Brunei Chelsea Fan Blogsite

Chelsea vs Chengdu Blades 12.30 UK time and 8pm Brunei Time! Please check your local listings! (should be in Astro Supersport)

The opposition are Chengdu Blades and it gives Luiz Felipe Scolari another opportunity to see how his squad performs in a match situation.

There's a fair chance that Scolari will give everyone an opportunity to be involved, just as he did in the first match which was won a very convincing 4-0.

At the time of writing, the only absentee, through injury, is likely to be Jose Bosingwa who picked up a thigh injury nineteen minutes into his Chelsea debut.

Scolari will need to decide whether Paulo Ferriera or Branislav Ivanovic replace the unfortunate Bosingwa.

Elsewhere, Joe Cole, who missed the first game with an ankle injury, is likely to feature in a game that is, once again, more about achieving full match fitness and practising tactics than the performance. However, Scolari will be keen to register a win as the Premier League season edges ever nearer.

One player who is clearly looking forward to the fixture is Salomon Kalou. During a recent interview Kalou commented on the fact that, in the first game, he was allowed to play as an out and out striker remarking,

'Since I've been at Chelsea I've played in every position along the front, left-winger and right-winger, but this season it looks like I will have the chance to play as a second striker.'

'I'm feeling comfortable with that position, and even though I have top names in front of me like Anelka and Drogba, football is strange and everyone has the chance to show what they can do.'

'If the manager gives me that opportunity it's my goal to make one of those positions mine.'

The Ivorian has also spoken out about how excited the squad are about the coming season and he's not been afraid to tell us about exactly how life under Avram Grant was explaining,

'Under Avram Grant it was all about team-work, being defensive, not conceding and trying to score just one.'

'But this year it will be different. The new manager wants to play a more attacking game.'

'Grant didn't really change anything when he took over from Jose Mourinho. But you can see from the players Scolari has brought in, and the way we played in his first game, that things are going to be different this time.'

'We have new players and a new system. On Wednesday we played with Deco, Essien, Lampard and Mikel in the middle and no wingers.'

'It was the first time since I've been at Chelsea that we have played with four midfield players and two strikers. Normally we play with two defensive midfielders and two wingers. The key difference this season is that every player tries to attack. This can make a huge impact, as all our players are comfortable with the system.

'Players like Deco, Ballack, Essien and Lampard can really put good balls through to the strikers, so it's going to be a good season for us.'

'I am really looking forward to playing attacking football. I am sure we can make it better this year.'

It would seem that it's not only us, the supporters, who are excited about 2008-2009 but the players are as well.

Bring it on.