Chelsea vs Juventus: Team news, predicted XI and how to watch
Chelsea face Juventus in Hong Kong on Wednesday as Xabi Alonso’s side continue their preparations for the 2026/27 Premier League season.
The Blues arrive at Kai Tak Stadium having experienced two very different games in Australia. They opened pre-season with a chaotic 6-4 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers before suffering a 2-1 defeat against Tottenham.
Chelsea controlled long periods against Spurs and Estevao scored their equaliser, but Richarlison struck in stoppage time despite Tottenham playing much of the second half with 10 men.
Juventus should provide another useful test. Luciano Spalletti’s side have played three friendlies this summer and are yet to concede, drawing with Basel before beating Standard Liege and Nice.
Alonso has considerably more choice than he had during the Australian leg of the tour.
Mike Penders, Gabriel Slonina, Geovany Quenda and Pedro Neto have joined the squad in Hong Kong, while Danny Welbeck and Mykhailo Mudryk have also linked up with the group. Quenda had been recovering from the minor injury which kept him out of the opening games.
Mudryk is available for selection after returning to Chelsea training, although almost two years without competitive football makes a start unlikely. Alonso has indicated that the Ukrainian can feature but will need to rebuild his match fitness progressively.
Robert Sanchez is a doubt after missing the Tottenham defeat with a minor problem. That could open the door for Penders to make his first appearance since joining the squad in Hong Kong, although Teddy Sharman-Lowe and Ted Curd are also available.
Emmanuel Emegha remains sidelined by the hamstring injury suffered earlier in pre-season. ReadChelsea previously reported that the striker was expected to miss the overseas tour, leaving João Pedro and Liam Delap as Alonso’s main established centre-forward options. ReadChelsea’s Quenda and Emegha injury update
Pedro Neto and Quenda could both receive minutes after joining the tour, but starting either immediately would be a surprise.
Chelsea predicted XI vs Juventus
Alonso used a strong side against Tottenham and could retain much of that structure while introducing Penders and Moises Caicedo.
Penders has joined the squad at an ideal time given Sanchez’s fitness concern. Marco Palestra should continue receiving important minutes at right-back, with Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill and Jorrel Hato completing the defence.
Caicedo has now had more time with the squad after joining during the Australian leg. Pairing him with Romeo Lavia would give Alonso an opportunity to examine a midfield combination he could use during the Premier League season.
Cole Palmer should remain the attacking reference point behind João Pedro. Estevao and Jamie Gittens can provide the width, with Quenda, Neto and Mudryk among the options to change the game later.
Chelsea predicted XI: Penders; Palestra, Fofana, Colwill, Hato; Caicedo, Lavia; Estevao, Palmer, Gittens; João Pedro.
There should again be extensive changes during the second half, with pre-season minutes more important than keeping a settled XI for 90 minutes.
Juventus predicted XI vs Chelsea
Juventus have taken a strong squad to Hong Kong.
Bremer, Pierre Kalulu, Manuel Locatelli, Douglas Luiz, Weston McKennie, Francisco Conceicao and Kenan Yildiz are all travelling. New arrivals Randal Kolo Muani and Kerim Alajbegovic have also made the trip.
Khéphren Thuram has not travelled because of injury, reducing Spalletti’s midfield options.
Juventus used a 3-4-2-1 against Nice, with Kalulu, Federico Gatti and Lloyd Kelly forming the back three. Spalletti could strengthen that unit by bringing Bremer back into the starting side in Hong Kong.
Yildiz has travelled after dealing with a knee issue and could return to the starting XI, although his minutes may still be managed.
Juventus predicted XI: Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly; Celik, Locatelli, Douglas Luiz, Cambiaso; Conceicao, Yildiz; David.
Kolo Muani, Alajbegovic, McKennie, Zhegrova and Koopmeiners should all be candidates for minutes.
When is Chelsea vs Juventus?
Chelsea face Juventus on Wednesday, 5 August 2026 at Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong.
Kick-off is scheduled for 12.30pm BST, which is 7.30pm local time. Chelsea have confirmed that the friendly forms part of the Hong Kong Football Festival.
How to watch Chelsea vs Juventus
The game will not be broadcast on a UK television channel.
Supporters in the UK can watch the match live through CFC+ on Chelsea’s official website and app. Chelsea will also provide live updates through their Match Centre.
Chelsea vs Juventus head-to-head
Chelsea and Juventus have met six times in competitive football, with every previous meeting coming in the Champions League.
Both clubs have won twice, with the other two matches ending level. Chelsea won the most recent meeting 4-0 at Stamford Bridge in November 2021.
Wednesday will therefore be their first meeting for almost five years.
Juventus’ defensive record makes this a significant step up from Chelsea’s opening friendly.
Spalletti’s side have yet to concede during pre-season, while Chelsea have allowed six goals across their two games in Australia. Alonso will want to see greater control without losing the attacking threat displayed against Western Sydney and Tottenham.
Chelsea should benefit from having Caicedo back and several additional senior players available from the bench. However, Juventus look further along physically and have been difficult to break down.
Prediction: Chelsea 1-1 Juventus.
For Alonso, the performance should matter considerably more than the result. Another 90 minutes against strong European opposition can tell him far more about this Chelsea squad than an easy pre-season victory.
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