Nacer Chadli, the Belgium winger West Bromwich Albion signed from Tottenham for a club record deal of £13 million, will be making his debut for the Baggies in a friendly against Indian Super League side Delhi Dynamos on Saturday, according to the Premier League club.
Gianluca Zambrotta, who took charge of the Dynamos earlier this season will have a first-hand opportunity to see his wards put to the test in action against the very best in business on Saturday night. The Italian has seen his men travel to England to play in the friendly as part of their preseason campaign before the third season of the ISL (Indian Super League) begins early next month.
This will certainly be a stern test for the Indian side as a number of the first team are expected to play for West Brom as Tony Pulis looks to find the right blend as they start their action after the international friendly break. The likes of Boaz Myhill, Joan Olsson, Claudio Yacob, Craig Gardner and Matt Phillips are set for an appearance alongside Nacer Chadli.
The Baggies have had a mixed bag of a start this season, winning, drawing and losing one of their first three games. Thus, Tony Pulis will be keen to find his best combination soon as they look to improve on their 14th place finish last season.
In the summer, Baggies stars like Joan Olsson took a week off their break to come to India to forge a bond with the kids in the country as a part of West Brom’s community program called “Pass it forward.”
The Dynamos, on the other hand, will look at this as their most marquee preseason friendly as they go against some of the most well-known names in English football. Delhi, will be looking to make a breakthrough this season after being eliminated at the semis last season.
This season has seen the club take new shape under Gianluca Zambrotta, who take over from another famous full-back Roberto Carlos. Whilst bringing back ex-Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda as their marquee player, the Dynamos also have a flurry of new faces amongst their ranks with the likes of Indian talent like Kean Lewis and Souvik Chakraborty complementing international recruits such as former Real Madrid player Marcos Tebar, Ghanaian David Addy and Brazilian Marcelo Leite.
