Chelsea vs Juventus: Pre-Season Friendly Preview, Team News, and Lineups

Match Preview: Chelsea vs Juventus

After a recent defeat in a London derby held in Australia, Chelsea head to Hong Kong on Wednesday to face Italian giants Juventus at Kai Tak Sports Park. Both teams are preparing for the upcoming season, with the Blues falling to Tottenham Hotspur last time out, while Juve secured a quiet win over Nice in their latest friendly.

Building Momentum

This summer has brought significant changes for Chelsea under new manager Xabi Alonso, who is adding experience to what was the Premier League's youngest squad. Veteran forward Danny Welbeck has joined, and 36-year-old Jordan Henderson will soon follow, joining previous signings Morgan Rogers and Maxence Lacroix.

Brazilian teenager Estevao scored Chelsea’s goal during their recent Sydney Cup loss to Tottenham, which came shortly after a wild 6-4 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers.

Chelsea’s pre-season schedule includes matches against Juventus in Hong Kong, AC Milan in Indonesia, and Johor Darul Ta'zim in Malaysia within eight days. Their goal is to reach full fitness before the Premier League opener against Fulham on August 22.

Juventus' Current Form

When these teams last met in 2021, Chelsea won 4-0 at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League group stage, though Juventus had won two of their three prior encounters. Neither club will compete in the Champions League this season; Chelsea struggled last year, while Juventus narrowly missed the top four, settling for Europa League football.

Juventus’ pre-season saw a goalless draw with Basel, followed by wins over Standard Liege and Nice, with Douglas Luiz scoring the opener against Nice. The Turin side prepares for their Serie A opener against newly promoted Frosinone on August 23 before traveling to Hong Kong, then Australia to face Inter Milan.

Team News

Chelsea have recently welcomed back Mykhaylo Mudryk from a long suspension. He joins late additions Welbeck, Pedro Neto, and Geovany Quenda on the tour. Goalkeeper Mike Penders is available alongside Robert Sanchez, possibly pushing Teddy Sharman-Lowe to the bench.

After World Cup breaks, Moises Caicedo and Nicolas Jackson missed the loss to Spurs but could feature against Juventus. Enzo Fernandez, Lacroix, and Rogers remain sidelined. With Liam Delap likely departing, Kazakh talent Dastan Satpaev and Joao Pedro—who scored a quick hat-trick against Western Sydney Wanderers—are strong contenders for forward roles.

Juventus no longer have former Chelsea target Dusan Vlahovic, released after his contract ended. Arkadiusz Milik, now fit again, may lead their attack. Coach Luciano Spalletti strengthened the squad with Randal Kolo Muani returning, Bosnian Kerim Alajbegovic signing, and right-back Zeki Celik arriving from Roma on a free transfer. Jeff Ekhator joined from Genoa but is injured alongside key midfielder Khephren Thuram.

Predicted Starting Lineups

• Chelsea: Sanchez; Palestra, Acheampong, Colwill, Hato; Lavia, Caicedo; Estevao, Palmer, Neto; Pedro
• Juventus: Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Gatti, Kelly; Celik, Locatelli, Luiz, Cambiaso; Zhegrova, Boga; Milik

Our Prediction

With several key players returning, Chelsea can field a stronger lineup than in earlier friendlies. They are expected to overcome a modest Juventus squad. Juventus have faced difficulties after years of mismanagement, while Chelsea seem to be progressing steadily under Alonso’s guidance.

We think Chelsea will win this one 3-1.