Watch Chelsea arrive in United States for pre-season tour as Blues prepare for Wrexham opener

Chelsea arrived in the United States following a long flight from London and will begin preparing for their first pre-season fixture against Wrexham.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side face the newly-promoted League Two side in the early hours of Thursday morning (UK) in the first of five matches out in America.

Chelsea have taken a 29-man squad out with them, a mix of senior and young stars, with Reece James set to join up with the team soon after reporting unwell on Monday morning ahead of their flight.

They will play their opener in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, at the Kenan Stadium. Chelsea will train on Tuesday evening in front of a crowd at WakeMed Soccer Park.

Confirmed 29-man squad

Goalkeepers: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Gabriel Slonina, Lucas Bergstrom, Eddie Beach, Jamie Cumming

Defenders: Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah, Ben Chilwell, Marc Cucurella, Malo Gusto, Bashir Humphreys, Levi Colwill, Ian Maatsen, Alfie Gilchrist

Midfielders: Enzo Fernandez, Conor Gallagher, Carney Chukwuemeka, Andrey Santos, Cesare Casadei, Lewis Hall

Midfielders: Mykhailo Mudryk, Raheem Sterling, Noni Madueke, Angelo Gabriel, Diego Moreira, Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Mason Burstow, Dujuan Richards (training only)

The squad were captured by FC Series arriving in the United States as they exited their bus and entered their hotel in North Carolina.

Pochettino is looking forward to facing Wrexham, admitting in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday:

“So far so good. First game tomorrow, I’m very excited about our first friendly game. When you are in Chelsea, official all the games. Very happy to be here and looking forward to tomorrow.”