Kawasaki Frontale vs Chelsea Predictions

New Chelsea boss Frank Lampard continues his reign at Chelsea on Friday, as they take on Kawasaki Frontale. The Blues continue their world tour after a week in Dublin, which is making Lampard’s new job a little tougher. However, can he inspire his men to a second victory in preseason?

The Blues are facing off against back to back J.League champions Kawasaki, who have slipped a little off the pace at the top of the table. They are four points off the lead, so facing a glamour tie against Premier League opposition isn’t ideal for boss Toru Oniki. Frontale have been made major outsiders for this clash, with bookies clearly expecting Chelsea to rack up an impressive win in this clash.

So far, Frank Lampard is getting the kind of football he was expecting from his men. Last weekend they hammered St Pats Athletic in Dublin, which was a good result for Lampard. He played two entirely different sides in either half, with his men winning each half 2-0. They managed that without the talents of Kepa and Christian Pulisic, so expect the new-look Chelsea to be even stronger ahead of Friday’s encounter in Yokohama.

We expect Lampard’s side to make a bright start as they chase a victory in Japan. Chelsea have been leading at the end of each half in six of their last seven friendlies. That record dates back to 2016 under multiple managers, while it includes the early days of Frank Lampard’s reign. It could have been even better, if not for a last gasp equaliser by Bohemians in Dublin last week. The Blues led from the eighth minute there but faded at the end in their first game of the season back.

The Blues are in better shape now, both in terms of fitness and personnel. They have almost all of their squad available now, with Christian Pulisic involved and hoping to make his debut. The Blues flexed their muscles with that 4-0 success over St Pats last weekend, now they are out to record another comfortable win by seeing off Kawasaki Frontale on Friday. Given that the Blues have found the net in the opening 15 minutes in five of their last six friendlies, we are confident that they can get out in front here and hold on to a lead. We’re going with Chelsea/Chelsea on the half-time/full-time market in Friday’s J.League World Challenge clash, as Lampard continues a bright start with the Blues.