Villas-Boas ready for Potters test

Villas-Boas is in no doubt the squad will be fully prepared for the challenge that awaits them at the Britannia Stadium, which will be followed by home games against West Brom and new-boys Norwich.

"It is an awkward start," the Chelsea manager admitted. "We go to Stoke, who had a successful year last year, and are an aggressive, straightforward and forward-thinking team."

He added: "It is a big challenge in the first game, then we have two home games and we are happy to start in this way. We have to be confident enough from the start to be able to perform.

"We have good enough preparation to be ready for Stoke, and we will progress from there. We don't treat pre-season different than we do in the season. Everything will be building up for the next game."

New assistant manager Roberto di Matteo is confident Chelsea can make a strong start to the campaign, much like they did under Carlo Ancelotti in August last year.

Speaking to Sky Sport Italia, the former West Brom boss said: "Like another couple of teams, Chelsea will have an easy start, well at least until week five when we are away to Manchester United. United will have two big games early on, Tottenham in week two and then Arsenal in week three, but they will know how to show why they are the champions."

Villas-Boas' release from his Porto contract was 15million Euros (£13.58million), but the new Chelsea boss maintains there will be no quick outlay of transfer cash ahead of pre-season training.

Santos president Luis Alvaro de Oliveira insists they will shun any big-money offer from Europe for Brazil international Neymar, with the Blues one of several clubs said to be ready to trigger the 19-year-old's 45million Euro get-out clause, while Anderlecht claim their valuation for 18-year-old Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku has yet to be met.

Genk keeper Thibaut Courtois, Palermo forward Javier Pastore, Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric as well as Porto duo Radamel Falcao and Joao Moutinho are other potential targets. Chelsea, though, are set to sell young midfielder Jack Cork to Southampton while teenage Dutch defender Jeffrey Bruma has joined Hamburg on a season loan.

Source: PA

Source: PA