Ghana star Michael Essien could walk straight into a grudge match with Real Madrid on his return to English side Chelsea this summer.
Both sides have entered an eight-team US contest starting in late July.
That means Essien, set for a Blues return after his loan stint with the Spanish giants, could face Real in one of his first games.
Essien spent the last season on loan at Real Madrid after being denied playing time at Chelsea under coach Di Matteo but with the deal coming to an end the Ghanaian will return to the Blues for the pre-season.
The Ghanaian will be faced with the awkward task of playing hard against some his his former Real Madrid team-mates which he regards as his friends.
Everton, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Valencia and LA Galaxy are also involved.
But news of the tournament has stunned Chelsea’s weary players, who have only just got back from America after two end-of-season friendlies against Manchester City in St.Louis and New York.
Now they will be heading back across the Atlantic within DAYS of returning from a pre-season trip to Asia.
The US tournament, scheduled from July 27 to August 7, includes matches in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Miami, Indianapolis and Phoenix.
Each team will play at least three games.
