Celtic have enjoyed a high-profile tour of the USA this summer and it concludes with another big meeting against English Premier League opposition on Saturday.
Chelsea led by Enzo Maresca takes on Brendan Rodgers’ Bhoys as both teams continue their preseason preparations for the 2024–2025 season.
Celtic has previously triumphed over Manchester City and DC United, while the Blues’ journey began with a 2-2 draw with Wrexham in California.
The Fighting Irish college football team of the institution will play their home games at the famed Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, later on.
Though Saturday’s game is unlikely to be sold out, a respectable turnout is still anticipated at the almost 78,000-seat venue.
Thousands set to enjoy Celtic test vs Chelsea
The South Bend Tribune was informed by Lee Sicinski, associate vice president of event management at Notre Dame University, that the attendance is anticipated to be comparable to that of the 2019 Liverpool vs. Borussia Dortmund match at the same location.
Liverpool verified the attendance that evening as 40,361. In Celtic terms, a turnout of about that amount would be considered quite successful.
The official attendance for the DC United match was 18,590, but according to ESPN, 30,000 people showed up for the Man City match in North Carolina.
Brendan Rodgers hails Celtic’s pre-season work
During a pre-game press conference, Rodgers was questioned on the team’s energy level after their USA tour.
Celtic FC’s manager stated, “It’s very high.” Naturally, towards the conclusion of a tour, players’ energy levels do tend to decline after being away from their homes and families for an extended amount of time, but I haven’t noticed it in the players.
“The club’s organization and the work they put into this trip have been outstanding. For us, everything has gone quite well.
We’re in a great position going into our last game. There’s a lot of great energy. Football is improving both tactically and in terms of conditioning. We’re in a really fortunate position.
Winning against Chelsea would be the ultimate way to round off the summer and serve as the ideal lead-up to next Sunday’s Flag Day match at home against Kilmarnock.
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