “home field” or “home field advantage” falls by the wayside, but that was one of the accepted compromises on the way towards achieving Project Restart, so this is what we must love, for now.
Whether that will help or hinder remains to be seen. Without the immediate belief of 40,000+ motivations can be harder to find. On the other hand, the pressure is far less as well, on both the home side to perform and on the visitors to fail. The emotion of the occasion can be a great equalizer in sports.
Can Chelsea hang with Manchester City in a pure battle of skill, tactics, self-confidence, and fitness? We almost did so in late November, but almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
Date / Time: Thursday, June 25, 2020, 20.15 BST; 3:15pm EDT; 12:45am IST (next day)
Venue: Stamford Bridge, SW6
Referees: Stuart Attwell (on pitch); Craig Pawson (VAR)
Forecast: Scorching summer’s day followed by balmy summer’s night
On TV: BT Sport 1 (UK); NBCSN, Universo (USA); Star Sports Select HD1 (India); SuperSport 3 (NGA); elsewhere
Streaming: BT Sport Live (UK); NBC Sports Live, Universo Now (USA); Hotstar (India); DStv Now (NGA)
Comments
Post a Comment