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

After a recent loss in the London derby held in Australia, Chelsea heads to Hong Kong for a pre-season friendly against Italian giants Juventus. The match is set for Wednesday at Kai Tak Sports Park as both teams prepare for a demanding season ahead.

The Blues fell to Tottenham Hotspur in their last outing, while Juve secured a quiet win over Nice. This meeting follows a summer of significant changes at Chelsea under new manager Xabi Alonso, who has brought experience into one of the Premier League's youngest squads.

Pre-season Developments

Chelsea welcomed veteran striker Danny Welbeck and is expecting 36-year-old Jordan Henderson soon. Established signings like Morgan Rogers and Maxence Lacroix are also part of the squad. Brazilian teenager Estevao scored in the recent Sydney Cup defeat to Spurs, after a thrilling 6-4 victory against Western Sydney Wanderers.

The team aims to be fully fit for their league opener against Fulham on August 22 but will first travel through East Asia. Their tour includes matches against Juventus in Hong Kong, AC Milan in Indonesia, and Johor Darul Ta'zim in Malaysia within eight days.

The last time these clubs met was in 2021 during the Champions League group stage when Chelsea won 4-0 at Stamford Bridge. Despite past successes, neither side will compete in Europe's top tournament this season—Chelsea stumbled last year while Juventus failed to secure a top-four finish.

Juventus Season Outlook

Juventus earned just one point from their last two Serie A games, settling for Europa League football. Interim coach Luciano Spalletti remains in charge and is shaping the team for their Serie A opener against promoted Frosinone on August 23. Their pre-season record shows a goalless draw with Basel and wins over Standard Liege and Nice, with Douglas Luiz scoring against the latter.

Before heading to Hong Kong, Juve plans two friendlies in Italy against Palermo and their youth team, followed by a trip to Australia to face rivals Inter Milan.

Recent Form

• Chelsea Pre-season: 1 Win, 1 Loss
• Juventus Pre-season: 2 Wins, 1 Draw

Team News

Chelsea recently regained Mykhaylo Mudryk after a long ban. He joins late additions Welbeck, Pedro Neto, and Geovany Quenda on the tour. Goalkeeper Mike Penders is available alongside Robert Sanchez, with Teddy Sharman-Lowe possibly on the bench. Moises Caicedo and Nicolas Jackson missed the Spurs game but may feature here; however, Enzo Fernandez, Lacroix, and Rogers remain sidelined.

Liam Delap seems likely to depart, leaving Kazakh talent Dastan Satpaev and Joao Pedro—who netted a quick hat-trick against Western Sydney Wanderers—as prime attacking options.

Juventus no longer have former Chelsea target Dusan Vlahovic, released after his contract ended. Arkadiusz Milik might lead their forward line. Spalletti has reinforced his attack by bringing back Randal Kolo Muani and signing young Bosnian Kerim Alajbegovic. Right-back Zeki Celik arrived unexpectedly from Roma. However, Jeff Ekhator and key midfielder Khephren Thuram are injured.

Possible 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

Prediction

With several returning key players, Chelsea is expected to field a stronger team than in their earlier friendlies. This should give them the edge over a modest Juventus side. After years of mismanagement, Juve's decline is evident, while Chelsea appears to be following a steadier course under Alonso.

We think Chelsea will claim a 3-1 victory over Juventus.