Xabi Alonso Seeks First Chelsea Win Against AC Milan in Jakarta

Xabi Alonso has not come to Chelsea to collect pre-season bruises. Two defeats on the spin have given the new manager a sharp early taste of life in the Stamford Bridge spotlight, and on Saturday in Jakarta he runs straight into another European giant: AC Milan.

The setting is unusual, the stakes are not. It is still only August, still only a friendly, but for Alonso and Ruben Amorim, this meeting carries weight.

Kickoff is set for 8 a.m. EDT on Saturday, August 8, 2026, with coverage on CBS Sports Network and FOX Deportes, and streaming available via Fubo. The venue: a packed Indonesian stadium, where the noise will feel anything but pre-season.

Alonso looking for a response

Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Juventus on Wednesday underlined how far Alonso’s ideas still have to travel before they become instinct. The build-up play stuttered, the pressing came in fits and starts, and the new manager cut a restless figure on the touchline.

He needs a different tune from his players against Milan.

One of his most expensive instruments will stay in the case. Morgan Rogers, the $155 million headline signing, will not feature as he continues an extended post-World Cup break. Chelsea will have to wait a little longer for their first look at the England forward in blue.

Danny Welbeck, though, is likely to be involved again. The surprise arrival already has minutes under his belt after making his debut in that loss to Juventus. For a squad heavy on promise but short on seasoned Premier League know-how, his experience offers something tangible in the here and now.

Mykhailo Mudryk’s situation is different, and far more charged. The winger’s eight-minute cameo against Juve was his first appearance for Chelsea in almost two years, following his positive test for the banned substance meldonium in 2024 and the subsequent appeal that cleared the remainder of his ban. He is available again. Now he needs rhythm, trust, and time on the pitch.

Jakarta could be the next small step in that comeback.

Amorim’s Milan out to finish pre-season unbeaten

On the opposite bench, Ruben Amorim is trying to launch a new era of his own. The former Manchester United boss has steered Milan through pre-season without defeat, and he arrives in Indonesia intent on protecting that record.

Milan’s last outing, a 1-1 draw with fierce rivals Inter, carried more bite than a typical summer run-out. It also underlined how quickly Amorim’s ideas have taken root. His side pressed with purpose, attacked with width, and refused to let the tempo drop.

Now comes their final friendly of the summer. After Jakarta, the warm-up ends and the serious work begins at San Siro.

A win over Chelsea would be more than a footnote on a tour poster. It would be a clean, confident line under pre-season and a message to the rest of Serie A that Milan are already up to speed.

Different agendas, same pressure

Pre-season games often drift. This one should not.

Alonso needs a performance that shows progress: cleaner patterns, more control, sharper combinations in the final third. He also needs to see how his new and returning pieces fit together under real pressure, not just on the training pitch at Cobham.

Amorim, by contrast, is polishing. His team knows the framework; now it is about detail. Defensive distances. Transitions. The kind of habits that decide tight league games in January, not just friendlies in August.

Two coaches, two rebuilding jobs, one noisy stopover in Jakarta. For Milan, it is a chance to complete an unbeaten pre-season. For Chelsea, it is an early test of character under a manager who has made a career out of controlling midfields and moments.

On Saturday, he needs to start controlling results.