PEDRO’S MASK OF THE DAY
Injured star to Shield his face
PEDRO will start the season as Chelsea’s masked man after suffering multiple facial fractures following his horror clash with David Ospina.
The Spain winger will be forced to wear a protective face mask following injuries to his eye socket and cheekbone.
Pedro was initially thought to have concussion after the sickening collision with Arsenal goalkeeper Ospina in Saturday’s Beijing friendly.
But Chelsea boss Conte said: “The situation is more serious than I first thought.
“I was hoping it would just be concussion. He has multiple fractures, but with a mask he should be training with us in 10 days.”
Pedro, who will turn 30 on Friday, has now returned to London after medics finally gave him the go-ahead to fly following tests.
He should be fit to face Arsenal, and potentially Ospina again, in the Community Shield at Wembley on August 6.
Conte, who will be counting on Pedro with Diego Costa out in the cold and Eden Hazard on the sidelines, cleared Ospina of any blame.
He said: “It’s absolutely not his fault. I was a player and these things can happen. It was an accident. Ospina tried to take the ball.”
Chelsea today face Bayern Munich in Singapore where new £70m striker Alvaro Morata will make his debut against the German giants.
Conte expects the club record signing, 24, to deliver once he has adjusted to life in the Premier League.
He added: “My plan is to give him the possibility to play part of the game, but not from the start as he has only just started to work with us.
“He can have a big impact in the Premier League. If you compare England to the leagues in other countries, it’s very tough and physically it’s strong. But Morata is ready to have a big impact.”
Kenedy is also set to feature just 48 hours after the Brazilian got into trouble by posting offensive online comments about China.
Chelsea were forced to apologise and the defender, 21, is believed to have been fined by the club.
Conte said: “He understood his mistake and he is sorry for this.”