Antonio Conte's reign as Chelsea manager will begin with two preseason friendlies in Austria, which were confirmed today by the club itself.
Familiar territory
The Italian manager will take charge of the Blues shortly after his time in charge of Italy's EURO 2016 campaign is over, which could be as late as July 11 should they advance to the final in France.
The 2014-15 champions will face Rapid Vienna in the first match staged at the club's new Allianz Stadion on July 16, before taking on WAC RZ Pellets four days later.
They will be making their return to Austria for the first time since the 2014-15 preseason, in which their 2014 friendly against the latter ended in a 1-1 draw.
The trip to Austria will see the squad based in the market town of Velden in Carinthia, the same southern region as two years ago.
Endless Summer
Following their friendlies in Austria, Conte and his Chelsea squad will head to the United States to participate in the International Champions Cup. Their first fixture against Liverpool is set to take place at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on July 27.
That will be followed by matches against Real Madrid three days later at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, and AC Milan at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota on August 3rd.
The Blues' pre-season matches last summer ended with no victories, two draws and two defeats. In their matches in the International Champions Cup, they lost 4-2 to MLS outfit New York Red Bulls, drew 1-1 but won 6-5 on penalties against Paris Saint-Germain, drew 2-2 against FC Barcelona but won 4-2 on penalties and lost at home to Fiorentina in their final match of the summer.
The 2016-17 Premier League season is due to start on August 13th 2016.