Chelsea have arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia, for the next stage of their 2026 pre-season tour. The team is set to face AC Milan in a friendly match on Saturday afternoon (UK time), marking their penultimate fixture of the tour.
This match follows previous stops in Sydney and Hong Kong. After the game against AC Milan, Chelsea will travel to Johor, Malaysia, for their final pre-season fixture.
Squad Preparations and Potential Line-up Changes
Following two consecutive pre-season defeats, Chelsea will be looking for a positive result against AC Milan to boost team morale ahead of the upcoming season. Manager Xabi Alonso may implement changes to the squad due to a short rest period between matches.
Some key players, including Reece James and Enzo Fernandez, are still on leave after the World Cup and will not be available. However, Alonso has a strong squad at his disposal for the fixture.
Potential starters for Chelsea against AC Milan include Josh Achempong, who may feature alongside Colwill if he is fit. Marco Palestra and Jorrel Hato are expected to maintain their positions at right-back and left-back, respectively.
In midfield, Moises Caicedo is anticipated to start, potentially alongside Dario Essugo. Palmer, who was absent from the match against Juventus, might return as the starting number 10 if deemed fit enough. Should Palmer not start, Welbeck could fill that role as a second striker.
On the wings, Estevao Willian is expected to replace Geovany Quenda on the right, while Pedro Neto could make his first pre-season appearance on the left flank. If Neto plays on the right, then either Mykhailo Mudryk or Dastan Satpayev might start on the left.
Up front, Alonso might opt to rest Joao Pedro, who started in the last two games, and instead start Nicolas Jackson or Liam Delap. However, Joao Pedro could still feature, especially as Alonso is expected to field a heavily-rotated side in the subsequent friendly against Johor Darul Ta’zim.
Upcoming Pre-Season Fixtures
The match against AC Milan is one of many club friendlies scheduled for Saturday, 8th August. Other fixtures on the day include:
- Kasımpaşa versus Samsunspor at 17:00
- Elche versus Toulouse at 08:30
- Albacete versus Real Murcia at 09:00
- Lens versus Sunderland at 09:00
- Kortrijk versus Club Brugge II at 09:30
- Real Unión versus Eibar at 10:30
- Club Brugge versus Beerschot at 11:00
- Zelzate versus Genk II at 11:00
- Freiburg versus Strasbourg at 11:30
- Werder Bremen versus Paderborn at 13:00
- Eintracht Frankfurt versus Hull City at 14:00
- Hamburger SV versus Lille at 14:00
- Lokeren versus Umm Salal at 14:00
- Augsburg versus Sassuolo at 14:30
- Bayer Leverkusen versus Sevilla at 14:30
- Freiburg versus Strasbourg at 14:30
- Köln versus Real Sociedad at 14:30
- Ipswich Town versus Rayo Vallecano at 15:00
- Lens versus Sunderland at 15:00
- Werder Bremen versus Paderborn at 15:00
- Bologna versus Pisa at 16:00
- Lorient versus Angers at 16:00
- Mainz 05 versus Paris FC at 16:00
- Modena versus Vis Pesaro at 16:00
- Rennes versus Brentford at 16:00
- Schalke 04 versus Atalanta at 16:00
- Sporting de Gijón versus Real Valladolid at 16:00
- Stuttgart versus Everton at 16:00
- Dender versus Knokke at 17:00
- Eupen versus Seraing at 17:00
- Merelbeke versus Lierse SK at 17:00
- Olympiakos Nicosia versus Omonia 29is Maiou at 17:00
- Patro Eisden versus Liège at 17:00
- Saumur versus Le Mans at 17:00
- Troyes versus Auxerre at 17:00
- Virtus Entella versus Carrarese at 17:00
- Brest versus Venezia at 17:30
- Coventry City versus Espanyol at 17:30
- APOEL versus Kifisia at 18:00
- Burgos versus Cultural Leonesa at 18:00
- Castellón versus Levante at 18:00
- Leganés versus Tenerife at 18:00
- Sporting Hasselt versus Belisia Bilzen at 18:00
- Antequera versus Granada at 19:00
- Osasuna versus Al Ain at 19:00
- Avellino versus Torino at 19:30
- Cagliari versus Nice at 19:30
- Forlì versus Cesena at 19:30
- Gimnàstic Tarragona versus Girona at 19:30
- Real Betis versus Bournemouth at 19:30
- Real Oviedo versus Le Havre at 19:30
- Genoa versus Deportivo de A Coruña at 19:45
- Livorno versus Empoli at 20:00
- Mallorca versus Elversberg at 20:00
- Napoli versus Celta Vigo at 20:00
- Valencia versus Newcastle United at 20:00
- Cádiz versus Las Palmas at 20:30
Two matches, Amorebieta versus Athletic Club and Club Brugge II versus Le Havre, were cancelled.
Fans can watch the Chelsea versus AC Milan game live by subscribing to CFC+ for £14.99 per year or purchasing a match pass for £9.99.
The Chelsea squad arrived in Jakarta on 7th August 2026.
Source: bbc.co.uk