Chelsea to start pre-season just eight days after the World Cup

The Blues are expecting a considerable amount of their players to travel to Russia this summer to compete in the World Cup of which many are expected to progress beyond the group stages. 

Any Blues players who happen to be lucky enough to make it to the final in Moscow on July 15th might not even get a week's rest - accounting for the eight-hour time difference which will force Chelsea to arrive Down Under a few days before the match to acclimatise. 

The club's official site, however, insists that many of its stars will make the trip to Australia, stating "we will be taking a strong squad to Perth as we prepare for the 2018/2019 season."

Chelsea will be keen to start their pre-season well, especially given their current run in form which has seen back-to-back losses in the league. This has led to a number of rumours about who will be coaching the side come next season with Antonio Conte's managerial job under serious scrutiny.